Bruce Copp, a London-based specialist Lloyd’s broker with close ties to Australian insurance professionals, has died at the age of 65 after a battle with cancer.

Mr Copp had an association with Australian underwriting agencies that lasted for more than 35 years, regularly travelling to Australia to negotiate facultative business with Australian brokers. He also spoke at several NIBA Conventions.

He was also a shareholder and director of major Australian underwriting agency SRS, which was acquired by Gallagher in 2012. Mr Copp handled the SRS portfolio, which at the time was the largest binder of Australian business placed at Lloyd’s.

Former SRS MD Paul Lynam told insuranceNEWS.com.au today that Mr Copp was a 40-year veteran of the Lloyd’s market, and travelled to Australia up to 60 times.

“Here in Australia there are a lot of people that would have dealt with him,” he said. “He’d been in the market for 40 years and was very well known.

“He knew Australia very, very well. The underwriters in London trusted that he was well connected and knew the territory and what was good and what wasn’t.”

Through his career Mr Copp worked in a number of London broking houses. His last professional role was at Capsicum Delegated Authority, an independent specialist binding authority broker formerly known as the Binders and Facilities Division within Gallagher.

Mr Copp retired a few years ago to a farm in the southeast of England with wife Sue and two dogs. Mr Lynam says he collected vintage Aston Martins and Ferraris and “loved to shoot pheasant”.

His funeral will be held at Wealdon Crematorium in Sussex on September 3.