Marsh taps Michel for Global Rail Practice

Marsh, a unit of Marsh & McLennan Companies and a leading insurance broker and risk advisor, has appointed James N. Michel a Senior Vice President in its Global Rail Practice.

Michel brings to Marsh more than 35 years experience in both freight and passenger rail design and operations, with specialties in operational analysis, risk assessment, and safety evaluation for rail organizations. In his new role, he will act as a key railway operations and safety advisor to Marsh clients.

Michel joins Marsh from HNTB Corp., an architecture, engineering, planning, and construction services company, where he was National Director of Intercity Passenger Rail. He previously spent 22 years with Amtrak, in infrastructure and vehicle design. Michel has also held positions with several international engineering consultancies managing freight, passenger, and high speed rail project development. A licensed professional engineer in New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, he will be based in Marsh’s Washington, D.C., office and will report to Jim Beardsley, Global Leader of Marsh’s Rail Practice.

Michel has been a member of multiple Federal Railroad Administration RSAC (Rail Safety Advisory Committee) task forces and working groups. He currently serves as the chairman of the American Public Transportation Association’s High Speed and Intercity Rail Committee’s Technical subcommittee. He is also an honorary member of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association, and Chairman of the Board of the Center for Industrial Design in Transportation.

“As interest in public-private partnerships and other alternative delivery methods increases, rail organizations will need to manage a series of new operational and technological requirements that will impact their insurance programs,” said Beardsley. “James Michel’s expertise in infrastructure and vehicle technology will help Marsh deliver valuable insurance solutions and risk mitigation strategies to our clients to help them quickly respond to these changing needs and improve their performance.”