Mr Johnstone returns to his native city after 14 years in the London insurance market at firms Price Forbes and Arthur J Gallagher. He will be supported by industry veterans Doug Smith and Ritchie Sherret, who have also been appointed as client directors at the firm.

Mr Smith, formerly chairman of Corporate Risk PLC and with extensive high-profile roles including chairman of Johnston Higgins (UK) Ltd, non-executive deputy chairman of Willis Mergers and Acquisitions, chairman of Marsh (Scotland) Ltd and chairman of Marsh UK Private Equity, will assist the new team.

Mr Sherret whose broker book Hendricks Insurance was acquired by James Hallam in March 2024, and having built and sold two previous broking businesses, will work closely with Johnstone in growing the team.

The coming together of Mr Johnstone, Mr Smith and Mr Sherret under the James Hallam umbrella will harness the Corporate Risk banner that was so influential and previously the leading light of the Scottish broking scene.

Mr Smith said: “Time may have past, but the resounding success of Corporate Risk was as a result of an overriding principle and passion that our clients always came first in all that we did and the very high levels of personal service we provided back then – well I see no reason why that philosophy cannot be repeated again with the same levels of success working under the James Hallam banner”

Ritchie Sherret added: “It was enormously rewarding learning and working alongside Doug the last time and I am very much looking forward to doing so again and with Jamie too.

“Whilst Doug and I can be described as veterans our passion for great client service remains undiminished and the energy we had can be passed to Jamie and the next generation of professionals to once again repeat the previous success of Corporate Risk – the market is crying out for it!”

Mr Johnstone said: “It’s enormously exciting to be returning home to lead the expansion of James Hallam in the east of Scotland. Having been born and raised in Edinburgh I have always been extremely passionate about Scottish business and entrepreneurship. 

“James Hallam has significant capabilities across the insurance space, particularly in the swiftly developing world of cyber and technology. This makes Edinburgh, which has become the leading hub for start-ups and capital investment in the UK, the perfect location to support these rapidly evolving businesses. 

“We look forward to building long lasting relationships based on mutual trust and professionalism with clients that reciprocate these values.”