Interview
Ageas committed to broker market as Middle doesn’t rule out pet product
Ageas is committed to the broker market following the Esure deal, UK CEO Ant Middle confirmed, as he hailed the opportunities from its infrastructure and technology stack.
Zurich invests in empathy training to deepen broker relationships
Zurich UK has invested in over 1,300 hours of relationship training for 155 regional underwriters to build deeper relationships with brokers, as head of retail David Nichols revealed this is “not your classic textbook classroom training”.
Jensten enters third chapter as Organ eyes upping the acquisitions tempo
Rob Organ, CEO of Jensten Group, looks to up the tempo on acquisitions, as the business also pushes organic growth and its network proposition following Bain Capital deal.
Allianz mid-market boss Graham Stait’s ‘challenge us’ message to brokers
One year into the role of mid-market leader at Allianz, Graham Stait tells Insurance Age about growing the offering and his keenness for brokers to challenge the firm as it seeks to be “the easiest insurer to do business with”.
Acorn recruits four more apprentices in record year
Kelly Magee, head of learning and development at Acorn Group, has highlighted apprenticeships bring in a more diverse workforce as the business adds four more taking its total to 24 in a record year.
Interview: Allianz Commercial UK managing director Phuong Ly
Allianz Commercial UK managing director Phuong Ly talks to Jonathan Swift about how greater regional underwriting authority, a clearer risk appetite and focus on digitalisation should help the business achieve its ambition of being the easiest insurer to…
Broking Success: ALA Insurance
Simon England, founder and managing director of ALA Insurance, explains how the broker got through the FCA GAP insurance sales freeze last year, and eyes potential acquisitions.
AI-native broker Meshed’s mission is to eradicate the ‘blight’ of underinsurance
Mark Costello, CEO of artificial intelligence insurance broker Meshed, looks to tackle underinsurance by integrating AI with customers’ back offices, and to improve the sector’s reputation through speed, transparency and a flat 10% commission rate.
E-trade products to be first Intact launches in October – RSA’s Grosscurth
Tovah Grosscurth, commercial lines MD, has outlined plans for the first Intact-branded products to be e-trade ones launching in October and laid out how RSA is increasing speed and consistency to market.
NFP deal to turbocharge Bspoke’s growth – Smyth
Tim Smyth, Bspoke CEO, predicts accelerated growth for the collection of managing general agents following the NFP deal last week, as he explains there will not be a dependency and the broker will not be at the front of the queue.
PremFina leaders tackle growth, profitability and regulation changes
As PremFina restructures for “the next stage of the journey”, chief product and revenue officer Laura Sweetman and chief strategy officer Danielle Medhurst share how it will partner with brokers en route to reaching profitability by the end of June next…
Newbie News: Activate Insurance Broker
Jordan Walker founded Activate Insurance Broker which launched on 1 August. Looking to scale the business through niche areas he explains why going the directly authorised route was right for him.
AllClear eyes global expansion as UK business grows over 30%
Chris Rolland, CEO of AllClear Travel Insurance, has targeted global growth with Europe and the US in the company’s sights as it has expanded operations in Ireland and Australia.
Allianz UK boss Holmes sees bright future from broker engagement in hubs and tech
Allianz UK has opened three hubs to work with brokers and will be rolling out technology developments this year into 2026, CEO Colm Holmes told Insurance Age.
Sabre CEO promises sophisticated prices to brokers
Sabre Insurance Group CEO Geoff Carter has announced plans to offer brokers “even more sophisticated” pricing through a new platform, as he sets his sights on achieving £48m in profit by the end of 2025.
Bullish Warburton on Konsileo moving ‘forward on all fronts’
Konsileo is “cautiously optimistic” about hiring another 50 brokers this year, building on its progress in 2024, CEO John Warburton told Insurance Age.
Broking Success: Sector experience
Ashley Dickson, managing director of Dickson Group, explains why he never turns his phone off and how he used his family’s motorsport experience to create a scheme for the Northern Ireland headquartered broker.
Native launches risk collective to lower premiums for crypto and digital assets
Digital assets is the most excluded asset class in insurance however insurers are looking to dip their toes in, and with AI compute alone seeing trillions of dollars invested it makes it the biggest opportunity in insurance today.
Aviva’s rising stars programme sees cohort promotions
Poppy Keys, construction commercial broker executive at ABA Insurance Commercial, has implemented a number of changes following Aviva’s rising stars programme, as five of its participants gain promotions.
Education key as AI adoption faster than ever, says CFC’s Radu
Focusing on the end client and education programmes spanning policyholders, brokers and insurers is key to success as companies ramp up the use of artificial intelligence, CFC head of technology Aura Radu told Insurance Age.
Interview: ERS managing director Martin Hall
The newly appointed ERS managing director Martin Hall speaks to Jonathan Swift about how it plans to maintain its profitable growth through embracing data/technology, focusing on opportunities in mobility innovation and being the go-to market for brokers…
MGAs ‘extremely focused’ on broker distribution in softening market - Keating
MGAs are “extremely focused” on distribution, according to Mike Keating, CEO of the Managing General Agents’ Association, as he also detailed how the claims process needs to be deconstructed and put back together.
Interview: Georgina Davis, head of regional market for the Midlands, South West and Wales at Zurich
In her first interview since taking up the post of head of regional market for the Midlands, South West and Wales at Zurich, Georgina Davis tells Insurance Age about the goal of smashing the 30% growth target and her route to the “coming home” role.
Petchey: “Strong demand” in schemes gives Markel opportunity to diversify
Mike Petchey, head of schemes at Markel, is seeing “strong demand” in the market, highlighting the number of possibilities when it comes to schemes is enormous.