By Chris Munro

Feb 25 - (The Insurer) - Palms Insurance has added Sean McPhillips to its roster, with the recruit bringing over 35 years of casualty market experience to the Next Era Energy-owned specialty carrier.

At Juno Beach, Florida-based Palms, McPhillips has been appointed senior vice president, specialty lines.

Palms said McPhillips, who is based in Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania, will be focused on continuing to build out the firm’s specialty lines operation.

McPhillips has joined Palms following a short stint at Arrowhead General Insurance Agency, where he served as a senior vice president.

Prior to joining Arrowhead late last year, McPhillips was at IAT Insurance Group for just over two years.

His industry career also includes periods at WR Berkley’s Vela Insurance Services, Axa XL, Aspen and CapSpecialty, CNA, First Mercury, Partners General Insurance Agency, Endurance and Liberty Mutual.

Publicly traded utility company Next Era rebooted its Palms captive operation in 2022 as it sought to build out a third-party insurance platform.

Palms is led by CEO and CFO Chris King, while former Aspen executives Tim Kania and David Cohen serve as president and CUO, respectively.