With Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) activity picking up this year, QBE European Operations is growing its warranty and indemnity (W&I) team with the appointment of senior underwriter Francisco Castro Yebra.
Based in London, Francisco will underwrite deals across the UK and Europe. He joins from managing general agent (MGA) ICEN Risk where he placed W&I policies for transactions ranging from SMEs to mega deals and covering sectors such as real estate, renewables, and technology.
Francisco Castro Yebra is qualified both in Spain as an abogado admitted to the Vigo bar, and in England and Wales as a solicitor.
In Spain, he worked three years for the corporate and M&A department of law firm Cuatrecasas. After an LLM in International Business Law from King’s College London, he started working at Lloyd’s in 2021.
“The M&A market is recovering and I’m very excited we are growing the team with international talent, in London with Fran, and soon also in Sweden with an upcoming appointment for the Nordics,” said Toria Lessman, global head of transactional liability at QBE.
W&I insurance offers protection for unknown breaches of target and seller representations and warranties in a purchase agreement. The QBE product is particularly aimed at M&A in the sectors of consumer goods, energy, financial services, healthcare, infrastructure and utilities, media, real estate, retail and technology.
