Articles by Emmanuel Kenning
Andy Burnham pulls out of Biba Conference
Andy Burnham, who was due to give the opening keynote address at the British Insurance Brokers’ Association’s conference on 13 May, has pulled out of the event.
Start-up consolidator hires Brown to lead M&A in £200m push
Ascend Insurance Holdings has hired former Premium Credit and Cullum Capital Ventures leader Roger Brown as group head of mergers and acquisitions.
Antares launches MGA platform
Antares Global has set up Scorpius MGA, a facilitator of managing general agent business that offers access to capacity, services and oversight within a single platform.
Bspoke and SchemeServe team-up on digital scheme trading service for brokers
Bspoke Group has launched a white-labelled digital trading capability, designed to give brokers faster, simpler access to scheme ownership.
Eleven Network adds Acrisure to name in further rebrand
Appointed representatives network Eleven Network has rebranded to Acrisure Eleven Network.
Commercial Express claims first to market with 24/7 virtual underwriting assistant ‘Jamie’
Commercial Express has claimed to be the first UK managing general agent to deploy a 24/7 virtual underwriting assistant.
Aviva survey ranks broker priorities ahead of Biba conference
Strengthening partnerships with insurers is the top priority for brokers ahead of this year’s British Insurance Brokers’ Association’s conference, according to Aviva’s latest Broker Barometer.
Markerstudy rolls out business division with £200m GWP target
Markerstudy Group has created Markerstudy Business, a commercial insurance division within its distribution arm led by newly appointed CEO Ross Barrington.
Four main board switches at Biba
The British Insurance Brokers’ Association has made a series of changes to its main board as the incumbents’ tenures come to an end.
D&O, employee benefits and key man cover top list as brokers optimistic on growth
Brokers have ranked D&O, employee benefits and key man cover as the top areas most likely to grow in the coming 12 months as they expressed near unanimous optimism about their businesses and the sector.
Wakam shares MGA partnership growth plans
Wakam UK has detailed its plans for being a “strategic partner” with managing general agents as it seeks further growth in the sector.
Aviva reveals 15 new hires in regional specialty push
Aviva has hired 15 people in its regional specialty segment as it commits to increasing market visibility through deeper, face-to-face engagement with brokers across the regions.
Hiscox maintains UK expansion pace in Q1
Hiscox UK grew written premiums by 8.9% to £181.2m in the first quarter compared to the same period the year before, underpinned by “strong double-digit” growth in its art and private client arm.
Axa makes triple May moves
Axa Insurance UK’s partnership with Commercial Express has gone live, as the insurer also enhanced its risk management proposition for fleets and rolled out a 24/7 commercial motor claims reporting service.
Allianz passes cyber to Coalition
Allianz has signed a global deal to move its commercial cyber insurance business to Coalition.
Covéa promotes Long to COO
Covéa Insurance has promoted Stephen Long to chief operating officer in the latest of a series of personnel changes at the insurer.
Home insurance premiums tick down in Q1 – ABI
Household property premiums fell in the first quarter of the year, the fourth drop in a row according to the Association of British Insurers.
FCA launches probe of claims management companies
The Financial Conduct Authority has launched a market review over worries that consumers are being failed by some claims management companies and law firms.
Flaxmans opens claims insight library for brokers, legal advisors and insurance practitioners
Flaxman Partners has launched The Flaxmans Library, offering insight into why claims fail and where misunderstandings arise in practice.
Aventum makes first MGA buy as it pushes into Continental Europe
Aventum has bought Rotterdam-headquartered specialist marine and logistics managing general agent Post & Co in its first ever MGA acquisition.
Clear pushes on with MGA rebrands
Clear has rebranded Accelerate Underwriting as Shape Digital and Thomond Underwriting as Shape Underwriting Ireland in further changes to its managing general agents division.
CII adds two executive directors to leadership team
The Chartered Insurance Institute Group has appointed Ben Turner as executive director of member engagement and Will Holt as executive director of learning.
Open GI looks to Barnard from Aviva to succeed Badley as CEO
Open GI has appointed James Barnard from Aviva to succeed Simon Badley as group CEO, with the change scheduled “over the course” of the second half of the year.
Motor premiums remained stable in Q1 – ABI
The average motor premium held steady in the first quarter of 2026 at £560, just 0.2% up on Q4 2025, the Association of British Insurers has calculated.