| Judges |
| Tom Bartleet ceo Erskine Murray Insurance Brokers Tom is currently the CEO and Owner of Erskine Murray Insurance Bokers. He had previously held a number of senior roles at Willis for 20 years before acquiring Chesham Insurance Brokers in 2012 and subsequently rebranding to Erskine Murray this year. Erskine Murray provide Commercial and High Net Worth clients bespoke advice across the UK with their headquarters in Leicester. | |
| Rupert Bidwell head of territory for Europe SSP Rupert is Head of Territory for Europe at SSP, having joined the company two years ago in his role as Head of Strategic Programmes. Rupert, who trained originally as a Lloyds underwriter, subsequently had a number of consultancy roles at Tata Consultancy Services, Accenture and IBM. As an experienced implementer of systems, Rupert is totally committed to strong programme leadership, planning and scope definition; but above all else, clear alignment with the objectives of his clients. | |
| Mark Bower-Dyke ceo Be Wiser Mark joined the insurance industry direct from school as a trainee motor underwriter at Eclipse Motor Policies at Lloyds in 1977 over the next 11 years he became a Lloyd’s underwriter then a Lloyds Broker. In 1988 he founded A Quote Insurance Brokers a private lines intermediary; he took the company from its inception to being sold to Highway Insurance Company in 2004. He then continued as ceo to 2006. In 2007 Mark founded Be Wiser Insurance. As ceo and chairman he has seen the company grow to a premium income in excess of £125 million and 210,000 clients whilst making profits every year since its inception. Over the next 12 months, Be Wiser’s business plan will see them break the 250,000 client barrier. | |
| Mike Cornwell chairman Ladder Mike Cornwell is an experienced brand and marketing communications leader whose career started with 4 years client-side at American Express. Since then he has held leadership roles in several respected agency brands in the data-driven, integrated and digital marketing arenas. These include MRM Worldwide (McCann Worldgroup); TBWAGGT; GGT Direct; Rapier and O&M Direct. Currently consulting, in a non-executive director role at Ladder. Mike is known to work entrepreneurially with a considered yet decisive management style and has a good track record of forming great teams and having commercial success in happy, effective cultures. He has worked closely with major clients in many categories, been part of executive management boards at local, regional and global levels and enjoyed a number of non-exec roles. Mike was appointed ceo of IDM and led the executive team over a 2-year successful business turnaround. | |
| James Dalton director of general insurance policy ABI James Dalton is director of general insurance policy at the ABI. James leads the ABIs work on property, liability, health and motor insurance issues, including flood policy, civil justice reform, tackling insurance fraud and the issues associated with legacy claims. James was previously the ABIs assistant director, head of motor and liability. Before joining the ABI in 2007, James was a senior adviser at the New Zealand Ministry of Economic Development and acted as private secretary to the New Zealand Minister of Commerce. | |
| Chris Dobson distribution & development director Ageas Insurance Chris Dobson joined Ageas on 15 March 2004 having worked for Royal and Sun Alliance for 24 years in various commercial and personal Lines roles. His prime responsibilities as distribution and development director are to lead the business development and distribution strategy across all product classes, influencing the overall direction and position of Ageas in the UK insurance market. With 36 years in the industry he has seen a market that continues to reinvent itself, providing opportunity for those businesses who are willing to adapt and embrace change to remain successful in their chosen market segments. Chris lives in Yorkshire with his wife and daughter though spends most of his time between London, Eastleigh and various parts of UK engaging with our Brokers and Partners. | |
| Sian Fisher chief executive CII Sian Fisher has held senior roles in a Lloyds Syndicate, a UK and European insurance company, a start-up intermediary, a market leading MGA, a major international broker and US corporate. She was a founder and original board director of the Managing General Agents Association and has held senior positions with both the CII and the Insurance Institute of London. She is a graduate of Oxford University with her ACII and an Exec MBA from Harvard. In February 2016 she joined the Chartered Insurance Institute. | |
| Eamonn Flanagan director, head of Shore Capital Financials, fellow of the Institute of Actuaries After spending eight years at Royal Insurance where he trained and qualified as an actuary, Eamonn spent nine years at Charterhouse Tilney/ING working as an insurance analyst. In the summer of 2003, he co-founded Shore Capital Markets where he acts as a Director. In his career as a stockbroker, he has acted as adviser to a variety of companies including Hiscox, AJ Bell, FBD, Randall & Quilter and Chesnara. In the latest Mid & Small Cap Extel survey of UK fund managers, Eamonn was ranked 1st amongst his peers, with Shore Capital ranked 1st in the team survey. | |
| Carol Geldard personal lines director Covéa Insurance Carol Geldard was appointed Covéas personal lines director in June 2016 is responsible for the management, development and delivery of the personal lines strategy (direct and intermediated). Carol is also responsible for the companys marketing, communications and media relations activities. Carol was previously marketing and communications director for Covéa Insurance, a position she held from October 2012, when she also led the development, delivery and launch of the companys direct business. Prior to the formation of Covéa Insurance, Carol was a member of Provident Insurances executive team. Having joined Provident Insurance in 2001, Carol held a variety of sales and marketing communication management roles and led yesinsurance Services. Carol has worked in the insurance industry for over 25 years and holds an MA in Management from York University, a diploma in digital marketing from the IDM and is a Chartered Marketer. | |
| Chris Hanks director Chris Hanks Consulting Chris Hanks has had an extensive career in general insurance in the UK across both personal and commercial lines, culminating in leading the commercial business of Allianz Insurance for 10 years. Chris is a Chartered Insurer. He has been engaged in activity across the industry including the ABI, chairman of Polaris, chairman of the Fire Protection Association and president of the CII. Chris has spent considerable time on developing the professionalism agenda and the development of young talent. Still active in the market after retiring from Allianz, Chris is a non-executive chairman, director and consultant in a number of businesses connected to the insurance industry and Lloyds. | |
| Colm Holmes chief executive Aviva GI UK Colm Holmes was appointed chief executive, Aviva GI UK, from 1 June 2016. Prior to joining Aviva, Colm spent 13 years with Zurich Insurance Group in the UK, New York and Switzerland offices, holding roles that included chief executive of Avivas centrally managed business division and most recently as group treasurer and head of capital management, where his responsibilities included management of the groups economic capital models, capital markets, and liquidity and regulatory capital management. Prior to working with Zurich, Colm spent nine years with JPMorgan, where before leaving he was head of structured finance services for Europe. He is a chartered accountant and holds a business degree from Trinity College Dublin. He is married with three daughters and in his spare time enjoys golf and rugby. | |
| Olly Laughton-Scott partner IMAS Corporate Finance Olly Laughton-Scott founded IMAS Corporate Finance, a leading adviser acting for sellers of insurance businesses. He has also been responsible for the development of its bespoke mapping of the UK financial services companies. Before founding IMAS he qualified as an accountant with Arthur Andersens and then worked in the corporate finance departments of Kleinwort Benson and Cazenove. He is married with four children. | |
| Robert Organ chief executive Bluefin Robert Organ was appointed chief executive of Bluefin in 2015. Robert originally joined Bluefin in 2011 as chief finance officer where he played a key role in completing the integration of Bluefins legacy business before moving to AXA Insurance, Commercial Lines and Personal Intermediary as finance director for two years. Robert has 24 years financial services experience in life and general insurance as well as wealth and asset management. Starting his career by qualifying with PricewaterhouseCoopers in the UK, he moved to Sydney, Australia, to join PWCs insurance practice in 1997. During his time in Australia he held roles at AMP Ltd as CFO and commercial regional director before returning to the UK in 2007, when he joined AWD Chase de Vere as group finance and operations director. | |
| Ruth Polyblank head of SME Chubb Ruth Polyblank is an insurance manager and strategist with overall management responsibility for Chubb's SME portfolio in the region with a focus on digital engagement, customer innovation and new technologies. Ruth is a B2B insurance marketing expert who holds a postgraduate degree in Marketing, is a Chartered Marketer (MCIM) and has over 16 years’ experience in the risk management and insurance industry, having held senior marketing roles at CLS, EY, Fusion Insurance and Equity. She speaks and writes about the need for customer focussed strategy, engagement and innovation within the industry to ensure sustainability and growth. | |
| Hammad Rafique Accenture Hammad brings insurance industry experience, deep capability and commitment to positive outcomes; to help senior client leadership plan and implement complex business and operational change. With extensive experience across L&P, P&C and London Markets in the UK Insurance sector Hammad leads on a variety of strategy initiatives, transformation programmes and delivery of partner-sourced managed services. | |
| Manjit Rana ceo Ingenin Manjit is founder and CEO of Ingenin, a multi-award winning innovation consultancy created to help insurers grow their businesses through the adoption of creative thinking, disruptive technologies and innovative business models. Passionate about Innovation, InsurTech, start-ups, entrepreneurialism and creating innovative technology based solutions to address traditional and next-gen insurance market challenges. As an industry veteran, he has created a number of start-ups as well as working for large corporates such as CSC, Fujitsu Consulting and AXA Insurance where he was recruited to help create the AXA Innovation Hub. An innovative and creative thinker, widely considered an expert and thought leader on technology based innovation in the insurance sector. He is a regular speaker at industry events in UK & Internationally and a mentor and advisor to a number of InsurTech start-ups and accelerator programmes. | |
| David Ross ceo Towergate Insurance David Ross is ceo of Towergate Insurance, the UKs largest independently owned insurance broker. Towergate advises small businesses, larger corporations and specialist personal lines customers from across 100 offices and employs over 4,000 people. David has spent his entire career on the front line of broking, having joined Arthur J Gallagher as a broking technician 25 years ago. He was appointed managing director of the North American Division in 1997 and ceo of Global Wholesale & Retail in 2003 and in 2005 International ceo, where the company underwent a defining period of growth and expansion. | |
| Donna Scully partner Carpenters Throughout Donna Scullys career she has gone above and beyond to campaign for the rights of accident victims, fighting against policies and practices that could negatively impact on their access to justice. Her experience, dedication and passion saw her elected as Motor Accident Solicitors Society (MASS) Chairman for a two-year term in 2010. While leading MASS, Donna set up the MASS Fraud Form, which went on to be instrumental in the setting up of AskCUEPI. Known for her efforts to work collaboratively with the whole industry to combat fraud, Donna has held a seat on the Insurance Times Fraud Charter since its launch in 2012 and was the recipient of the outstanding achievement award at the 2014 Personal Injury Awards for her efforts to fight fraud collaboratively. | |
| Peter Staddon managing director MGAA Peter is a Chartered Insurance Practitioner and spent 25 years as an Insurance Broker where he had responsibility for Delegated Authority schemes. He joined BIBA in 1996 where he was Head of Technical Services and had executive responsibility for the formation of their technical committees and member schemes. Peter lead the delegation to ECGD which produced the first ever Insurance Broker contract of insurance. He joined as a consultant working for RWA compliance services in 2012. He joined the MGAA as Managing Director in November 2013. Peter is a past author of the CII insurance book 930 - “Insurance Broking” and co-author of the Institute of Exports study book an examination CITIB [Certificate of International Trade for Insurance Brokers]. The MGAA were consulted on the new CII paper P66 – Delegated Authority and Peter sits on the panel of experts reviewing the CII exams questions. | |
| Nigel Walsh partner Deloitte Nigel recently joined Deloitte, focussing on end to end technology transformation, Digital and InsurTech – key enablers in helping insurers on the journey to true digital insurers. Prior to this, Nigel led the UK Insurance business for Capgemini. Nigel has advised UK and European insurance companies on major systems replacements and technology transformation projects helping to improve the customer and broker experience. Nigel is one of the leading members of the InsurTech global movement and has been a mentor for many start-ups, including at the StartupBootcamp InsurTech programme. | |
