Atrium hires industry veteran Dr Ed Byrns to lead its new weather & climate team

Atrium, a specialty insurer at the Lloyd’s insurance and reinsurance marketplace, has entered into the weather and climate insurance market with the appointment of a new specialist team that’s set to be led by weather insurance veteran Dr Ed Byrns.

According to the announcement, Atrium’s new weather and climate team will provide non-damage business interruption coverage to large commercial clients for losses resulting from non-catastrophic weather events such as temperature, wind speed, or precipitation.

It’s important to note that many of these products will be parametric trigger based, which means payouts are made when specific, pre-agreed weather conditions are met.

As mentioned, the specialist team will be led by Dr Ed Byrns, who joins Atrium from insurance brokerage and risk management firm, Brown & Brown.

Byrns, a well-known figure across the industry, is the co-founder and former CEO of Demex Group, the technology enabled insurtech.

As well as this, Byrns has also previously served in various leadership roles throughout his career, including stints at Citadel and Louis Dreyfus, in addition to Chief Technology & Innovation Officer at Munich Re Weather Group.

In his new role, Atrium has confirmed that Byrns will be supported by a team of experts within the weather risk management space.

“With climate-related risks continuing to shape and challenge the global risk landscape, the addition of Ed and his team enhances our ability to proactively address these complex challenges and ensure our clients are equipped with the protection they need,” commented John Fowle, CEO at Atrium.

“I am delighted to join Atrium at this exciting time. Climate change has accelerated the need for weather-related insurance, and as the risks associated with unpredictable weather patterns become increasingly prevalent, the demand for innovative insurance solutions is more critical now than ever,” said Dr Ed Byrns, Head of Weather & Climate at Atrium.