has announced the grand opening of a branch office in Chicago, Illinois by its subsidiary, Newmarket Underwriters Insurance Company.

The office first opened in November, 2005 to satisfy a growing demand for direct insurance within the region. Allied World has headquarters in Bermuda and branch offices in Boston, Dublin, London, New York and San Francisco.

Allied World president and chief executive officer Scott Carmilani said: ?Chicago is an important strategic location, and our Newmarket office is well-positioned to meet market demand in the Midwest.?

Allied World US senior vice president John McElroy, who oversees business development in the US, added: ?Newmarket is our newest business development initiative and offers a wide range of direct insurance products to middle market organisations.?

Newmarket vice president John Cizza manages the Chicago office located at 311 South Wacker Drive, which specialises in general property, buffer liability, excess casualty and professional liability including directors? and officers? liability insurance.

The has been recognised by the American Marketing Association for the excellence of their 2005/6 cause marketing campaign entitled Sunsmart Campaign.

The campaign is funded entirely through the generosity of Allied World Assurance Company Limited ?The success of this campaign, currently in its second year, has been heavily influenced by the exceptional support and sponsorship received from Allied World Assurance Company Limited,? Pauline Girling, Public Relations Manager TB Cancer & Health Association said.

?AWAC are a pillar of strength to our association. By working together we have developed a powerful relationship and have been able to build awareness in the youth of Bermuda about the real risk of sun exposure and the threat of skin cancer in later life?.

At the recent American Marketing Association?s North American Non Profit Conference held in Washington this July, Ms Girling, who created the campaign, submitted samples of the local Sunsmart campaign to a distinguished panel of judges.

The panelists chose The Bermuda TB Cancer & Health Association?s campaign as one of the best submissions, and labelled it as a model example of guerrilla marketing which was on the ground, tangible, multi-audience as well as measurable.

An outline of the Sunsmart campaign was also featured at the national conference in a presentation entitled Great Marketing In Our Midst and praised as an exceptionally well positioned marketing campaign with visible benefits of influencing future behaviours.