company's new president and chief executive officer. Stirling Cooke interim CEO Len Quick made the announcement yesterday. Mr. Quick will continue as Chief Operating Officer, and Nicholas Mark Cooke will retain his role as non-executive chairman.

Mr. Crane's has 24 years of experience in the insurance and reinsurance field.

He has worked as CEO of a publicly traded specialty property-casualty holding company, chief executive officer of a leading reinsurance intermediary firm, chief financial officer of a major insurance broker, and taken responsibility for merger and acquisition activities.

Prior to joining Stirling Cooke, Mr. Crane served for five years as President and CEO of Gryphon Holdings Inc., a specialty property-casualty underwriting organisation that was acquired earlier this year by Markel Corporation. Mr.

Crane, 54, is a graduate of Princeton University and the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.

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