QBE Europe

QBE's European arm, a specialist business insurer and reinsurer that places much of its work through Lloyd's of London, with UK operations across commercial, specialty and reinsurance lines.

About QBE Europe

QBE European Operations is a specialist business insurer and reinsurer and a significant part of the wider QBE Insurance Group. A good deal of its work goes through Lloyd's of London, the insurance market where insurers called syndicates share risks. Its UK-linked Lloyd's syndicates include Syndicate 386, a specialist UK liability insurer set up in 1974 covering areas such as employers' liability and professional indemnity, and the umbrella Syndicate 2999, which houses several trading units covering marine, energy, property, financial lines and reinsurance.

QBE's own purpose is "enabling a more resilient future", which it explains as helping those around it build strength and embrace change to their advantage. Its vision is "to be the most consistent and innovative risk partner". Those are group statements; the Europe site does not list values separately. The business traces back to 1886, when Scottish migrants James Burns and Robert Philip founded the North Queensland Insurance Company in Sydney. QBE built its UK business partly by acquisition, and a 2005 Insurance Times report says its Lloyd's operation was then the largest managing agent in the market.

QBE European Operations is legally QBE European Operations plc and says it operates in 26 countries, with functions in 17 European countries. The UK is its home market in Europe. The Lloyd's page lists two named managing directors, Cecile Fresneau for insurance and Chris Killourhy for QBE Re, whose London phone number is on a +44 20 code. We did not find a street address for the London office or a list of regional UK offices on the pages we could read. The 2005 article referred to regional operations through brands such as Ensign and MiniBus Plus, but that is old, so it is not a guide to today's offices.

QBE's Europe site links to pages on culture, flexible working, diversity and inclusion, the Women in Finance Charter and an early years programme, though we could not read their content, so we cannot describe the culture beyond the group's purpose. It also supports the QBE Foundation and a Premiums4Good scheme. There are no named employee networks on the pages we read.

A business like this employs underwriters, who weigh up risk and set prices, claims handlers, actuaries, risk engineers, cyber and rehabilitation specialists, brokers' relationship managers, lawyers, finance and technology staff. The sectors it serves range from construction and healthcare to technology, real estate and charities, so work can touch many parts of the economy. Look at QBE's own site for the current list of UK locations.

What they do

• {'desc': "Employers' liability, professional indemnity and public liability cover.", 'title': 'Casualty and liability'}
• {'desc': "Marine, energy, cyber, property and political risk through Lloyd's syndicates.", 'title': "Specialty and Lloyd's lines"}
• {'desc': 'QBE Re plus risk solutions, claims and rehabilitation support.', 'title': 'Reinsurance and risk services'}

Key facts

• Group roots go back to 1886 in Sydney
• Syndicate 386 established 1974; Syndicate 2999 set up 2000
• Operates in 26 countries, with functions in 17 European countries
• Purpose: "enabling a more resilient future"

Website: qbeeurope.com