Automation
Biba 2025 Countdown: Markel’s Jo Sykes
Jo Sykes, divisional director, broker & ATE UK at Markel, promises a partnership with an Olympic champion; expects to see another uptick in attendance at its annual hospitality event; and looks forward to putting her sore feet up and checking the iPad…
Blog: Measure twice, cut once – how suitable is online distribution for D&O risks?
Online portals are a key element of streamlining insurance distribution, but they can present challenges as well as opportunities in affording clients effective D&O cover, asserts Craig Watson, underwriter, UK regional market, Kayzen Specialty.
Brokers appetite for AI growing but split on automated vs in person underwriting
More than four out of five brokers said they would be interested or very interested in enhancing their operations with digital or automated processes, an increase of 15% since 2022, according to research by Aviva.
Axa committed to regional PL market – intermediary director Matt Field
Matt Field, director of intermediary at Axa retail, has told Insurance Age the insurer is “committed” to the regional intermediary market, and is focusing on sustainable growth.
Acorn boosts GWP by over 40% in 2024
Merseyside-based Acorn Group has reported gross written premiums soared 41% to record £742m in the financial year ending 31 December 2024.
In Depth: How can brokers access capacity for specialist and non-standard risks?
Brokers continue to face challenges placing non-standard specialist risks that sit outside the core appetite of many mainstream insurers. Edward Murray explores how MGAs might be able to help these intermediaries grow their books by giving them capacity…
Top 100 brokers adapt as AI and smarter data shape success in 2025
The insurance industry is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by advancements in technology, evolving customer expectations, and a shifting regulatory landscape. Brokers and insurers alike are being forced to adapt to a world where data and…
Organ plans to triple Jensten’s GWP over 3–4 years as refinancing gathers pace
Rob Organ, CEO of Jensten Group, is targeting £1.5bn in gross written premium within three to four years, more than triple what it has now, with a refinancing on the horizon.
Hiscox HNW head Holmes exiting for new broker role
Nicola Holmes, the head of broker in Hiscox’s art and private clients division, is to depart the business to pursue a new opportunity at an as yet unnamed intermediary, Insurance Age can reveal.
Axa Commercial boss Walker targets turnaround time for brokers
Axa Commercial is two thirds of the way through a technology transformation programme, and Commercial CEO Jon Walker is looking to shorten turnaround times in terms of risk appetite.
Sompo priortising regional hires and MGAs over expanding broker panel
Sompo remains “open minded” to further UK regional expansion, but is happy to build on its existing locations in Birmingham and Manchester for now.
Meet the MGA: Kayzen Specialty
Kayzen Specialty founder and CEO Charles Boorman explains to Jonathan Swift his plans for the MGA to be a go-to market for financial lines through continuous improvement across its three pillars of broker-centric, underwriter-fronted and tech-focused.
Top 100 UK Insurance Brokers 2024: Q&A with Open GI CEO Simon Badley
Simon Badley, the CEO of Open GI, the sponsor of the UK Top 100 Insurance Brokers 2024, reflects on the changing market, and how his company can help intermediaries navigate opportunities for further growth in the future.
Open GI strikes deal to provide brokers with gen AI chatbots
Open GI has teamed up with artificial intelligence specialists OpenDialog to bring advanced conversational AI agents to its customers, with the aim of creating efficiency gains for brokers by automating customer service interactions.
Applied Net 24: Commercial lines panel main UK market challenge for software house
Taylor Rhodes, CEO of Applied Systems, claimed the challenge in the UK market is the commercial lines panel from insurers and getting them to broaden their panel placement.
CGI leader Andy Jones on transforming the market and the data standards vision
Creating a data standard is “the real utopia vision”, Andy Jones, director for consulting services in insurance at CGI in the UK, told Insurance Age.
Meet the MGA: Aurora
Jan-Vincent Finn, co-founder and CEO of Aurora, explains how the MGA, named after the Northern Lights, plans to become the one-stop shop of all SME commercial lines using algorithmic insights.
Biba Conference 2024 countdown: Applied Systems’ Tom Needs
An advocate of not leaving the Biba Conference early and of the benefits of automation, Tom Needs, CEO of Applied Systems Europe, outlines his thoughts ahead of the upcoming event.
Broking Success: Embracing technology
Mark Thomas, founder of Compare Insurance, is looking to harness the power of technology even further to continue the pace of 60% growth the business achieved last year.
Blog: Brokers need to ride the digital wave to remain pivotal
Brokers need not fear an end to their unique human touch by adopting a digital strategy, but instead see it as complementary in helping give clients a more customer-centric service, writes Andy Waring, director of intermediary, Stubben Edge Group.
Blog: Market challenges make it the ideal time for brokers to digitise
Far from being a risk, digitisation is the best protection brokers can invest in to reduce the impact of market uncertainty. And Risto Rossar, CEO and founder of Insly, argues the timing could not be better given ongoing challenges from recruitment to…
Majority of brokers using AI on a daily basis – RSA survey
Four in five brokers are already using artificial intelligence on a daily basis – and almost half see the potential benefits, but are also aware of the challenges it poses.
Brokers can no longer rely on insurer ‘pipeline’ to win war for talent
Brokers need to build their own pipeline of staff to win the war for talent because insurers are not going to do it for them anymore.
WTW, Liberty and Markel team up on complex specialty risks digital trading platform
WTW has staked its claim for a “step-change” in digital trading as it unveiled a collaboration with Liberty Specialty Markets and Markel launching the pilot phase of a commercial insurance platform.