People
Big Interview: Craig Bundell, Tesco Insurance
With Tesco Bank now owned by Barclays, Craig Bundell, CEO of Tesco Insurance & Money Services, is carving out a future for his business that includes accelerating growth by using Clubcard data to build frictionless, personalised insurance experiences for millions of UK shoppers.
Q&A: Sharon Bishop, PremFina
Sharon Bishop, CEO of PremFina, explains how the business has scaled from helping 15 brokers in 2021 to more than 200 today, leveraged technology to stay ahead of regulation, and set its sights on becoming the UK’s leading premium finance provider.
Insurance jobs needing AI skills surge 70% in a year
The Insurance Cultural Awareness Network has seen a 70% increase in job listings requiring artificial intelligence knowledge or experience over the past 12 months on its job board iCan Apply.
Lickens appointed Konsileo chair
Weeks after announcing his retirement, Howard Lickens has been named as the new chair of Konsileo.
UK insurance boards slash gender pay gap to 3%
The gender pay gap on UK insurance company boards has narrowed dramatically falling from 28% in 2020 to just 3% in 2024, according to EY’s latest Financial Services Boardroom Monitor.
Penny Black’s Social Diary: Big Issue tabards; Biba gets fruity
Penny Black is back, sharing the tittle-tattle she overheard at insurance industry events, reviewing the quality of buffets at conferences and giving a thumbs up – or down – to the sector’s social media posts.
Insurance AI adoption offers chance to boost women in tech roles
Laura Drabik, chief evangelist at Guidewire, has argued artificial intelligence implementation in insurance does not have to widen the gap in gender representation, and can actually help close it.
Insurance Museum kicks off £3m fundraising for EC3
The Insurance Museum has launched a major fundraising campaign to realise its ambitions to open a museum in London’s EC3 postcode dedicated to the industry in three years’ time.
60 Seconds With... Woodgate & Clark’s Ian Stevens
Ian Stevens, director of liability operations at Woodgate & Clark, had to deal with a fraudulent claim involving electric underpants, is far from a pen pusher and can’t tell a lie.
Penny Black’s Social Diary: Benefact Group’s heroes; Polaris’s sliders
Penny Black is back, sharing the tittle-tattle she overheard at insurance industry events, reviewing the quality of buffets at conferences and giving a thumbs up – or down – to the sector’s social media posts.
Big Interview: Colin Johnson, Hadron International
As a former footballer turned fronting-carrier CEO, Hadron’s Colin Johnson knows the best managers succeed by creating a top team, who can achieve goals, and know the way the opposition plays.
Why Hadron CEO Johnson won’t repeat previous fronter playbooks
Colin Johnson, CEO of Hadron International, has explained why the playbook he is using at his new fronting insurer is not simply a repeat of those used by rivals.
Admiral CFO to retire
Admiral’s CFO Geraint Jones is set to retire and be replaced with UK insurance CFO Rachel Lewis.
And-E claims expansion prompts Newcastle hiring spree
Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance Europe plans to increase its UK claims headcount by 30% by the end of 2026, as part of the expansion of its Newcastle-based Claims Centre of Excellence.
Diary of an Insurer: Prestige’s Tim Baxter
Tim Baxter, business development and relationship director at Prestige Underwriting, navigates a week of strategy sessions in Belfast, broker visits in Manchester and London, and home-office conference calls – all in the name of expanding the MGA’s non…
Penny Black’s Social Diary: Aviva’s time capsule; Zurich’s beef
Penny Black is back, sharing the tittle-tattle she overheard at insurance industry events, reviewing the quality of buffets at conferences and giving a thumbs up – or down – to the sector’s social media posts.
Lloyd’s survey shows culture continuing to improve
Lloyd’s 2025 culture survey found the market has outperformed financial services industry standards, with 26 out of 28 comparable questions scoring above the financial services benchmark.
HDI CEO Ogden exits after six years
Stephanie Ogden, CEO of HDI Global UK and Ireland, will leave the business on 31 January to become CEO of Munich Re Specialty - Global Markets.
Axa UK Retail CEO departs for Axa's health business
Alain Zweibrucker, former CEO of Axa UK, has commenced his role as CEO of Axa's health business after being appointed in November.
Axa’s David Pearce rejoins Aviva
David Pearce, director of retail direct at Axa UK, has rejoined Aviva after four years.
60 Seconds With... Charles Taylor’s James Cranmer
James Cranmer, training programme manager at Charles Taylor Assistance, blends a love of learning, tech and tidy spaces.