AmWINS Group, Inc., one of the nation’s largest and most diversified wholesale insurance brokers, today announced that James Drinkwater has been named President of its AmWINS Brokerage division effective immediately.

In this role, Drinkwater will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the division, which is focused on property and casualty insurance brokerage operations. AmWINS Brokerage is comprised of more than 25 locations from coast to coast and places in excess of $1.8 billion in premium annually.

“James is ideally suited for this position,” said Steven DeCarlo, AmWINS Group’s CEO. “He has been deeply involved in shaping the division for the past three years, and he brings a wealth of knowledge, charisma and experience to this significant post in our company. James has been in the industry for more than 20 years and has served in a number of roles in both the US and London marketplace.”

Prior to being promoted to this role, Drinkwater served as the division’s Chief Operating Officer, where he worked closely with the company’s retail agency clients and insurance markets and led the implementation and execution of the division’s sales and marketing strategy.

In assuming this new role, Drinkwater succeeds Mark Smith who served as President of the division since April 2005. Smith will continue to work with the company in a consulting capacity.

“I would like to thank Mark for his valuable contributions to AmWINS over the past three years,” said DeCarlo. “He played a valuable role in shaping our brokerage division through a period of significant growth. The division is now well positioned for long term success and for a smooth transition to a new leader.”