Everest and Willis Appoint U.S. Wholesale Insurance Leaders
Everest, a New Jersey-based insurance company, announced three significant leadership appointments within its U.S. wholesale insurance division, Everest Evolution. Matt Meserole has been named head of excess casualty, responsible for the strategic direction and underwriting performance of this segment. Meserole has a history of building strong teams and was instrumental in launching the excess casualty offering for U.S. wholesale clients. His previous experience includes a production underwriter role at All Risks.
Adam Birch will lead industry specialties, focusing on strategic growth within construction and energy sectors in Everest Evolution. He will continue his role as the central region distribution leader for U.S. Wholesale clients. Birch brings a strong background from senior underwriting positions at Lexington Insurance and Argo Group, recognized for his expertise in the surplus lines (E&S) market.
Cristin McCarthy has been appointed head of excess construction, a role in which she will manage underwriting and growth efforts within the construction brokerage market. McCarthy's experience includes multiple senior roles at Liberty Mutual Insurance, emphasizing consistent delivery of high-quality solutions for construction broker partners.
In related news, Willis, a WTW business, has appointed Harry Merker to a dual role as property and casualty (P/C) cross-industry sales leader and head of alternative asset insurance solutions (AAIS) for North America. Merker’s responsibilities include driving broking growth and leading strategic sales initiatives, collaborating with actuarial and analytics teams to enhance AAIS offerings tailored for private equity and portfolio companies.
Merker brings two decades of commercial insurance and broking experience, having most recently served as chief broking officer for middle market at Aon. His experience managing regional teams positions him to influence Willis' P/C brokerage and AAIS sales strategies effectively. Reporting to Aartie Manansingh, Merker will also take a seat on the property and casualty leadership team at Willis.
These leadership changes at Everest and Willis reflect a focus on strategic growth and specialized underwriting expertise in the U.S. wholesale and commercial insurance markets, highlighting the importance of sector-specific knowledge in evolving insurance solutions. The appointments are likely to impact underwriting performance and product offerings in excess casualty, construction, energy, and alternative asset segments.