Markel Corporation announced that it has opened a new branch office in Paris to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the French market. The move is part of a longstanding strategy to further expand and scale the company's global footprint in key specialty insurance markets. Toward that end, Markel will partner with a regional network of independent brokers to offer three core product lines tailored for French SMEs: professional indemnity, cyber risk, and directors and officers liability. The Paris office will be led by Franziska Geier, Country Manager, and Laura Tinturier, Underwriting Director, who plan to drive growth by leveraging local broker relationships and simplifying liability insurance for SMEs with easy-to-understand wordings and streamlined documents, processes, and website. With this office, the team aims to replicate the success of Markel's operations in Spain (established in 2005), the Netherlands (established in 2011), and Germany (established in 2013), which have collectively grown to more than 135,000 insureds, 6,500 brokers, $150 million turnover, and 130 employees.