Insurers optimistic about New U.K. leader.

Gordon Brown, who in June succeeded Tony Blair as British prime minister, is a well-known and reassuring presence, say executives in the U.K.'s insurance and financial services sectors.

For example, Eric Galbraith, chief executive of the British Insurance Brokers Association, said he expects "a continued focus on the importance of the financial services sector."

Brown faces a number of issues that affect the financial services and insurance sectors, including taxes, pen sions, the role of private equity, and Britain's relationship with the rest of the 27-member European Union.

During his 10 years as chancellor of the exchequer, the British economy posted steady growth. A Labour Party member, Brown also has reassured the "City," London's financial community, which historically has been friendly to the Conservative Party. Con servatives held power from 1979 to 1997, for most of that time under Margaret Thatcher.

Brown's business-friendly style is likely to continue. As prime minister, for instance, he has created the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. John Hutton, who will head the new department, said in a statement that it will "equip Britain to seize new opportunities in the changing global economy."