Q&A
End of Year Review 2025: Axa Retail’s Matt Field
Matt Field, intermediary director at Axa Retail, hails the insurer’s domestic violence proposition; keeps a keen eye on its NPS; and predicts new entrants to shake up the retail personal lines market, with a particular focus on data and technology.
End of Year Review 2025: SSP Broker’s Martyn Mathews
SSP Broker managing director Martyn Mathews crosses his fingers for the roll-out of a pilot insurance-in-education programme in 10-20 secondary schools, and looks to Star Trek for AI-related inspiration.
End of Year Review 2025: SiriusPoint International’s Rob Gibbs
Rob Gibbs, president and CEO of SiriusPoint International, highlights its success in rejecting the ‘spread betting’ approach to MGAs and instead partnering with ones that are really moving the dial; and suggests ‘Another soft market: Are we all delulu?’…
End of Year Review 2025: Direct Commercial’s Joe Hantson
Joe Hantson, deputy CEO at Direct Commercial Limited, notes the amount of senior underwriting talent moving from traditional carriers into MGA models over the last 12 months and expects more consolidation among MGAs and insurtechs in 2026.
End of Year Review 2025: Liiba’s Chris Croft
Chris Croft, the CEO of the London & International Insurance Brokers’ Association, describes the UK government’s financial services strategy as “depressingly insurer focused” and imagines an AI persona with a 1986 style perm in honour of footballer…
End of Year Review 2025: Alps’ Michelle O’Reilly
Michelle O’Reilly, managing director at Alps, expresses disappointment that whilst some parts of the market have talked a good game on innovation and customer care, they have not followed through; and predicts 2026 could be the year the Financial Conduct…
End of Year Review 2025: Flood Re’s Kelly Ostler-Coyle
Kelly Ostler-Coyle, director of corporate affairs, Flood Re bemoans the fact that not enough brokers are talking to clients about Build Back Better and pays respect to “the Welsh titan of the insurance industry” Amanda Blanc.
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.
Meet the MGA: Arrow Risk Management
Arrow Risk Management CEO Jon Godfray explains how the MGA combines decades of expertise, cutting edge technology and underwriting excellence to create what he hopes the market recognises as a ‘quality shop’.
End of Year Review 2025: VIPR’s Paul Templar
VIPR CEO and co-founder Paul Templar is impressed by the MGAs publicly committing to modernisation and brokers championing data transparency; whilst also paying homage to British mathematician Ada Lovelace.
Podcast: Reid and Clegg present Double Indemnity – episode six, Admiral’s Henry Engelhardt
For the sixth episode of Double Indemnity, Stuart Reid and Toby Clegg sit down with the Admiral CEO Emeritus Henry Engelhardt, who offers insights into why a “can do” and “think big” attitude, alongside deliberately targeting drivers paying higher…
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.