Experience
- I joined BLM in 2020 as head of product recall and liability.
- I have 20 years' experience of advising insurers on product recall and liability coverage, defence and recovery.
- I have drafted numerous recall and contamination policies and regularly advise domestic and international insurers on policy validity and coverage issues arising from major product incidents.
- I have extensive exerience of food recall issues and have advised insurers on claims involving all contamination/recall policy event triggers used in the market, including accidental contamination, government recall, adverse publicity, malicious tampering and extortion.
- I also advise on automotive recall losses, liabilities and recoveries arising from alleged defects in engines, steering and other systems and components.
- Other sectors I have advised on include toys, cosmetic products, industrial equipment and pharmaceuticals.
My recent experience includes advising on insurance coverage and related issues and negotiating settlements in the following circumstances:
- Listeria in food production facility, product recall, voluntary shutdown (USA)
- Automotive component defect recall and related warranty litigation (Germany)
- Major confectionery recall due to suspected Salmonella (UK/Europe)
- Recall of defective toys (global)
- Recall of unstable pharmaceuticals (USA)
- Campaign to address alleged defects in industrial lifting equipment (international)
- Accumulated automotive component warranty issues (North America)
- Suspected unauthorised interference with pharmaceuticals (Australasia)
- Multiple unrelated fruit product withdrawals due to alleged microbial issues (South America, Australia)
- Major food product loss due to issues including alleged foreign matter in new production line (New Zealand)
- The North American "cumin recalls" arising from undeclared allergens
- The European "horsemeat scandal".
Membership/appointments
I am the consulting editor of, and contributor to, the textbook “Product Recall, Liability and Insurance – a Global Guide” (2012).
I have worked on secondment to a Lloyd’s syndicate, and am a member of BILA (British Insurance Law Association).