Broker
Employee ownership front of mind in search for Aston Lark buyer, says Blanc
Being able to continue employee ownership was the top priority in the search for a buyer for Aston Lark, CEO Peter Blanc has told Post.
Howden acquires Aston Lark to create £6bn GWP UK business
Howden has agreed to buy Aston Lark from Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Bowmark Capital, subject to regulatory approval.
Ageas’ Adam Beckett on normal
Having moved away from the 2020 parlance of ‘unprecedented’, there is a phrase that seems to be creeping into our everyday language – normalisation, whatever that is, says Adam Beckett, chief distribution officer at Ageas UK.
ABI reports fraud at lowest level since 2007; Axa relaunches British Gas cover; Getsafe extends Series B; and Lockton acquires
Post wraps up the major insurance deals, launches and investments of the week.
Insurer cyber capacity continues to dwindle as demand grows, say brokers
Interest in cyber insurance among large businesses continues to grow, but cover may prove more difficult to come by as insurers limit capacity and reinsurers put their foot down.
Airmic panel’s appeals for partnership draw anger at conference
Senior insurance industry figures were drawn into a frank discussion of how the sector could better work with clients on Wednesday, after a pointed question from a risk manager following a panel discussion at the Airmic conference in Brighton.
CMA launches merger inquiry into Gallagher-Willis Re deal
The Competition and Markets Authority has opened a merger inquiry into Arthur J Gallagher buying Willis Towers Watson’s treaty reinsurance business looking at whether the proposed deal will lead to a lessening of competition in the UK market.
Rob Bredahl named Tiger Risk CEO as Rod Fox becomes chair
Tiger Risk Partners has appointed Rob Bredahl as CEO with founder and incumbent Rod Fox taking on the role of executive chairman.
Blog: The villain of the piece - Insurers cannot bear the risk of ESG change alone
Insurers have the opportunity to help drive global change but they cannot do it alone, blogs Kennedys partner Fleur Rochester.
Admiral, Covea and Hastings back Drive Score launch; Abacai teams up with Ticker; Bollington to rebrand under Gallagher; Aviva extends Founders Factory tie-up; and Cover Genuis seals Series C raise
Post wraps up the major insurance deals, launches and investments of the week.
Donaldson steps up to Ardonagh Retail CEO and Rawlinson promoted to lead Atlanta
Ardonagh has promoted Ian Donaldson to the position of CEO for Ardonagh Retail with Emma Rawlinson replacing him as Atlanta Group CEO, Post can reveal.
Brokers foresee disruption from Amazon business insurance deal but no reason to panic
Amazon Business’ partnership with insurtech Superscript has the potential to bring an element of disruption and grab niche market share by meeting demands but advice is still key for corporate SME business, according to experts.
Trade bodies collaborate on product governance amid concerns of sluggish progress
Insurance industry trade bodies are working to agree templates for information sharing between firms to enable them to more easily come into line with the Financial Conduct Authority’s enhanced product governance rules.
Analysis: Commission in the crosshairs as FCA warns on product governance rules
The shift in the regulatory landscape could lead to “massive upheaval” experts have warned as brokers have been urged to engage with the process amid fears that the scope of fair value changes has not been understood.
Analysis: Willis Towers Watson's retention and recruitment challenge
The cancellation of Aon and Willis Towers Watson's mega merger poses a talent challenge for the world's third largest broker.
Obituary: Insurance veteran Sandy Dunn passes away
Many were shocked and saddened this week to learn that Sandy Dunn, a well known and respected figure in the industry, had passed away suddenly, after a brief illness.
JMG Group approaches £100m milestone after Butterworth Spengler’s Brunsdon buy
JMG Group has reached £90m of gross written premium with 200 staff in 10 offices, CEO Nick Houghton told Post as it funded Butterworth Spengler to make its first acquisition since joining the group.
Blog: We are not responding fast enough to the climate change challenge
Climate change still remains the biggest challenge facing society, and we aren’t responding fast enough, writes Guido Fürer, group chief investment officer and member of the group executive committee, Swiss Re.
SSP 'communicating' with brokers after disruption
Software house SSP has confirmed that an incident that left some brokers unable to log in on Wednesday has been fixed.
Blog: Strength in numbers - the power of three
The global pandemic has altered the risk landscape, pressing the need for a rethink of the tripartite relationship between insurer, broker and customer to ensure businesses’ evolving needs are met, says Sam Franks, Beazley UK regional development manager…
Graham Wright heads to Saga from WTW in pricing director role
Graham Wright has been named Saga Insurance pricing director, joining from Willis Towers Watson.
Upcoming webinar: Watch brokers talk about boosting business growth through talent acquisition and retention
As the UK reopens following the impact of Covid-19, the focus of many broking firms is now on driving business growth. But with 77% of brokers reporting that they did not even have a recruitment budget for the current financial year, how can growth…
Jensten targeting double-digit organic growth after Tasker buy
The Jensten Group has completed its acquisition of the Tasker Insurance Group – including Tasker Insurance Brokers, Tasker & Partners and Gresham Underwriting – following regulatory approval.