Insurance Insider - Behind the Headlines

What’s next for one of Lloyd’s largest syndicates as it sets its sights beyond London? Chaucer is a long-established force in the London market, with its flagship Syndicate 1084 underwriting more than $2bn in business—making it one of the largest at Lloyd’s. Now under the leadership of CEO Richard Milner, who took the helm last year, the China Re-owned group is shaping a bold new five-year strateg...

How is The Fidelis Partnership choosing to launch into new insurance classes as it rapidly expands?  The Pine Walk MGA platform has grown significantly in recent years and now writes over $900mn of business. As The Fidelis Partnership continues to diversify its portfolio, deputy group CUO and CEO of insurance Richard Coulson told Behind the Headlines that the company is "agnostic" about...

Is the ransomware threat really getting worse – or just more visible? A spree of cyber attacks targeting major UK retailers has thrown ransomware back into the spotlight. But according to Tom Draper, UK managing director at Coalition, it’s not that threats are rising — it’s that companies are operating in an increasingly complex cyber crime ecosystem. In Behind the Headlines , Draper unpacks the k...

Is the huge growth experienced by the MGA sector run out of steam? Not so, according to Danny Maleary , CEO of MGA incubator Pro MGA Global Solutions. Malearly told Behind the Headlines that there are major opportunities for MGA expansion in markets where the model is comparatively immature, such as Europe and the Middle East. With decades of experiencing helping underwriters to found and grow cov...

What’s next for Conduit Re’s strategy following a leadership shake-up? New CEO Neil Eckert tells Insurance Insider that his vision is one of “evolution, not revolution” — with plans to build on the carrier’s core reinsurance strengths. In this episode of Behind the Headlines , the serial entrepreneur shares the origin story of Conduit Re and how his past ventures, including Brit, are shaping his c...

Are intermediaries facing tougher times as the broking supercycle winds down? Following several years of rapid growth, the softening market is making expansion more challenging for intermediaries. However, BMS group chief broking officer Richard Dudley remains highly optimistic about BMS’s growth prospects. He shares that rather than focusing on a “finite universe of risk”, providing solutions for...

What does it take to stay profitable as the insurance cycle shifts — and why is leadership diversity still lagging in the London market? Jane Warren, active underwriter at Liberty Specialty Markets, board member of the Lloyd’s Market Association and London Market Group, and a member of the Council of Lloyd’s, brings a wide-angle lens to all facets of the London market. In this episode of Behind th...

Why have reinsurance start-ups remained so rare in recent years, even as underwriting conditions have improved? Mereo Advisors is one of the few carriers to successfully raise capital, although Mereo Insurance CEO and CUO David Croom-Johnson told Behind the Headlines that the process was at times “torturous”. Croom-Johnson explains how the business has now written its first $100mn of business, and...

What does the bustling insurance industry of today have in common with the coffee shops of the seventeenth century? While underwriters and brokers now operate from towering skyscrapers, some of the City's oldest traditions endure. The City of London Corporation continues to oversee the governance of the square mile, with Gallagher's executive chair, Dame Sue Langley, playing a key role a...

What are the potential consequences for businesses amid escalating loss costs in the US casualty market?  According to Acrisure Re CEO Simon Hedley, the class of business may begin to deliver some healthy results for businesses who have got a handle on the situation, and developed a well-priced, diversified portfolio. He also told the Behind the Headlines podcast that artificial intelligence is se...

Is the MGA start-up boom here to stay? According to BP Marsh's chief investment officer Dan Topping, the answer is a resounding 'yes'. The seasoned investor tells Behind the Headlines that he is still seeing significant inbound interest from entrepreneurial underwriters looking to strike out on their own. He also explains how the trend towards broker consolidation may yet spawn an e...

How does a young insurance company surpass growth expectations and successfully reposition itself in the market as a fully independent player? In this episode of Insurance Insider’s Behind the Headlines , CEO Mark Allan opens up about Ki Insurance's journey from launch in 2021 to a premium powerhouse. Now fully independent from Brit, Ki is at a pivotal moment—so how will its model fare as the...

The renewable energy sector is a major growth opportunity for the insurance industry but the loss experience has been challenging. This was underlined last month by another major battery fire at the Moss Landing complex in California, which will cost insurers hundreds of millions of dollars. According to Nardac CEO Jatin Sharma , the event has shaken the confidence of the underwriting community. U...

What is fueling the intense mergers and acquisitions activity in the MGA space, and how is it shaping the competitive landscape? In this episode of Behind the Headlines , Specialty MGA Optio Group CEO Deepak Soni discusses the opportunities in the European market and how the European MGA space is growing but not yet fully mature. He also shares his insights into how distribution via coverholders r...

Following several years of stellar returns for reinsurers, what does this year's January renewal pricing swing mean for clients? In this episode, Howden Re’s David Flandro brings his decades of experience monitoring market cycles to bear as he considers where the market could go next. Whilst capacity is ample and capital flowing into reinsurance markets, high catastrophe exposure and global t...

What is the fate of rating conditions in the coming year and how are major players preparing? Head of Aon’s Global Broking Centre, Tracy-Lee Kus has a unique insight into conditions in the London market. In this episode of Behind the Headlines , she explains how rating conditions will be on the downward slope for 2025. And following the expansion of Aon Client Treaty, Tracy-Lee reveals that underw...

The proliferation of broker facilities has been a growing trend – but is it just a symptom of the market cycle? According to Simon Wilson – president of Markel International – the current move to facilitisation is a “structural shift” driven by tech and algorithmic capabilities. These structures are here to stay. Tune in to the latest episode of Behind the Headlines to hear how Wilson thinks marke...

What should we expect in the world of deal-making in 2025? According to Tony Ursano of Insurance Advisory Partners, the stage is set for a spree of transactions. In Lloyd's, it's a question of when, not if deals will take place. Meanwhile, the MGA market remains "red hot". Plus, Insurance Insider editor Fiona Robertson discusses the key messages from the London Market Conferenc...

Lloyd's ambitions to attract large corporates to the marketplace is well known. But how has one of its major coups - the re-entry of Aviva via the acquisition of Probitas - impacted growth? Underwriting director for specialty and property investors Matt Gordon explains how the Lloyd's platform is a "massive enabler" of the carrier's ambitions to grow its specialty book to...

How do you build a $400mn MGA? Navium Marine CEO Clive Washbourn told Behind the Headlines that his business is a "fighter jet" out hunting for deals. Navium has built scale by taking on risk "in a fairly aggressive way" with large line sizes available to deploy. Whilst the marine market is now coming under pressure, Washbourn still thinks there is "robustness" in rat...

How is the market positioned to withstand Hurricane Milton? In this episode of Behind the Headlines , Insurance Insider editor Fiona Robertson gives an early take on what this devastating storm may mean for the market. Also in this episode, Samuel Casey sits down with Dominick Hoare, group chief underwriting officer for Munich Re Specialty Markets. Munich Re may be famed as a reinsurer, but the ca...

We may be in the midst of US hurricane season, but international catastrophe losses can emerge at any moment.   And frequently over the past couple of years, surprise losses have been driven by secondary perils: with Canada, Europe, Dubai and New Caledonia all among the zones of interest this year.   Hiscox Re & ILS’s head of international Nick Orton rebuts the idea that international cat unde...

Lloyd's of London is the world's oldest and most famous insurance marketplace, but how does it remain relevant to the 21st century economy? Listen in as Lloyd's chairman Bruce Carnegie-Brown examines the need to 'double down on innovation' to curb impact from the burgeoning intangible asset risks and how the industry can approach this new landscape. In addition, Bruce expl...

Listen in as Dale Underwriting's CEO Duncan Dale discusses expansion plans following landmark CVC deal and gives his views on the casualty market. Dale also outlines his ambition to partner with third parties through the company's managing agency.    Plus, Insurance Insider Editor-in-Chief Catrin Shi brings you the latest on the property market following the launch of a new Marsh facilit...

Insuring the transition is frequently touted as a major growth opportunity, but when it comes to renewable energy, complications abound. Natural catastrophe, evolving technology, and data scarcity all add to the complexity of underwriting in the class. GCube's Fraser McLachlan has been operating in the renewables sector over several market cycles, and gives his insight on the latest dynamics...