LONDON AVIATION UNDERWRITERS, INC.

226 SECOND AVENUE WEST · SEATTLE, WA ·98119-4204 · (206) 285-5401 · FAX (206) 284-9808

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Michael E. Charlesworth - President and Founder

Born in England, November 1, 1928 and educated in England until the war, Michael first came to the North American continent to continue his education at Bishop's College School in Quebec. When he returned home in 1942 he attended Eton followed by two and a half years in the R.A.F. both in England and in Singapore.

Michael was a third generation Lloyd's Underwriter. After completing his service with the R.A.F., he joined his father's company. His grandfather had been a Marine underwriter, running his own syndicate of about seven members (“Names”). His father had developed the American Department in Price, Forbes & Co. Ltd., and it was there Michael began his insurance career in the Marine department, handling, initially, cargo, U.S. West coast fishing vessels, and barges. His work then expanded into helping his father’s department place unpopular risks in the U.S. such as non-marine construction risks, contractors’ equipment and others. After nine years, in 1958, he moved on to the Aviation Department, a subject that had always interested him, where he became involved in placing all types of aviation risks, from airlines such as Pan Am and TWA to crop dusters and hovercraft.

In June 1961 he persuaded Roy J. Merrett, a leading marine underwriter at Lloyd's, to start an aviation syndicate. Michael served as the Underwriter and a major member of that syndicate until 1970, when he and his colleagues separated from Merrett and started their own small syndicate, of fifteen “Names”, consisting mostly of friends and immediate family members, including his father and brother.

During his time as an active aviation underwriter he was a member of the Lloyd’s Aviation Underwriters Committee from 1964 until he left Lloyd's at the end of 1990, serving his time as Deputy Chairman and working on several Aviation and Joint Market sub-committees and working parties. Over the same period he also served on the Joint Technical and Clauses committee, a body set up many years before to co-ordinate the development and approval of policy wordings and clauses for use in the London Lloyd’s and Company market. Many of the clauses published or revised during those years have passed across his desk. He served as both Deputy Chairman and Chairman of that body, being the longest continuous serving member, covering 26 years. As a comparison, the average time served on that committee by its members was 3 years.

In 1980, he founded LAU as a brokerage house to handle risks in the Pacific Northwest. This filled a need that his syndicate had for reliable information and continuity of business. In February 1991, having resigned his membership of Lloyd’s, he moved with his family to live and work in Seattle, where as President of LAU, he leads the underwriting team. He lives in Kent, some 23 miles south of Seattle, with his wife Gayle, who is a Vice President at LAU, responsible for office management and agency appointments.