[February 07, 2012]

Ana Carolina Mello and Salvatore Lombardi Jr. Join Argo Group's Operations in Brazil

Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. (NasdaqGS: AGII), an international underwriter of specialty insurance and reinsurance products, announced two new appointments to Argo Group's insurance operations in Brazil. Ana Carolina Mello, director of property and engineering lines, and Salvatore Lombardi Jr., director of cargo and marine, will be part of the executive team responsible for building Argo Group's new commercial property and casualty insurance company, Argo Seguros Brasil S.A. They will report to Pedro Purm, chief executive officer for Argo Group's Brazil operations.

Argo Seguros, an indirect subsidiary of Argo Group, recently received regulatory approval to operate as an admitted insurer in Brazil. Based in Sao Paulo, Argo Seguros will offer a broad range of property and casualty risk coverage for enterprises, with a main focus on small- and mid-sized companies.

"I am pleased to have Ana Carolina and Salvatore join Argo Seguros," said Mr. Purm. "I believe we have created a top-notch management team to expand Argo Group's business into the growing market in Brazil." The team also includes Specialty Lines and Business Development Director Eduardo Pitombeira, who will focus on liability, professional lines and surety, as well as Chief Financial and Operations Officer Christoph Glatz.

Ana Carolina Mello

Ms. Mello will manage a team of specialized underwriters and will lead business development, product, marketing, and distribution strategy of the property and engineering product lines. With 17 years of experience in theinsurance industry, she previously headed the property, casualty and engineering lines area at Royal Sun Alliance. Prior to that, she worked for Chubb as property, casualty and engineering lines manager. Ms. Mello is a graduate in business administration from West Texas A&M University, with an extension in business management at Universidade de São Paulo.

Ms. Mello can be reached in Sao Paulo at 55 11 3056 5593 or at ana.mello@argobrasil.com.

Salvatore Lombardi, Jr.

Mr. Lombardi will manage a specialized underwriting team responsible for business development, product, marketing and distribution strategy of the cargo & marine product line. He has 24 years of experience in the insurance industry, most recently as cargo and marine director at ACE. Prior to that, he worked for HDI as head of cargo & marine, and at Allianz as cargo & marine manager. Mr. Lombardi is a graduate in international trade from Universidade São Judas Tadeu, with an extension in business administration at Fundação Getúlio Vargas.

Mr. Lombardi can be reached in Sao Paulo at 55 11 3056 5584 or at salvatore.junior@argobrasil.com.

ABOUT ARGO GROUP INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS, LTD.

Argo Assurances is a member of Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. (NasdaqGS: AGII), an international underwriter of specialty insurance and reinsurance products in the property and casualty market. Argo Group offers a full line of products and services designed to meet the unique coverage and claims handling needs of businesses in four primary segments: Excess & Surplus Lines, Commercial Specialty, International Specialty and Syndicate 1200. Argo Group's insurance subsidiaries are A. M. Best-rated 'A' (Excellent) (third highest rating out of 16 rating classifications) with a stable outlook, and Argo's U.S. insurance subsidiaries are Standard and Poor's-rated 'A-' (Strong) with a stable outlook. More information on Argo Group and its subsidiaries is available at www.argolimited.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains certain statements that are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such statements are qualified by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations generally and also may differ materially from actual future experience involving any one or more of such statements. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and uncertainties, see Argo Group's filings with the SEC (News - Alert). The inclusion of a forward-looking statement herein should not be regarded as a representation by Argo Group that Argo Group's objectives will be achieved. Argo Group undertakes no obligation to publicly update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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