Veteran industry executive Joe Boren has been named chairman of a new advisory board established by Mosaic Insurance to help guide the company’s strategic growth, particularly across North America.

The company said Mr Boren, a senior adviser at US wholesale broker Synapse Services LLC, is a respected and influential figure in global specialty insurance, particularly in the environmental sector.

He will work with Mosaic to help identify other key industry individuals to build out the new advisory group whose mandate will focus on market engagement, innovation, strategy, and thought leadership, said the company.

“Joe is a trusted colleague and progressive industry leader who has had a remarkable career in the specialty insurance space, and we couldn’t be happier to have him join us in this strategic endeavour,” said Mosaic co-chief executive officer Mitch Blaser.

“His leadership of this high-level panel of experts is an asset as we move to accelerate the build out of our business, with emphasis on our three largest lines, cyber, and transactional and environmental liability.”

Co-CEO Mark Wheeler added: “It’s a privilege to welcome Joe as chair of what we envision will be an esteemed group of experts who can offer our teams excellent guidance and connectivity to a valuable network of industry relationships.

“The deep knowledge of leaders like Joe has been honed across market cycles and business lines and it will provide Mosaic with a competitive advantage.”

Mosaic said Mr Boren had 50 years of insurance industry experience, with numerous leadership and management roles.

He served for nearly a decade as president of US field operations, chairman of environmental at Ironshore Inc, and before that, was chairman and CEO of AIG’s environmental division, building out both companies’ environmental portfolios to become the world’s largest during his respective tenures.

Under his leadership in the sector, the company said, many environmental-risk executives developed to top positions across the industry including Toby Smith, whom he hired at Ironshore and recently was announced as Mosaic’s newly-appointed CEO, Americas.

Mr Boren said: “I’m excited to join the advisory board of Mosaic. Mitch was a driving force behind the creation of Ironshore, and, with Mark and other colleagues at the company, built a strong international presence.

“It will be fun to join them, and my friend and colleague Toby, to assist as they continue to build this dynamic specialty company.”