Q&A
End of Year Review 2025: Open GI’s Neil Hart
Neil Hart, chief sales officer at Open GI, reflects on the ‘old chestnut’ that the cheapest cover isn’t always the best and suggests ‘His Highness’ as his darts alter ego for the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace.
End of Year Review 2025: Premium Credit’s Owen Thomas
Owen Thomas, chief sales officer at Premium Credit, applauds how Biba and the FCA have collaborated this year, suggests a top 5 commercial insurer might get snapped up in 2026 and predicts great things for Lee Mooney at Markel.
End of Year Review 2025: Commercial Express’ Duncan Pritchard
Commercial Express founder and managing director Duncan Pritchard bemoans inconsistent claims service and suggests ‘Rizzilience: Confidence in a Changing Market’ for the 2026 Biba Conference theme.
End of Year Review 2025: Macbeth’s Paul Macbeth
Macbeth CEO Paul Macbeth is embarrassed by the behaviour of a small number of brokers and insurers in the soft market, and raises an eyebrow at a deal Gallagher didn’t close this year.
End of Year Review 2025: Claims Consortium Group’s Rob Stewart
Rob Stewart, commercial director at Claims Consortium Group, hails the surge of tech talent joining traditional broking groups and hopes for a ‘proper summer holiday’ next year.
End of Year Review 2025: Peach’s Ryan Bendelow
Ryan Bendelow, director of commercial at Peach, is sad to see the RSA name consigned to the insurance brand graveyard, nominates Aviva’s Michelle Taylor as the insurance personality of the year, and is worried about an increase in IPT in 2026.
End of Year Review 2025: nCino’s Ashleigh Gwilliam
Ashleigh Gwilliam, director of insurance at nCino calls for more to be done to make insurance careers genuinely attractive to young talent and predicts AI will be handling first-pass underwriting decisions on at least 30% of SME commercial risks by the…
End of Year Review 2025: Corin Underwriting’s Andy Hurrell
Corin Underwriting CEO Andy Hurrell outlines the view a softening market rewards discipline; raises an eyebrow about the number of MGAs doubling down on scale over specialism; and advises rather than reacting to the crowd, back your underwriting…
End of Year Review 2025: Gambit Insurance Solutions’ Ajay Mistry
Founder and director of Gambit Insurance Solutions and co-Chair of iCAN Ajay Mistry believes small brokers need to be more assertive in the soft market and predicts at least one insurer will launch a product in which over 80% of the commercial…
End of Year Review 2025: Iprism’s Bradley Harmer
Bradley Harmer, chief commercial officer at Iprism, notes an influx of new capacity providers and MGAs entering an already saturated space and hails the promotion of Georgina Davis as a Zurich regional head at 28.
End of Year Review 2025: Uinsure Group’s Martin Schultheiss
Martin Schultheiss, Uinsure group managing director, wishes the last 12 months had seen a more stable economic landscape and predicts embedded insurance will be the norm rather than the exception by the end of 2026.
End of Year Review 2025: Granite Underwriting’s Jay Rennie
Jay Rennie, head of specialist products at Granite Underwriting, calls out the withholding of claims histories in the fleet space and dusts off the bucket hat, cagoule and samba trainers to spend an evening with Liam Gallagher.
Podcast: Reid and Clegg present Double Indemnity, episode five – Howden’s Peter Blanc
Peter Blanc, head of global M&A at Howden, sits down with industry provocateurs Stuart Reid and Toby Clegg to run the rule over the state of the market in the latest edition of Insurance Age’s Double Indemnity podcast.
End of Year Review 2025: Jensten Group’s Jonathan Skinner
Jonathan Skinner, group markets director, Jensten Group is impressed by Dame Sue Langley becoming Lady Mayor of London; raises an eyebrow over John Neal's non moves to Aon and AIG; and predicts a composite insurer will acquire a listed Lloyd’s vehicle.
Newbie News: Merlin Insurance Brokers
Richard O’Brian, founder and CEO of Merlin Insurance Brokers, has targeted growing the property and construction specialist broker by 80% in 2026 and already has an application in to the FCA to be fully authorised.
End of Year Review 2025: Ecclesiastical’s David Carey
David Carey, managing director of Ecclesiastical’s intermediary business applauds the £10m landmark reached by Insurance United Against Dementia, cautions against a one dimensional approach to risk pricing; and gets misty eyed about ‘Madchester’.
Q&A: Paul Anscombe, retiring CEO of Seventeen Group
After over 40 years as a broker, Paul Anscombe is retiring from Seventeen Group this month. Ahead of his exit he shares his reflections on growing businesses from scratch, leaving the group in safe hands and why he is optimistic for the sector.
End of Year Review 2025: Brown & Brown’s Clive Nathan
Clive Nathan, CEO of underwriting at Brown & Brown Europe, is slightly exasperated by how slow insurance is embracing AI, adopts the ‘Iceman’ moniker for darts and hails a major deal his employer signed with Hiscox.
Podcast: Reid and Clegg present Double Indemnity – episode four, Intact’s Ken Norgrove
Industry provocateurs Stuart Reid and Toby Clegg interview Intact Insurance CEO Ken Norgrove in the latest edition of Insurance Age’s Double Indemnity podcast series.
Meet the MGA: rrelentless
Looking to shift the agenda from reactive claims handling to proactive data-driven risk prevention, Gary Gallen, founder and CEO of the rradar group of companies, pictured, outlines his plans for its MGA rrelentless including product diversification and…
Q&A: Richard Webb on his career, retirement and advice to the next generation
Having retired from Pen Underwriting earlier this year, Richard Webb reflects on his career, gives insight on exceeding expectations with building and selling MUM, shares his belief in the importance of gut instinct and reveals the exit message that made…