Inga Beale
About Inga Beale
Dame Inga K. Beale, age 61, has served as an independent director of Crawford & Company since February 11, 2020. She is the former CEO of Lloyd’s of London (2014–2018), previously Group CEO at Canopius (2012–2013), Global Chief Underwriting Officer at Zurich Insurance Group, and Group CEO of Converium; she spent 14 years in GE’s insurance division. She is a Chartered Insurer and studied economics and accounting at Newbury College, Berkshire, England . The Board has determined she is independent under NYSE standards; she currently chairs the Compensation and Human Capital Committee and serves on the Audit Committee .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lloyd’s of London | Chief Executive Officer | 2014–2018 | First female CEO in Lloyd’s 325-year history; led market modernization |
| Canopius (Lloyd’s insurer) | Group Chief Executive Officer | 2012–2013 | Led the group; private Lloyd’s insurer context |
| Zurich Insurance Group | Global Chief Underwriting Officer | Not disclosed | Group Management Board; global underwriting leadership |
| Converium (Swiss reinsurer) | Group Chief Executive Officer | Not disclosed | Spearheaded company turnaround |
| GE Insurance (General Electric) | Multiple management roles | 14 years; roles in Kansas City, Paris, Munich | International leadership experience |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willis Towers Watson plc | Director | Current | Not disclosed |
| NN Group N.V. | Director | Current | Not disclosed |
| South Pole Holding AG | Director | Current | Not disclosed |
| Mediclinic International plc | Non-executive Chair | Prior service; dates not disclosed | Not disclosed |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Chair, Compensation and Human Capital Committee; Member, Audit Committee .
- Audit Committee “financial expert” designations: Williams, Bready, and Donner (not Beale) .
- Independence: All nominees independent except CEO Rohit Verma .
- Attendance: Board held five meetings in 2024; each current director attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings; independent directors met in five executive sessions, presided over by the Non-Executive Chair .
- Committee activity: Audit Committee held 10 meetings; Governance Committee held 4; Compensation and Human Capital Committee held 5 .
- Policies: Prohibition on hedging and pledging for directors and officers; revised executive clawback policy effective July 28, 2023 under Rule 10D/NYSE standards .
- Related party transactions: None in 2024; Audit Committee oversees related party transaction policy .
Fixed Compensation
- 2024 non-employee director pay structure:
- Annual cash retainer: $50,000; Board/Committee meeting fees: $1,500 per meeting; Annual restricted share award: $90,000; Committee Chair fees: Compensation $15,000, Audit $25,000, Governance $12,500; Chair of the Board: $100,000; Executive Committee Chair: $12,000 .
- 2024 director restricted share awards vested in full on December 31, 2024 .
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer (paid quarterly) | $50,000 |
| Board meeting fee (per meeting) | $1,500 |
| Committee meeting fee (per meeting) | $1,500 |
| Annual restricted share award | $90,000 |
| Compensation & Human Capital Committee Chair (quarterly) | $15,000 |
| Inga Beale – 2024 Director Compensation | Amount |
|---|---|
| Fees earned or paid in cash | $87,500 |
| Stock awards (grant-date fair value) | $89,990 |
| Options/Other | — |
| Total | $177,490 |
Performance Compensation
- Non-employee director equity awards were time-vested restricted shares; no performance metrics disclosed for director equity (2024 director restricted shares vested 100% at year-end) .
| Director Performance Metric Linkage | Disclosure |
|---|---|
| Performance-conditioned director awards | None disclosed; equity grants are time-vested restricted shares |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| External Company | Sector Link | Potential Interlock/Exposure |
|---|---|---|
| Willis Towers Watson plc | Insurance broker/consulting | No related party transactions disclosed at Crawford in 2024 |
| NN Group N.V. | Insurance carrier | No related party transactions disclosed at Crawford in 2024 |
| South Pole Holding AG | Climate/ESG services | No related party transactions disclosed at Crawford in 2024 |
- The Audit Committee reviews related party transactions under a written policy; none were reported in 2024 .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Chartered Insurer; economics and accounting education at Newbury College .
- Extensive international insurance and reinsurance leadership, including CEO roles and global underwriting expertise .
- Board-level human capital oversight as Compensation and Human Capital Committee Chair .
Equity Ownership
- Beneficial ownership (as of March 14, 2025):
- Class A: 62,680 shares; Class B: none; percentage <1% of outstanding (no percent specified implies <1%) .
- Director stock ownership guidelines: $200,000 or 25,000 shares; all current non-employee directors are in compliance except Donner (deadline Nov 2, 2025) and Murphy (deadline Jun 25, 2026); Beale is in compliance .
- Hedging/pledging: prohibited for directors and officers .
| Ownership Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Class A shares beneficially owned | 62,680 |
| Class B shares beneficially owned | — |
| % of Class A/B outstanding | <1% (no percentage specified) |
| Ownership guideline | $200,000 or 25,000 shares |
| Compliance status | In compliance (current non-employee director; exceptions only for Donner/Murphy timelines) |
| Hedging/Pledging policy | Prohibited |
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness: Beale contributes deep insurance expertise and chairs the Compensation and Human Capital Committee; committee activity and executive sessions indicate engaged oversight (10 Audit; 5 Compensation; 5 independent sessions) .
- Independence and alignment: She is independent, meets stock ownership guidelines, and director equity is time-vested, supporting alignment without short-term incentives .
- Attendance: The company reports each current director attended at least 75% of meetings, with Beale participating in active committees, supporting engagement .
- Conflicts and related-party exposure: No related party transactions in 2024; hedging/pledging prohibited; clawback policy in place—positive governance signals .
- Control environment: Majority control resides with Class B holder Jesse C. Crawford (67.7%), which can influence governance dynamics; independent committee structures and policies mitigate but investors should monitor board independence and minority shareholder protections .
- Workload considerations: Beale serves on multiple external boards (WTW, NN Group, South Pole); while no overboarding concerns are disclosed, investors commonly monitor multi-board commitments for potential time/resource constraints .
RED FLAGS: None disclosed specific to Beale (no related-party transactions; policy prohibitions on hedging/pledging; compliance with ownership guidelines). Structural control risk exists via majority Class B holder, warranting ongoing monitoring of board independence .