Martin Larkman
Global Head
Volante Transaction Services
VTS offers its clients a range of targeted client focused W&I insurance solutions that facilitate their specific corporate transactions. VTS combines highly specialised product knowledge with a real commitment to innovation and service excellence to ensure clients’ needs are fully met in a timely manner.
W&I insurance provides a bespoke insurance-based solution to facilitate and support the successful completion of M&A transactions. Our W&I insurance policies are tailored for the transaction at hand. Through the use of W&I insurance, buyers and sellers involved in a corporate transaction can effectively transfer transaction risk to the insurer. This removes transaction roadblocks such as the need for an escrow retention account. By working with and as part of the transaction team, we can provide specific and timely insurance solutions that can reduce or extinguish transaction risk, enabling otherwise challenging transactions to become a reality.
A W&I insurance policy provides insurance cover for financial losses arising from inaccuracies in warranties and indemnities. Where the buyer is the insured party this cover enables the buyer to claim against the insurance policy without the requirement to pursue recovery from the seller. Where the seller is the insured party, the insurance policy will reimburse the seller for financial loss suffered due to warranty and indemnity claims made against it. W&I insurance policies are ‘claims-made’ policies and so they provide cover for policy claims made during the relevant period of the policy.
VTS policies are crafted to jigsaw with the unique requirements of the relevant transaction. VTS will work with the insured to provide a policy that fits with the risk and recourse profile of the transaction such as mirroring liability expiry periods and retention thresholds that are included in the transaction sale agreement.
In addition to a more general W&I insurance offering, VTS also offers a suite of bespoke W&I insurance solutions that include:
Insurance Simplified
INSIM is a simplified W&I insurance policy using template documentation and predefined coverage to create a commoditised and standardised insurance solution for SME transactions. This product enables insureds to obtain a more “off-the-shelf” solution.
Distressed Transactions
This product facilitates distressed transactions using synthetic warranties contained in the policy itself. This means a seller does not give the warranties directly but the buyer has the comfort of recourse for unidentified liabilities. This is relevant for example where the seller is a funder who has enforced its security or an insolvency practitioner appointed to protect the creditors of a target.
Portfolio Build
For private equity funds who are in the build cycle of their fund’s life. This product provides certainty of terms through a standardised policy appropriate for the nature of the fund and certainty of insurance capacity through ring-fencing of policy limit availability.
Secondary Funding
Product designed for funds who are in the recapitalisation cycle of their fund’s life seeking new and alternative investment. Provides cover for non-operative warranties linked to title and authority of fund assets and investments.
Sell-side
For sellers who wish to mitigate the risk of financial loss due to a claim by a buyer. This policy can be incepted before or after a transaction has signed and can assist sellers to distribute or utilise transaction proceeds (such as a fund being wound up) or where the buyer does not consider insurance to be part of its strategy.
Global Head
Volante Transaction Services
Global Head
Volante Transaction Services
Martin is the Global Head of Volante Transaction Services and leads the VTS team across all regions. He has a wealth of insurance, legal and commercial professional experience. Martin is a recognised transaction liability insurance sector expert with substantial M&A insurance experience having undertaken transactions across the globe and having created and led M&A underwriting teams for both boutique and global insurance institutions. Martin brings significant commercial experience to the role of Global Head having been an executive director and sat on the board of companies across North America, Europe, UK and Asia Pacific. Martin is an England and Wales law qualified solicitor who has practised law in Europe and Asia Pacific across both international and domestic markets. As a lawyer, Martin specialised in corporate M&A law and focused on international transactional private equity work. Martin’s prior experience encompasses roles working with IAG, AIG and Allen & Overy (amongst others) across 100s of transactions in a variety of jurisdictions.
Co-Managing Director, North America
Volante Transaction Services
Co-Managing Director, North America
Volante Transaction Services
Jason is a Managing Director of VTS- North America and is based in New York City, where he focuses on the underwriting of transactional liability risks throughout North America. Jason has 12 years of M&A experience, including almost 4 years at BlueChip Underwriting Services where Jason worked as Managing Director and Head of Tax and underwrote both tax and RWI policies. Prior to joining BlueChip, Jason was a tax attorney for more than eight years and practiced law at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel, Farrell Fritz, PC and Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP. Jason graduated summa cum laude from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University in 2011
Co-Managing Director, North America
Volante Transaction Services
Co-Managing Director, North America
Volante Transaction Services
Chris is a Managing Director of VTS – North America and is based in New York City where he focuses on the underwriting of transactional liability risks throughout North America. Chris is an experienced M&A professional who has worked on a wide variety of transactions as both an underwriter and a corporate lawyer. Prior to joining Volante, Chris was Managing Director at BlueChip Underwriting Services, where he underwrote representation and warranty and contingent liability insurance policies for over five years. Chris began his legal career as a corporate and finance attorney at Latham & Watkins LLP in New York.
Co-Managing Director, North America
Volante Transaction Services
Co-Managing Director, North America
Volante Transaction Services
Jon is a Managing Director of VTS – North America and is based in New York City, where he focuses on the underwriting of transactional liability risks throughout North America. Jon has 9 years of M&A experience, including 5 years at BlueChip Underwriting Services, where Jon worked as a Managing Director and underwrote risks across a variety of industries, with a focus on healthcare transactions. Prior to joining BlueChip, Jon was a corporate and M&A attorney for 4 years and practiced law at Winston & Strawn LLP and Henry Schein, Inc.
MD - UK & Europe
Volante Transaction Services
MD - UK & Europe
Volante Transaction Services
Richard is the Managing Director of the UK and EU business of Volante Transaction Services. He is a senior legal and insurance professional with significant experience both as a corporate and insurance partner in private practice and leading the growth and development of transactional risk business lines. Richard has a longstanding connection to the transaction insurance market having acted in lead underwriting roles and as external counsel advising on risk and new product development for almost 20 years. Prior to joining Volante Richard’s experience included responsibility for Chubb’s Transactional Risk business for all territories outside North America with a particular focus on European, Asian and African markets. As a corporate lawyer Richard has many years’ experience negotiating and advising on domestic and international M&A, capital markets transactions and commercial arrangements across multiple sectors. His practice had a particular focus on financial services, insurance and other regulated sectors. Richard has a Magic Circle legal background and has been a corporate partner in other leading international law firms having lived and worked in Europe, the US and Asia.
Regional Managing Director - ANZ
Volante Transaction Services
Regional Managing Director - ANZ
Volante Transaction Services
Shaun is the Regional Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand, based in Sydney. In addition to growing the ANZ business, Shaun will work on transactional liability risks with the VTS APAC team. Shaun has over 16 years’ M&A experience and for the last six and a half years Shaun has worked as a senior underwriter for AIG’s Asia Pacific M&A insurance team where he underwrote risks across ANZ and Asia. Prior to that Shaun worked in top-tier law firms in Sydney and London (including Herbert Smith Freehills) and as in-house counsel with MNCs, including GlaxoSmithKline and Booz & Co.
Managing Director, APAC
Volante Transaction Services
Managing Director, APAC
Volante Transaction Services
Steve is the Managing Director of the APAC business of Volante Transaction Services. He brought 24 years’ of relevant experience having previously worked as a Lloyd’s reinsurance broker and a corporate M&A lawyer based in Tokyo. He has over eight years’ experience as a transactional liability underwriter both in Tokyo and, immediately before joining Volante, he headed up Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance’s successful Asia Middle East transactional liability team from Hong Kong where he wrote W&I, Tax and Contingent Risk liability insurance. A fluent Japanese speaker, Steve is based in Tokyo where he works from the offices of Lloyd’s Japan.
Deputy Managing Director - APAC
Volante Transaction Services
Deputy Managing Director - APAC
Volante Transaction Services
Daniel is a Deputy Managing Director in Singapore, working as part of the VTS APAC team on transactional liability risks. He brings over 10 years’ M&A experience and for the last six and a half years Daniel has worked in a number of roles within the transactional liability space, including most recently as a senior underwriter for Berkshire Hathaway Speciality Insurance’s Asia Middle East M&A insurance team. Prior to that Daniel spent two years in London as a Transactional Risk broker for Lockton, placing W&I and tax insurance policies and before that was a Transactional Risk underwriter in Ironshore’s (now Liberty GTS) Sydney office where he focused on transactions across the Asia-Pacific region.
Country Manager, Poland
Volante Transaction Services
Country Manager, Poland
Volante Transaction Services
Krzysztof is the Head of CEE and is based in Warsaw, where he focuses on the Polish transactional risk insurance market. Prior to joining Volante Global, he worked as a Polish qualified lawyer at the Polish offices of Dentons, Weil & Gotshal Manges and DWF assisting clients on both domestic and cross-border M&A transactions (including mergers, demergers, asset deals and share deals), drafting and negotiating business contracts and providing ongoing assistance in corporate and commercial matters. Krzysztof is fluent in Polish, English and German.
Head of Italy
Volante Transaction Services
Head of Italy
Volante Transaction Services
Massimiliano is the Head of Italy and is based in Milan, where he focuses on the Italian transactional risk insurance market. Prior to joining Volante Global, he worked at AIG, focusing on Warranty & Indemnity and Contingent Risk insurance policies in Italy and across South Europe. During his experience at AIG, he was also seconded to the DACH team in the Frankfurt am Main office, where he worked on risks located in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Prior to that, Massimiliano worked as Italian qualified lawyer for Italian and international law firms in Milan, assisting clients on both domestic and cross-border M&A transactions (including mergers, demergers, asset deals and share deals), drafting and negotiating business contracts and providing ongoing assistance in corporate and commercial matters. Massimiliano is fluent in Italian, English and German.
Senior Underwriter
Volante Transaction Services
Senior Underwriter
Volante Transaction Services
Marco is Head of Iberia and is based in Barcelona, focused in developing Volante Global’s operations in the Iberian region. Prior to joining Volante Global, he worked in the Iberian W&I and M&A space, both as an M&A underwriter and an M&A lawyer. As a Spanish qualified lawyer, Marco has extensive knowledge of corporate M&A law, holding also an LLM in tax law. With a focus on international transactional private equity work, Marco boasts over 10 years of M&A experience. Marco is fluent in Spanish, English and Catalan, and holds intermediate Mandarin capabilities.
Underwriter, UK & Europe
Volante Transaction Services
Underwriter, UK & Europe
Volante Transaction Services
Cristobal is an Underwriter within the VTS UK & Europe team and is based in London. Originally a Chilean qualified lawyer, Cristobal brings over 8 years of international M&A experience to VTS. He worked at Carey, Chile’s largest and most prestigious law firm, and focused his practice in corporate and business law, financing, telecommunications and real estate matters. Prior to joining Volante Global, he completed a Master of Laws (LLM) programme at King’s College London, during which he broadened and deepened his knowledge of the UK legal market, especially in M&A, insurance, and corporate governance matters. Cristobal is fluent in English and Spanish.
Underwriter
Volante Transaction Services
Underwriter
Volante Transaction Services
Pierre-Samuel is a French qualified lawyer and joined Volante in 2023 as a Senior Underwriter. Prior to Volante, Pierre-Samuel worked as an M&A and Tax underwriter at Transact Risk Partners for 4 years where he developed robust and transversal underwriting skills, both in respect of M&A insurance and tax insurance products. He also gained experience in the tax departments of major law firms in Paris (such as CMS and Linklaters) where he came across various tax matters in relation to private equity operations and corporate reorganizations. He holds a master’s degree in business law as well as a master’s degree in tax law (both from Sorbonne University). In addition, he graduated with an MBA from the University of Amsterdam where he acquired specific business skills notably in corporate finance, accounting, and corporate strategy.