Articles by Jonathan Swift
Has broker Bennetts set a record with seven owners since 2000?
Content Director’s View: Private equity, consolidators, insurers seeking diversification ... these have all contributed to a boom in M&A and investment in the UK insurance sector since 2000. Jonathan Swift looks at which businesses have – as a result –…
Has the Adam Winslow hire fired the starting gun for CFC IPO?
Content Director’s View: As former Aviva and Direct Line Group CEO Adam Winslow resurfaced this week after a year-long insurance company exile at CFC, Jonathan Swift unpicks the factors that likely attracted him to the specialist insurer plus the…
AI should not return claims to the back office
Having emerged from the back office to become an exco priority, claims functions should not revert to being less people-facing because of the rise in AI.
Stop moaning to get more investment, claims managers told
Claims managers should stop feeling sorry for themselves and explain their business cases better to get more investment in their functions.
Ifed steps up fight against spoof insurer websites
The Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department has teamed up with the UK domain registry, Nominet, to prevent criminals spoofing recognised insurance companies online.
Ageas motor head unconvinced telematics improves behaviour
Senior motor underwriting bosses disagreed about the amount of impact telematics has on driver behaviour at Insurance Post’s Underwriting Club.
Markerstudy motor boss warns on ‘essentials’ product over-saturation
The essentials market on price comparison websites has become over-saturated, creating a need for greater guidance as to what should or should not be included in these stripped down policies.
Curious case of Aon’s co-CEOs as Page and Kielty exit
Content Director’s View: The appointment of co-CEOs at Aon following Jane Kielty and Julie Page stepping down reignited a familiar debate – is joint leadership ever a good idea? Jonathan Swift examines whether the sceptical reaction was justified.
TimeTo: Reflect on the 2026 Biba Conference
Content Director’s View: This week a swathe of the UK general insurance sector decamped to Manchester for the annual British Insurance Brokers’ Association conference. Jonathan Swift reflects on some of the themes and talking points of the 2026 iteration.
Brokers cannot afford to be too passive, price led or generic
The operationalisation of data is becoming more important in helping brokers and their clients make better decisions in an increasingly volatile world.
Is it third time lucky for Axa as it merges divisions again?
Content Director’s View: With Axa UK and Ireland combining its personal and commercial businesses into one, Jonathan Swift reflects on why insurers often oscillate between splitting and merging these divisions, and what led the insurer to believe this…
ChatGPT insurance race: UK’s Malcolm takes on WaniWani
A UK insurtech incubated in Founders Factory is looking to take on US ChatGPT insurance app trailblazer WaniWani by creating an equivalent to Stripe’s standards for e-commerce “to properly unlock” artificial intelligence distribution in personal and SME…
Big Interview: Dame Sue Langley
Proudly boosting a background in insurance, the first Lady Mayor of the City of London Dame Sue Langley talks to Jonathan Swift about combatting mis-information, improving business confidence and using her ‘soft power’ to encourage more young people and…
British Insurance Awards 2026 shortlist revealed
The shortlist of the 2026 British Insurance Awards, which will take place at the Royal Albert Hall on 8 July, is announced today.
Lady Mayor seeks to rid City of ‘scary’ image
Young people need not be scared of pursuing careers in the City, with its first Lady Mayor telling them: “Come on in, the water is lovely.”
Is it Time:To get some new business cards for Biba 2026?
Content director’s view: With vinyl now as popular as it was in the 80s and Pokémon never being more collectible, could physical business cards make a comeback? Jonathan Swift points to recent evidence to indicate this may be the case, but is still on…
Dark kitchens, 50mm hailstones and urban wildfire join risk list
New risks posed by societal, environmental and climate change, including dark kitchens, urban wild fires and 50mm hail stones, were highlighted during a joint meeting of the Post Claims and Underwriting Clubs last week in London.
Soft market underpricing sparks insurer ‘accidents’ warning
Insurers have been warned there are accidents “waiting to happen” if they continue to make volume a priority over discipline in the soft market.
Allianz UK to launch at least two new aggregator brands in 2026
Allianz UK is planning to launch at least two new brands on price comparison sites in 2026, Insurance Post can reveal.
Dunny or delight? Rating Australian forays into UK insurance
Content Director’s View: With Australian firm AUB Group doubling down on its UK growth plans with a deal for Prestige Insurance Holdings, Jonathan Swift reviews other notable Antipodean overseas insurance expansion plans to assess its chances of success.
Apologies to Donaldson: Passing on the crown for shortest GI CEO stint
Content Director’s View: With a host of recent – mostly surprising – announcements relating to short leadership/CEO stints, Jonathan Swift revisits his column from last February where he awarded the crown for briefest tenure at the top to Ardonagh’s Ian…
HF confirms swoop for loss adjuster’s legal services arm
Specialist insurance law firm HF has acquired a major part of the assets of Crawford & Company Legal Services including 90 people moving across as part of a TUPE consultation process.
Tesco Law and the insurer legal services revolution that never was
Content Director's View: More than a decade ago many insurers could not wait to seize the opportunities afforded by a change in the law that allowed them to set up their own legal services arms. Jonathan Swift reflects on what happened next - and the…
Crawford & Co to sell legal services arm to law firm
Loss adjusting and claims management firm Crawford & Company has entered into a ‘process’ with specialist insurance law firm HF, which will see the latter buy a major part of the assets of subsidiary Crawford Legal Services, Insurance Post has learned.