Markel International has appointed Lida Heaven as an underwriter in its trade credit and political risk division. Her role will be to assist with the development of Markel’s political risk book, with a particular focus on the contract frustration business.

Heaven joins from Aon Risk Solutions, where she had been since 2012, most recently as a political risk and structured credit broker.

Her hire follows that of Nicola Marriage, who was appointed earlier this year to lead the political risk team.

Marriage comments on the hire: “Lida has built an impressive reputation as a broker and this, together with her strong academic background, makes her an ideal candidate to assist in the development of a diverse and profitable contract frustration book. Her broking background will also support the establishment of strong client and broker relationships.”

Ewa Rose, divisional managing director, adds: “We are delighted to welcome Lida on board as part of our growing team. Her appointment further strengthens the division as we extend the range of our product offering across our hubs in London, Singapore, New York and Dubai.”