Marsh, the world's leading insurance broker and risk advisor, today announced the appointment of five industry veterans to its private equity and mergers and acquisitions practice, within its Financial and Professional (FINPRO) operations.

Joining Marsh are James O'Brien, Jason Hawkins and Craig Warnke as Managing Directors and Jim Beatty and Machua Millett as Senior Vice Presidents.

Mr. O'Brien joins Marsh after 18 years with Aon, where he most recently led the broker’s Private Equity and Transaction Solutions group. Mr. O'Brien brings more than 20 years of experience in investment fund management and professional liability insurance, merger and acquisitions due diligence and portfolio programs. He began his insurance career as a management liability underwriter at AIG.

Mr. Hawkins joins Marsh from Aon, where he most recently served as a senior advisor in the private equity group. He also brings more than 20 years of experience advising private equity, hedge fund and Fortune 500 companies on their management liability and general partnership liability (GPL) programs. Prior to joining Aon in 2003, Mr. Hawkins spent 15 years as a management liability underwriter at Hartford and AIG.

Mr. Warnke joins Marsh from Aon, where he most recently served as a transactional advisor in the private equity group. Mr. Warnke brings more than seven years of experience in transactional insurance products, including representations and warranties and tax liability insurance, in addition to advising private equity firms and hedge funds on their GPL programs. Prior to Aon, Mr. Warnke was a transactional liability underwriter at AIG and a corporate attorney for Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP.

Mr. Beatty joins Marsh from Aon, where he most recently served as a client advisor in the private equity group. He brings more than 10 years of experience in advising private equity and hedge fund clients in their management liability and GPL programs. Prior to joining Aon in 2006, he was a senior underwriter at AIG.

Mr. Millett joins Marsh from the law firm of Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP, where he served as coverage and defense counsel for directors and officers, general partners, financial institutions, insurers and corporations in a wide variety of industries. At Marsh, Mr. Millett will serve as a senior advisory specialist and GPL product leader.

Messrs. O'Brien, Hawkins, Warnke and Beatty will be based in New York and Mr. Millett will be based in Boston.

"The changing legal and financial landscape has heightened focus on risk management among private equity, hedge funds, and other financial sponsors," said Lou Ann Layton, Marsh’s U.S. FINPRO Practice Leader. "The addition of James, Jason, Craig, Jim and Machua to our private equity and mergers and acquisitions practice puts Marsh in an even better position to deliver unique solutions to our clients and prospective clients. We are delighted to add such high-caliber talent, expanding on our already significant footprint in the private equity and mergers and acquisition space."

Karen Beldy Torborg, Head of Marsh’s Global Private Equity and Mergers and Acquisitions Practice, said: "We are excited to be expanding our transaction and professional liability advisory capabilities at a time when the demand for risk-related advice from our financial sponsor clients is growing."