George D. Belcher

Mr. Belcher is a member of and attends a number of industry bodies, including, City of London Law Society (Insurance Sub-Committee) and the Financial Markets Law Committee (Insurance Sub-Committee).

He frequently advises on U.K. and EU insurance regulation, the developing relationship between the two economic areas and wider international developments, including the U.S./U.K. covered agreements, U.S. state collateral requirements and federal initiatives such as the Federal Insurance Office.

Mr. Belcher was seconded to the Financial Services Authority (FSA) in 2010 to assist with the legal aspects of the FSA’s implementation of Solvency II. He also has spent time working in the United Arab Emirates and has experience with insurance law and markets in the Middle East.

Mr. Belcher’s experience includes advising:

• JAB Holdings in its acquisition of Cardif Pinnacle from BNP Paribas Cardif to form a strategic joint venture (the Pinnacle Pet Group) to deliver a range of pet insurance services throughout the U.K., EMEA and Latin America. Mr. Belcher also advised on bolt-on insurance acquisitions related to this matter, including a US$1.4 billion acquisition from Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited, the acquisition of AGILA Haustierversicherung AG and the acquisition of Veterfina Verzekeringsmaatschappij NV;
• a consortium of investors in relation to the proposed restructuring of the Fidelis underwriting group;
• Argo in its proposed sale of Lloyd’s Syndicate 1200 to Westfield;
• Willis Towers Watson in its proposed $80 billion combination with Aon plc; and its sale of Willis Re to Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. for $4 billion;
• Apollo Global Management, Inc. in its $11 billion merger with Athene Holding Ltd.;
• Core Specialty Insurance Holdings, Inc. in its acquisition of StarStone U.S. Holdings, Inc. from Enstar Group Limited with $610 million in equity financing from SkyKnight Capital, L.P., Dragoneer Investment Group and Aquiline Capital Partners LLC;
• CMIG International Holding Pte. Ltd., the 96% shareholder of Sirius International Insurance Group, Ltd., in Sirius Group’s $788 million merger with Third Point Reinsurance Ltd.;
• Liberty Mutual Insurance Company in its acquisition of the global surety and credit reinsurance operations of AmTrust Financial Services, Inc.;
• Phoenix Group in its:
  • acquisition of ReAssure from Swiss Re for £3.2 billion in cash-and-shares;
  • acquisition of Standard Life Insurance Business for Standard Life Aberdeen for £3.24 billion; and
  • acquisition of Abbey Life from Deutsche Bank AG for £935 million;
• American International Group, Inc. in the establishment and launch of Lloyd’s Syndicate 2019;
• XL Group Ltd. in its US$15.3 billion merger with AXA SA;
• TPG/TWG in its US$2.5 billion combination with Assurant;
• Validus Holdings, Ltd. in its US$5.6 billion merger with American International Group, Inc.;
• OMERS in its US$1 billion acquisition of approximately 21% of Allied World Assurance Company Holdings AG, simultaneously with the acquisition of Allied World by Fairfax Holdings Limited;
• Gryphon Group Holdings in its £180 million financing and acquisition of the Guardian life insurance brand;
• The Travelers Companies, Inc. in its US$490 million acquisition of Simply Business from Aquiline Capital Partners LLC, and subsequent reorganisation; and
• a French insurance provider in its sale of an insurance broker subsidiary in the U.K.