Issue 58

ISSUE
58
ISSN 2515-3803
COMPETITIVE
SPACE
Embracing
Simplicity:
How to Maintain a Competitive
Edge with Grant Thornton
The Amazon
Insurance Store
with Vassil Gedov, Head of Amazon
Insurance Store UK
R&R: Risk and
Relationships
with Olga Collins,
CEO of the
Worldwide Broker Network
FMG: Maintaining
competitive edge
through the use of
digital technology
INSUR.TECH.
TALK
Insurtech Insights
2023 Contributors Media Partners

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WELCOME
Hello readers,
Welcome to Issue 58 of Modern Insurance Magazine, where we’ll
be talking about the art of maintaining competitive edge. How can
we embrace forward thinking incentives to nurture and uphold
our competitive edge in business? How can we refine our product
offering, retain talent and stay a step ahead of the competition
when we work in such a dynamic, evolving industry – particularly
one that’s changing all the time?
Amelia Barlow, Editor
This issue is especially dedicated to the winners, highly commended and
shortlisted finalists of our Insurance CX Awards, held in London on 15th February
2023. After a rather last-minute date change due to rail strikes across the UK,
we were delighted to welcome so many wonderful people through the doors of
Proud Embankment in celebration of acknowledging the very best in customer
experience. May I just take this opportunity to say a huge well done (again!) to the
deserving winners, and all who made it to the shortlist.
If you turn to p.8, you’ll find an astute contribution from Grant Thornton all about
embracing simplicity in your approach to maintaining competitive edge. This piece
sets the tone perfectly for Issue 58, and is certainly not one to be missed. You’ll
also find two interviews this time around; Vassil Gedov, Head of the Amazon
Insurance Store UK (p.12) and Olga Collins, CEO of the Worldwide Broker
Network (p.14).
As always, there’s a wealth of topical thought leadership contributions from our
in-house editorial board of experts, starting on p.17 with Carpenters Group - our
Insurance CX Awards Headline Sponsor. You’ll also find several articles from our
group of esteemed industry associations in our freshly designed ‘Associations
Assemble’ section from p.35 onwards!
If you missed our Insurance CX Awards at Proud Embankment, don’t skip past
the full event write up from p.57! This issue also returns with the seventh edition
of INSUR.TECH.TALK in partnership with Insurtech Insights, bringing you the
very latest updates from the world of insurtech through a series of interviews and
thought leadership features, ahead of their conference in London on the 1st and
2nd of March.
Rachael Pearson, Project Manager
I hope you enjoy this very special issue, and until next time - happy reading!
Amelia
Amelia Day Barlow,
Editor,
Modern Insurance Magazine.
amelia@charltongrant.co.uk
ISSUE 58
ISSN 2515-3803
Editor
Amelia Barlow
Project Manager & Events Sales
Rachael Pearson
Modern Insurance Magazine
is published by Charlton Grant Ltd ©2023
All material is copyrighted both written and illustrated. Reproduction in part or whole is strictly
forbidden without the written permission of the publisher. All images and information is collated
from extensive research and along with advertisements is published in good faith. Although the
author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this publication
was correct at press time, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any
liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether
such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.
MODERN INSURANCE | 3

12
MIM58Contents
8
57
55
66
14
4 | MODERN INSURANCE

8
12
14
17
35
33
40
42
47
49
51
55
56
53
Insight
Embracing Simplicity:
How to Maintain a Competitive
Edge, from Grant Thornton
Interviews
The Amazon Insurance Store with
Vassil Gedov, Head of Amazon
Insurance Store UK
R&R: Risk and Relationships with
Olga Collins, CEO of the Worldwide
Broker Network
Editorial Board
Find out what our editorial board
panel of experts have to say in
this edition of Modern Insurance
Magazine.
Associations
Assemble
Modern Insurance’s panel of resident
associations outline the burning
issues in insurance.
Features
Shifting the Mindset: Navigating
a New Year with James Roberts,
Europcar
Redde: One Platform, One
Proposition, One Partner
FMG: Maintaining a competitive
edge through the use of digital
technology
How can insurance firms obtain
the competitive edge through new
CX trends? with Daryn Robinson,
AllThingsCX
Welcoming Contemi Solutions:
Q&A with Daniel Thafvelin
Thinking Upside-Down with
Michael Lewis, Claim Technology
What’s So Special About You?
Just a Thought, with Eddie
Longworth
I Love Claims / ARC 360: Staying
ahead with ESG
10 Mins With...
10 minutes with...
Ben Robertson, Managing Director,
Robertson and Co.
57
In Celebration
Insurance CX Awards 2023
Insur.Tech.Talk
Interviews
66 Welcome
Bradley Collins, Chief Commercial
Officer, Insurtech Insights
67
68
69
70
71
Chartered Insurance Institute
Artur Niemczewski, NED, Chartered
Insurance Institute
MS&AD Ventures
Tiffine Wang, Partner, Investments,
MS&AD Ventures
Insurtech Asia Association
George Kesselman, President,
Founder, InsurTech Asia Association
Cover Genius
Angus McDonald, Co-Founder &
CEO, Cover Genius
EIS Ltd
Ema Roloff, P&C Director, EIS Ltd &
Industry Influencer
72 PwC
Glynn Austen-Brown, Partner, PwC
73
Insur.Tech.Talk
Editorial Board
Experts from within the Insurtech
sector and beyond join us once more
to share their unique insights!
INSUR.TECH.TALK BOARD
Disclaimer: Our publications contain advertising material submitted by third parties. Each individual advertiser is solely responsible for the content of its advertising
material. We accept no responsibility for the content of advertising material, including, without limitation, any error, omission or inaccuracy therein. We do not endorse,
and are not responsible or liable for, any advertising or products in such advertising, nor for any any damage, loss or offence caused or alleged to be caused by, or in
connection with, the use of or reliance on any such advertising or products in such advertising.
MODERN INSURANCE | 5

Editorial Board
17
19
21
COMPETITIVE EDGE AT
CARPENTERS GROUP
Simon Smith, Director of Claims
Strategy, Carpenters Group
Sarah Pickerill, Head of People,
Carpenters Group
THE NEXT
GENERATION OF
TALENT
Luke Brannigan, People
Development Director,
Crawford & Co.
COMPETITIVE EDGE:
THE ROLE OF DIGITAL
TECHNOLOGY
Nik Ellis, Managing Director,
Laird Assessors
HOW MIGHT BRAND
DIFFERENTIATION BE
ACHIEVED THROUGH
FRAUD PREVENTION?
James Burton, VP of Product
Management, LexisNexis Risk
Solutions, Insurance, UK &
Ireland
23
ATTRACTING AND
RETAINING TALENT IN
A HIGHLY COMPETITIVE
RECRUITMENT MARKET
Rebecca Chappell, Head of HR,
EDAM Group
PAVING NEW WAYS
TOWARDS INNOVATIVE
ADDED VALUE
Jim Loughran, CEO, e2e Total
Loss Vehicle Management
KINETIC, THE
COUNTDOWN BEGINS
Chris McKie, Managing Director,
Vizion Network Limited
25 UNLOCKING
COMPETITIVE EDGE
THROUGH LEARNING
AND DEVELOPMENT
27
Dave Sargeant, Managing
Director, Gemini Accident Repair
Solutions
OUR ROLE IN THE
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Jason Lea, Strategic Account
Manager, BASF Automotive
Refinish UK & Ireland
Editorial Board Contributors
6 | MODERN INSURANCE

EUROPCAR
NEW BRAND BLOCK
Color gradient background
File: 20151645E
Date: 7/10/2015
AC/DC validation :
Client validation :
Insur.tech. talk and
Editorial Board
29
31
COMPETITIVE EDGE
DOES NOT REQUIRE AI
Allan Clark, Head of Claims
Strategy, Robertson & Co.
HOW CAN REPAIRERS
REMAIN COMPETITIVE
IN THE EYE OF A
‘PERFECT STORM’?
Victoria Turner, Chief
Commercial Officer, Activate
Group
HARMONY IN THE
CLAIMS PROCESS
Sarah Glenn, Commercial
Director, RGI Solutions.
WHAT IS GENDER
EQUITY, AND HOW
DOES IT HELP US
ACHIEVE EQUALITY IN
LEADERSHIP?
Lara Pedley, Global Managing
Director, ISC Group
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
75
Welcome - Bradley Collins, Chief
Commercial Officer, Insurtech
Insights
AXA Retail - Tara Foley, CEO of AXA
Retail
Munich Re - Dr. Fabian Winter, Group
Chief Data Officer at Munich Re
EIS - Anthony Grosso, CMO of EIS
Zego - Sten Saar, CEO of Zego
37 MASS
Aon - Marguerite Soeteman-Reijnen,
Chairman A Ruling Executive on Mixed Board, Injury Aon Personal Injury
Holdings Damages
Sue Brown, Chair, Motor Accident
Arma
Solicitors
Karma
Society
- Ben Smyth,
(MASS)
CEO,
Arma Karma
CHO
Revolut Competitive - Balázs Edge Gáti, in Global Mobility Head Provision of
Insurance, Anthony Revolut Hughes, CEO, Credit Hire
Organisation (CHO)
BIMA - Mathilda Strom, Co-Founder
& Deputy CEO, BIMA
WTW Supporting - Pardeep Bassi, Global
John McQuater, a ban President, on Cold Calls
Association
Proposition
of Personal
Leader
Injury
–
Lawyers
Data Science,
(APIL)
WTW
39 APIL
FOIL
Insur.Tech.Talk
Editorial Board
43 NBRA
FOIL at 30 – Collaborative Influence
Nicola Critchley, President of FOIL and
Partner at DWF
Experts from within the Insurtech
sector and beyond share their unique
insights. What’s In the this Hold issue, Up?! we look at
balancing Chris Weeks, automation Executive with Director, customer NBRA
satisfaction, the concept of ‘digital
transformation’, BIBA and how new signals
point Claims to technology and the Consumer as a solution Duty to
address David economic Sparkes, Head concerns. of Compliance
and Training, British Insurance Brokers’
Association (BIBA)
INSUR.TECH.TALK BOARD
45 CII
Customer Service: The Lifeblood of
Insurance
Dr Matthew Connell, Director, Policy
and Public Affairs, Chartered Insurance
Institute (CII)
MGAA
The importance of in-person insurance
events
Mike Keating, CEO, Managing General
Agents’ Association (MGAA)
MODERN INSURANCE | 7

INSIGHT
Embracing
Simplicity:
How to Maintain a
Competitive Edge
Staying competitive
doesn’t need to be
about re-inventing
the wheel. It’s about
giving your customers
what they need, and
finding the simplest
route to get there.
8 | MODERN INSURANCE

INSIGHT
When thinking about competition, it’s easy to get bogged down
in talk of technology. What tech should you adopt and when?
How should you apply it? Good use of tech can certainly be a
game changer, but it’s not the only answer. It’s important to stop
and think about the end goal. What does your customer need
right now? How will good use of tech support that? How will your
people support that? Do you give your people enough latitude to
deliver? Working the problem backwards will help you simplify the
problem and maintain a competitive edge.
So, what does your customer need?
Right now, your customers are feeling the pressure from the costof-living
crisis. Households and businesses need an insurer that
offers the right products, at the right price. While there are some
instances where insurance is necessary, it can be a luxury that
people just can’t afford when money is tight. A no-frills policy can
be a lifeline, offering vital support when things don’t go according
to plan.
Customers also need to trust that you’ll pay out when you say
you will. That means having simple policies, in plain English, with a
straightforward claims process. There shouldn’t be any surprises,
and customers shouldn’t spend weeks nervously crossing their
fingers and hoping for the best.
That’s where tech comes in
While it seems like a short-term complication, good use of tech
will simplify your business operations in the long-term, and make
life easier for your people and clients alike. Embracing automation
can help in three ways.
Number one; it can pick up repetitive tasks to reduce resource
pressures and streamline your business. Emerging tools such as
ChatGPT are transformative, helping to automate more activities
than ever before. This can improve your profit margin and give you
the financial freedom to deliver those no-frills products.
Number two; automation can move your entire claims process to
an online self-service desk. Customers can apply online and track
the outcome of their claim, with real time updates. This simple,
fuss-free approach offers greater transparency, and reduces
anxiety over how a claim is progressing. However, you need to
make sure that your claims processes are still inclusive and support
vulnerable customers. Not everyone can apply online, so it’s vital
to maintain other channels including direct phone contact, with a
seamless transition if online applicants need more support at any
point of the process.
Number three; it’s great for your people. Automating the repetitive
work gives your team more time to identify and focus on new
areas of innovation as the needs of your customers evolve. If your
people are happy, they’ll stay and grow with your company –
although their roles might change over time, so it’s crucial to set
that expectation at the recruitment stage and shape it into your
people strategy.
Being responsive to change
Despite the benefits of automation, legacy systems can be a key
barrier. Startups and challenger brands often have the competitive
edge here because their newer IT infrastructure is simpler, making
them more responsive to change. Older firms generally have an
unwieldly IT setup, built on layers of complex legacy systems and
years of bolt-ons. This doesn’t prevent automation by any means,
but it does make adoption a bigger job.
There’s also regulation to consider. A heavy IT infrastructure, with
the accompanying bloated supporting processes, inflates the cost
of regulatory change. This will chip away at your profit margin,
reducing the cost savings you could pass on to your customers.
A simple regulatory change framework will reduce unnecessary
costs, maintain compliance and minimise business disruption.
To stay competitive, you might need to make some changes. As a
first port of call, you could move some of your IT infrastructure to
a third party. As-a-service models are an affordable, scalable – and
most importantly, simple – answer to your IT problems. With a
fresh start on the tech front, you can build lean processes around
it; automating what you can and cutting back any activities that
don’t add tangible value to your customer experience.
Your people
With a greater focus on automation, you need a team that isn’t
afraid to embrace it. Manual roles will evolve over time, and
you need people on your team that are open to retraining and
reskilling. Setting that expectation at the recruitment stage
will help you realise your long-term vision. But looking beyond
MODERN INSURANCE | 9

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INSIGHT
automation, a business relies on its people. You need a diverse
team that reflects your customer base and can think differently,
driving customer-focused behaviours and helping you to innovate
and keep that competitive edge.
Good use of technology is all about supporting people, not
replacing people. Supporting them through encouraging hybrid
working; by empowering them to succeed and focus in the way
that’s best for them, and helping with that all important work-life
balance. Supporting them by automating dull tasks so they can
focus on more challenging work to help them grow.
It isn’t just your people that benefit from this, either. You do, too!
Hybrid working brings cost reductions for business travel and
office space, boosting productivity and attracting the best talent
for the job regardless of where they are based.
Setting the right culture to bring these elements together is crucial.
A happier, diverse team leads to greater productivity and a lower
staff turnover. This encourages people to bring their whole selves
to work, giving them the confidence to speak up, fuel innovation
and build that competitive edge in your business operations.
Bringing it all together
Creating and maintaining a competitive edge isn’t just about tech,
or automation, or agile working and company culture. It’s about
all of those things coming together to simplify your business and
deliver the right customer experience.
Individually, they each have a role to play, but collectively they are
worth more than the sum of their parts. Good use of tech will help
you simplify your activities and drive innovation, but you need
the right people in the driving seat. The right team will embrace
change and be open to reskilling, automating the basics and
focusing their skills on projects that need human insight to help
you create and maintain a sharp competitive edge in your industry.
Rob Benson,
Partner,
Head of Business Risk Services,
Financial Services at Grant Thornton
Stuart Riddell,
Director,
Head of Business Transformation,
Insurance Consulting at
Grant Thornton
Tina Bhardwaj,
Associate Director,
Head of People & Culture, Financial
Services at Grant Thornton
The colourful way to be green.
The all new Glasurit 100 Line paint system. Keeping the environment beautiful.
MODERN INSURANCE | 11

INTERVIEWS
The
Amazon
Insurance
Store
with Vassil Gedov
Back in October 2022, Amazon made their debut in the insurance marketplace by
introducing a whole new service for their customers – the Amazon Insurance Store.
In light of this, Modern Insurance Magazine caught up with Vassil Gedov, Head of
the UK Insurance Store to talk all about the launch of this platform, and how their
customer-centric attitude is focused on monitoring user feedback.
Hi Vassil, great to meet you!
Q
I’d like to start by talking about the launch
of the Amazon Insurance Store. What
were your initial goals in terms of getting
something like this off the ground, and
how have these goals been met?
AGreat to meet you too; thanks for
having me!
Way before we launched the store, we
worked backwards from the customer, just
as we do with all of Amazon’s offerings. We
identified key pain points, hoping to iron
out issues and find solutions to as many
of the foreseeable problems as possible
before going live.
We know that buying home insurance is a
time-consuming process, and sometimes
it can even be confusing for the customer.
We aimed to create a new, simple,
convenient and transparent experience for
our customers in the UK. We also looked at
bringing trusted insurer partners on board
so we can be sure that our policies start
with the same level of basic cover, which
makes it even easier for the customer to
focus on the similarities and differences
between policies and compare in line with
their needs.
With that said, we launched the Amazon
Insurance Store back in October of last
year, and it’s still early days for us. Initial
feedback suggests that customers are
happy with the offering so far, and we
continue to learn as we go along in this
journey. We hope to continue with our
evolution of the experience over time and
in line with customer needs.
How have you measured the
success of the Amazon Insurance
Q Store so far, and how has user
feedback influenced the customer
experience?
AWe measure success at Amazon
by looking at how well we are
solving problems for customers.
For now, we are looking to customer
feedback through reviews and star ratings
to gauge how well the store is serving
customers. Our customers can input a
star rating anytime, so they have flexibility
on the timeframe for sharing their
feedback, which we think many customers
appreciate.
Over time, customers will start going
through a claims process, meaning they’ll
utilise a policy purchased through the
Amazon Insurance Store in order to make
a claim. We’ve found that this experience is
one of the influencing factors that matters
most to customers when they decide to
purchase insurance, which is why we want
to capture feedback about this experience
to help future customers make an
informed decision. Publishing information
around these claims acceptance rates
and reporting claims feedback has been
something that we’ve agreed with all
participating insurers, so we can all gain
lots of insight from this as well.
So far, all of these feedback channels have
generally shown that our customers are
happy with the Amazon Insurance Store.
Over time, and as more customers make a
claim against their home insurance policies,
we hope to gather more information
from our customers and apply it towards
continuously improving overall satisfaction
with the service.
It’s still early days, and I feel that our
customer-centric approach means we are
focusing on the right things as we consider
how we can deliver a great experience for
12 | MODERN INSURANCE

INTERVIEWS
“We believe that Amazon offers a fantastic opportunity
for insurer partners - present and future - who want to
be a part of the store’s offering
”
Vassil Gedov,
Head of Amazon Insurance Store, UK.
customers purchasing home insurance.
This approach is typical of Amazon; we’re
obsessed with the customer, and work
hard to continue to earn their trust.
Amazon initially launched the
Insurance Store platform with only
Q three insurer partners; LV=, Ageas
and Co-Op. Why only three, and why did
you choose these three in particular?
AWhen we set out to launch the
store, we did this with the intention
of delivering a high-quality
experience. We wanted to introduce an
Amazon Standard of Cover, meaning
that insurers need to meet and exceed
certain service delivery standards which
the customer can trust. This includes the
typical policy inclusions and coverage
levels that most customers want to have,
but it also includes additional aspects of
the customer experience such as response
times when making a claim.
We found great partners to deliver this
high-quality standard; and we hope to
work with more insurers as the Amazon
Insurance Store grows. This is a key focus
of ours for 2023.
Q
At present, the Amazon Insurance
Store appears to act in the capacity
of a marketplace for the insurance
offering of these three insurer partners.
What are your intentions with regards
to exploring alternative options going
forward, such as underwriting your own
white label products?
AWe are focused on serving
customers through our insurance
store. Good selection is a key part
of the Amazon Insurance Store, so we
are focused on adding more insurance
partners to our offering. While I can’t
comment on future plans, we believe that
Amazon offers a fantastic opportunity for
insurer partners - present and future - who
want to be a part of the store’s offering.
As one of the most recognised
brands in the world, how does
Q Amazon’s brand recognition benefit
the competitive edge of this platform, in
your opinion?
A
A primary focus behind Amazon’s
brand as a whole involves offering
a wide range of products and
services, all of which are there to improve
the lives of our customers. Everything
we do revolves around creating a simple
and convenient experience; whether its
audiobooks, Prime Video, or our online
stores.
In this way, the Amazon Insurance Store
is absolutely no different. How can we
streamline the experience and make the
purchase of insurance an easier process,
so our customers can free up time in their
own lives? That’s the only thing that really
matters to us.
Q
What about the granularity of
first-party customer data profiles?
How might access to this data
improve or enhance the potential behind
Amazon’s Insurance Store offering in
future?
AWhen we were building our store,
we spent a lot of time prior to the
launch conducting comprehensive
research on the UK home insurance sector
in order to understand what aspects of
home insurance are most commonly
sought by customers. Following the
launch, we are laser focused on doing
everything we can to provide a simple,
convenient and transparent way for UK
customers to request a quote, review a
policy, select the best option for them and
checkout, all on amazon.co.uk.
MODERN INSURANCE | 13

INTERVIEWS
R & R
Risk &
Relationships
with Olga Collins
In this issue all about Competitive Edge,
Modern Insurance Magazine sat down
with Olga Collins, CEO of the
Worldwide Broker Network,
to discuss her new Client Advisory
Council, investment in Next Gen
talent, and the benefit of global
working relationships.
QHi Olga, thanks so much for your
time today!
I’d like to start by talking about the
industry challenges that your members
have reported as significant in the last 12
months. How are you hoping to address
these in 2023 and beyond?
AWow, we could talk about this
question all day, but we have to
start somewhere, right? Sadly,
this is a pretty long list – which is likely
to vary depending on who you ask.
Globally, it feels like there are so
many trends that are hitting all our
members and clients at once. I
don’t know if it’s a challenge per
se, but it’s a significant trend, in
that we’re seeing an increase
in the sophistication of client
needs. I think this is largely due
to an increase in the role of Risk
Management internally. There
are also a lot of uninsurable
risks like climate change,
talent acquisition issues and
retention, and of course the
economic and geopolitical
instability which we’re all
feeling at the moment.
Many of the Worldwide
Broker Network’s initiatives
not only highlight these
issues but also deliver
solutions to address
them. For example, our
Client Advisory Council
is all about clientcentricity
to address
client retention and
care. Then there’s our
Catalyst Programme,
formerly the Young
Professionals
Programme, which
has been put in
place to address
talent, retention
and recruitment
14 | MODERN INSURANCE

INTERVIEWS
issues. Partnerships with creative carriers
like Zurich Resilience Solutions help us to
host global events that are carbon neutral;
another example of our efforts to focus as
much as possible on being proactive and
creative in the risk management space.
QCompetition is a concern facing
brokers in relation to customers
going direct to insurers and online
counterparts. What’s your opinion of
the current market with regards to its
competitive status, and do you feel like
this is something that is likely to settle
down?
AI think for some, increasing efficiency
and usage of technology can be a
concern. But really, this is more of
an issue for those who are focusing on
delivering traditional brokerage. When
you scale up to greater creative thinking
- elevating Risk Management to the ERM
level and talking about ESG - this can’t all
be automated, at least not yet! So, I think for
those brokers who engage on a consultative
level; we’re not yet too worried about the
online or technology driven competition.
We also work with many organisations that
have limited Risk Management resources,
so being an extension of that corporate
function can set you apart – something
which can’t such be done as Bose, when Intel you and go direct Amazon
to insurers or online competition. From
a market perspective, I see a continuous
re-evaluation of appetite. I think the market
is also waiting to see if the predicted
recession actually takes place! There is
some cautious optimism in the air, which is
wonderful to see. Of course, there are risks
that are difficult to cover or impossible in
some geographies, like cyber or capacity
shrinking due to consolidation in the Middle
East, for example. And when you get into
natural catastrophes, of course the property
market continues to harden across the
board. But we’re not P&C only; we also
focus on Employee Benefits, and WBN aims
to blur those lines as much as possible.
There’s some creativity and optimism on
that side of the house, and we’re seeing
some steady headcount figures for certain
parts of the world versus projection of
reduction. The market is cautiously awaiting
what’s going to happen. In the meantime,
however, there’s certainly enough
competition there to keep us on our toes!
QYou recently founded the Client
Advisory Council as part of your role
at the Worldwide Broker Network
(WBN). Tell me more about that.
AComing from the client side, it’s
natural for me to feel like I understand
and care for the clients in a way that
our competition doesn’t. The Council was
set up to deliver this opportunity to clients
and prospective clients, all with complex
responsibilities around the globe, to build a
connection, find a network of peers, discuss
key topics and ask for solutions. Our Council
meetings will coincide with our global
events, so we’ll have all our brokers, carriers,
other clients and also our service providers
from all over the world in the same place,
where they will have the opportunity to play
an active part in a solution delivery process.
Imagine having 60+ countries in the same
room. As a client, you’re going to feel as
though you have the brokerage world
at your fingertips, right? It’s a mutually
beneficial programme - and our focus on
the client is, believe it or not, quite distinct.
Our competitors, whether they’re large or
smaller independent ones, say they’re close
to providing solutions for their client needs,
but not many bring their client into the
room and put them front and centre. This
bespoke approach looks so much better
in practice than it does in theory, and it’s
for this reason that I can see this going
quite a long way. We’ll be going out to the
market with the first group; a group of six
customers, all household names such as
Bose, Intel and Amazon. This is how we’re
going to drive the client’s interest, and our
competitive edge, here at the Worldwide
Broker Network - through continuous
improvement of our customer service.
QThe role of competition in the
insurance sector plays a key part
in helping to reduce risk and
uncertainty. With regards to your own
Risk Management background – how
does managing global risks in over 200
countries provide the perspective needed
to succeed in a competitive business
landscape? And in the current competitive
market, what Risk Management solutions
and developments are you seeing unfold?
AHaving the opportunity to manage
larger, complex programmes in
the past certainly gives me a vast
understanding of what our clients face
on a regular basis. Being able to talk with
them about proactive Risk Management
is a great thing, alongside how to drive
true relationship-focused success. I like
to call it my version of ‘R&R’ - Risk and
Relationships! Our network stands high
above our competition; even those that
call themselves ‘owned’ and those that
are independent. Many are focusing on
themselves and their members versus the
clients. For us, however, working in that
truly global space allows us to deliver a
community of highly culturally intelligent
people who can embrace differences in
their way of thinking from around the world.
That’s the perspective we aim to nurture to
succeed in a competitive landscape.
As far as developments and solutions
go, scaling up and connecting traditional
solutions to ERM and ESG initiatives is a
must. We’re seeing various products and
consulting solutions coming along to fill that
gap. More clients are also being proactive
and looking to study their risk; many are
looking to captive solutions, even in places
around the world which have traditionally
been more risk averse. For example, there
are conversations happening in APAC (or
Asia-Pacific) countries to determine what
can be done to offset the cost of insurance
and maintain some of that risk in-house.
It’s an evolution driven by the fact that
insurance was traditionally quite cheap.
Now they’re embracing a different approach
to become savvy from a financial point of
view, looking for new and creative solutions
all the time.
QYou became the youngest ever
board member at the Worldwide
Broker Network before taking
the reins as CEO in April 2021. This is a
fantastic achievement!
You’ve since invested time in building
and nurturing the insurance industry of
the future through the Worldwide Broker
Network’s Catalyst Programme. From your
work in this regard, how is supporting Next
Gen talent facilitating competition within
the market?
AHaving been an exchange student
early on in my life, I’ve always been
excited to create cross-border
opportunities for others. Now I get to
do that in my professional life, which is
wonderful. Our Catalyst Programme,
recently rebranded from the Young
Professionals Programme, has been an
initiative at the Worldwide Broker Network
for a long time, and we’ve increased our
focus on it through the creation of the
Academy in 2020.
This is the first of its kind in the industry
as we know it. A leadership-focused,
training curriculum for young brokerage
professionals around the globe. I think
that’s what gives it a unique selling point
in that we’re allowing brokers from so
many countries to network and work on
projects that are related to client needs; but
at the same time increasing our focus on
leadership and soft skill development. Some
of those curriculum points are related to the
creation of articles and the ability to be in
front of large groups of people – very much
like a Global Insurance MBA.
Beyond insurance, we give our Catalysts
access to mentors across the globe and
one-to-one relationships with global
leaders. When I was on the broker side, I
used this as a recruitment and retention
tool, and I’ve found that our members are
doing the same. I think by expanding this
programme as a reward process for some
and a recruitment or retention tool for
others, it’s easy to overlook the fact that our
competition simply doesn’t provide these
opportunities. The academies and training
tools that our competitors provide are very
technical in nature, and they’re typically not
truly international. I’m hopeful to see the
success in this programme, which I plan to
expand to include our clients. I’m confident
that the Catalyst Programme will play a
huge part in our competitive advantage.
QFinally, how else is the Worldwide
Broker Network maintaining its
advantage as the leading global
client-focused brokerage network?
AWe compete with some of the largest
names, and I’d certainly highlight
that we’re more connected; nimble
in our ability to provide better service. The
independent structure exudes flexibility,
and that’s why we’re continuing to stick to
it. It’s a benefit for brokers but also for our
clients. Independence allows us to have
choices, which is a huge differentiator of
our network which has multiple brokers in
most major geographies. We have a healthy
view on competition because it elevates
client service.
Our delivery of having those choices
actually brought some stability during a
very active consolidation period in the
industry, and that continues in many areas.
Most of our collaboration takes place
at face-to-face events, which again is a
differentiator. Our competitors don’t bring
their people and their clients into the same
room. There’s a lot of excitement around
regional and global events; this not only
bequeaths collaboration opportunities for
the clients and the members, but also aids
talent retention.
I hope that all of this demonstrates that we
truly work as one and are connected not
just by knowledge but by our relationships.
This creates that informed culture of care;
we care about our clients, our teams, our
local communities, and about mutual
success. We continue to get involved
wherever we go around the world, we
create opportunities for our participants to
do something good and give back to the
community. Diversity has been part of our
makeup from the beginning, and diversity
of thought from our community is expected
and encouraged. Having people from all
backgrounds represent our network is very
important to us, and having this approach
embedded in our practices really does set
us apart from the rest.
We look forward to bringing our community
together in Atlanta, USA in April, and
then Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in October.
In Atlanta we expect to have over 400
participants from 65+ countries. Our first
in-person Client Advisory Council meeting
will take place there as well. I look forward
to our next broker family reunion!
Olga Collins,
CEO, Worldwide Broker Network
MODERN INSURANCE | 15

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www.carpentersgroup.co.uk

EDITORIAL BOARD
Competitive Edge
at Carpenters Group
At Carpenters Group, our competitive edge
is driven by our inclusive and open culture.
People are at the heart of everything we do;
we truly value our people, our customers and
our clients, working hard to foster a supportive
environment which encourages collaboration
and innovation.
Since the beginning of our Carpenters Group journey, we have
continuously invested in all areas of our business, always maintaining
a strong focus on our people. Throughout 2022, we undertook a
significant programme of investment in leadership and development
programmes, where more than 140 existing and newly promoted
managers were supported through a leadership and management
development programme. We have greatly enhanced our diversity
and inclusion priorities and continue to build strong links with our
local schools and colleges, providing advice and development
opportunities to a wide-range of socio-economic and diverse
audiences.
With the ever-evolving insurance market and technological landscape,
we remain committed to ongoing investment in technology to deliver
a first-class service to our clients, remaining firmly at the forefront
of technological advancements within the insurance marketplace.
We constantly look at ways to develop our infrastructure to support
our business, particularly as our teams grow and as we diversify our
offering. We have grown quickly and significantly, but at our core we
are still a family business who care about our people and our firstclass
customer service to clients just like we did when we started out.
Even in this very competitive market, we have continued to retain
longstanding clients, win new work and invest in the technologies that
we need to develop and deliver our services. We now successfully
operate a hybrid working model within the business where we have
adapted to evolving business models post pandemic.
We continue to bolster our ESG agenda, committing to SBTs
(Science Based Targets) which look to reduce our impact on the
environment, engage with responsible suppliers within our client
base and supply chain, and finesse how we govern our business by
championing equality, transparency and accountability at senior
levels of leadership. We also continue to work hard to futureproof our
business, having developed a very clear talent acquisition, resource,
retention and succession planning agenda.
With continued growth expected, 2023 is set to be another ambitious
and exciting year. Our continued and consistent focus on our people
provides us with the opportunity to create change in an environment
of trust and support, truly giving Carpenters Group the competitive
advantage of having the most engaged people delivering exceptional
client service.
Simon Smith,
Director of Claims Strategy,
Carpenters Group
Sarah Pickerill,
Head of People,
Carpenters Group
The Next Generation
of Talent
Luke Brannigan recently joined Crawford as
People Development Director for the major and
complex team, to help sharpen our focus on
developing our own colleagues and to grow our
pipeline of next-generation loss adjusters.
Luke has more than 20 years’ insurance industry experience and is
passionate about people development in the loss adjusting space,
helping colleagues to bring their careers to life and attracting new
talent to the profession
“Despite the UK insurance industry’s significant contribution to the
economy, it’s still perceived to be a poor environment for career
growth, and that’s an area we need to be looking at if we want to be
attracting new talent,” Brannigan says.
The core issue is that many senior and highly experienced loss
adjusters are leaving the profession as they reach retirement. In
addition, the next generation of talent are seeking careers with
companies led by a clear sense of purpose, which will help make a
real difference to real people whilst offering acceptable work/life
balance. The key is to bridge this gap.
Whilst it’s well worth investing in external candidates for a few highly
specialised roles, Brannigan sees his real mission as developing
expertise from within. Beyond occasional, highly selective external
recruitment, Brannigan believes the mid-to-long-term answer is to
shift focus to existing internal resource, and to think differently about
recruiting fresh talent externally.
“We’ll provide support and training for internal colleagues – including
those currently in entry-level roles – who want to develop and aim for
loss adjusting in general, but major and complex loss is a growth area
in particular for us.”
As for external recruitment, Brannigan believes that a career in
loss adjusting is the best kept secret in the insurance sector, and
can genuinely make a difference to people’s lives. “There’s still a
misconception that loss adjusters pay the least we can get away
with on claims. The truth is that loss adjusters are our client’s first
point of contact with customers in those moments when lives have
been seriously disrupted, and when what’s needed most is a calm,
experienced head offering real added value, help, guidance and advice
for customers and clients alike.”
Brannigan sees this as the key to attracting new talent, especially
amongst graduates. “For somebody looking for a career where they
can make a positive impact on the lives of others while acquiring very
real technical skills, it doesn’t get much better than this.” He is already
engaged in a mix of new and existing initiatives to further develop
careers at graduate level, as well as working to develop outreach
programmes to get this highly attractive and rewarding career path
onto as many candidate wish lists as possible.
In 1941, Churchill famously invited the USA to ‘give us the tools and we
will finish the job’. Well, in 2023 and beyond, we’re not just offering
candidates the tools. Crawford will also deliver all of the training and
mentoring needed for a fantastic career as a loss adjuster.
Luke Brannigan,
People Development Director, Crawford & Co.
MODERN INSURANCE | 17

EDITORIAL BOARD
Competitive Edge:
The Role of Digital Technology
For a business to be competitive, they should
offer a superior service and a superior product,
alongside the best value and perhaps some
added value items, too. Technology allows us
to streamline our processes so we can offer
great value to our clients.
For example, we use a series of automation routines & safety nets to
speed us through certain tasks, like data entry and many aspects of
generating reports, which significantly increases our efficiency. Error
reduction is the added benefit; our engineers are brilliant, but only
human!
Automation & Artificial Intelligence (AI) allow our engineers to
capitalise on their human skills. This gives clients a rapid triage and
the intelligence needed for the vehicle to be sent to the correct
repairer or salvage agent. Where cars are unroadworthy, hire cars
are authorised without delay, reducing key-to-key times and offering
better customer service.
We’ve also started using Visual Intelligence (VI) to provide near
instantaneous reporting. The tech is still very much in its infancy, and
whilst accuracy is imperative, it’s ideal for certain assessments such
as clear total losses. Watch this space…
Added Value
Technology allows us to offer so many added value services to our
clients, particularly clear control and communication throughout the
entire supply chain, dramatically cutting down time consuming phone
calls & emails. Trust and communication is strengthened through
the transparency that tech affords. Our 24/7 chatbots can augment
the work of our 9-5 humans, furthermore enhancing our client’s
experience and their clients, in turn.
Information Management
From a managerial overview position, the data analysis provided by
technology helps us to identify trends, patterns, and opportunities for
improvement. This enables us to make solid, data driven choices; not
just for the work flow, but within other departments too. For example,
it allows our Marketing team to refine our target demographic so
we’re putting our message in front of the right people. Our Finance
team can also see payment trends for clients, allowing them to make
informed decisions.
Agile & Adaptable
Cloud based technology was our saviour during the pandemic. Its
incredible adaptability allowed us to work and communicate with
each other easily from home. The company paused for little over an
hour when we first sent everyone home. The agility that tech affords
is unparalleled elsewhere in business.
2023 is already an incredible year for technology; AI enabled
products like ChatGPT in particular, products that exponentially
leap us forward, allowing us to realise our dreams and being able to
innovate quicker than ever, sharpening our competitive edge. We’re
excited for what the future holds.
Nik Ellis,
Managing Director, Laird Assessors
MODERN INSURANCE | 19

EDITORIAL BOARD
How might brand
differentiation be achieved
through fraud prevention?
Much of the work to prevent fraud is going on
behind the scenes in a highly automated way,
allowing insurance professionals to focus on
the cases flagged as suspect.
This way, insurance providers can treat every customer as honest
from the outset of the relationship; delivering a swift and frictionless
experience from quote to claim without the customer having to
confirm details that an insurance provider should already know, such
as prior claims history. It changes the nature of the interaction, builds
trust and creates brand loyalty. This becomes particularly important at
claim when the customer just wants this to be settled and move on.
Fraud prevention techniques have advanced to include email-based
risk scores that can flag potential fraud based on an individual’s email
address, both at the point of quote and at claim. However, there is also
an expectation amongst consumers that insurance providers should
be protecting them from organised fraud, such as ghost broking. This
is supported by our own recent survey 1 in the Republic of Ireland.
89% of insurance buyers expect the insurance provider to check that
they are who they say they are when applying for cover. Insurance
providers could make more of the fact that rigorous checks are in
place to help protect their honest customers from fraudsters.
Fraud prevention can also become a brand differentiator when it
helps customers to avoid the consequences of quote manipulation
or opportunistic claims fraud. In our 2022 study of motor insurance
buyers 2 , 21% confirmed their belief that it is completely acceptable to
manipulate information for a cheaper motor quote. The LexisNexis®
Quote Intelligence Manipulate Module uncovers changes between
quotes in key fields prone to manipulation; helping to protect
insurance providers from inaccurate pricing and potential fraud,
while consumers avoid their policies being rendered null and void if
deliberate misstatements are uncovered.
Finally, by leveraging a person’s claims history across home and
motor, as well as the claims history for their vehicle or property,
insurance providers put themselves in a far stronger position to ensure
the product and pricing is right for the risk. Fraud prevention using
identity validation solutions and data enrichment can help shield
genuine customers from organised fraudsters, and those that are
tempted to be less than honest are protected from themselves.
James Burton,
VP of Product Management,
LexisNexis Risk Solutions, Insurance, UK & Ireland
1
LexisNexis Risk Solutions was not identified as the sponsor of this research, which was based
on a survey of 1,546 consumers who had bought motor insurance online within the last 12
months and was conducted during April 2022
2
1000 insurance purchasers surveyed in the ROI, November 2022 through Maru/Hub.
Attracting and retaining
talent in a highly competitive
recruitment market
At EDAM Group, we recognise that effective
recruitment and retention is vital in ensuring
the workforce have the relevant skills and
abilities for our current and future needs.
When attracting talent, we understand the importance of having
a strong company culture. Therefore, we ensure that our company
mission, vision and values underpin our recruitment strategy. Our
values of Empathy, Driven, Accountability & Make it Happen were
created by our employees, and we use these to form our employee
value proposition when marketing our company to prospective
candidates; recognising that culture fit is just as important than skills
and experience.
Last year, we launched a comprehensive job evaluation framework
which defines the core, technical and role specific competencies that
we expect from each role. This ensures our job adverts are clear and
attractive to the right candidates.
Our Employee Referral Scheme is one of the most popular ways
that we recruit into our business, and testifies to our solid culture.
Additionally, as well as recruiting through common platforms such as
commercial job boards and recruitment agencies, we understand that
real success and diversity in the workforce comes from being open to
non-traditional recruitment methods, such as utilising local networks
and community groups.
When we identified a trend for people leaving us due to progression,
we responded by introducing GROW (Growth, Recognition,
Opportunities & Wellbeing). GROW helps to support the aspirations
of our employees, whether that is to become the best in their current
role or by supporting ambitions to progress throughout the company.
Our ‘Learning Hub’ provides creative and interactive ways to do this,
including job shadowing placements and our ‘One Team Talks,’ which
aim to increase commercial awareness. Our Leadership Development
programme is also launching in Spring 2023 which includes an
‘Aspiring Leaders’ module, supporting our strategy to nurture internal
talent.
Understanding the importance of work life balance and wellbeing is
also vital to retaining talent. Our hybrid working model, and genuine
openness to supporting flexible working, means that we have been
able to retain talent that we might otherwise have lost without
applying this flexibility. We recently asked our employees about their
wellbeing via a pulse survey, and felt reassured to hear that our staff
rated us a 9 out of 10 for a feeling of positive wellbeing in work. The
start of 2023 will see us build on this to guarantee an enjoyable and
supportive place to work and build a career.
Rebecca Chappell,
Head of HR, EDAM Group
MODERN INSURANCE | 21

EDITORIAL BOARD
Paving new ways towards
innovative added value
Vehicle recyclers are poised to pave new
ways to bring innovative added value to the
insurance ecosystem in 2023.
If we look at individual stakeholder needs in the motor claims
ecosystem:
1. the policyholder wants their mobility reinstated as soon as possible,
alongside great customer service and choice;
2. the insurer wants reduced claims costs, a reduced claim life cycle,
high customer satisfaction, and a sustainable approach to motor
claims as their ESG strategies develop;
3. the bodyshop or repairer network want a profitable workflow, with
the ability to repair and move vehicles through their workshops
effectively without the complications and delays caused by poor
parts availability;
4. the salvage and vehicle recycling partner, when involved, wants
early instruction and the opportunity to effectively supply reclaimed
OEM parts for repairs, as required.
All parties are looking for speed and efficiency. For too long, reclaimed
parts have been mostly left out of the traditional supply chain channel,
which can affect the speed and efficiency of the solution. Their use
needs to be factored in at the front end of the claims process, when a
repair network or bodyshop is producing the estimate for the insurer
and when the insurer is assessing the economic viability of the repair.
Reclaimed parts from e2e are all OEM parts. They are dismantled
and prepared by our network members, all of whom are certified to
the VRA UK Standard for Reclaimed Parts. Parts are quality graded,
warranty assured, available from locations throughout the UK,
delivered within 48 hours, and typically represent a 70% reduction on
retail prices.
This gives policyholders some options, and adds up to lower costs, a
reduced claims life cycle, faster key-to-key times and fewer economical
total loss outcomes. Supporting ESG goals and the public desire for
green solutions, the carbon footprint of a reclaimed part is lower than
a new part and reduces the carbon cost of transport, especially when
the parts are sourced locally.
It’s clear that reclaimed parts resolve many of the needs within the
motor claims ecosystem. However, we need to improve the efficiency
of the reclaimed parts process in order to innovate and add further
value. To facilitate this, the sourcing of reclaimed parts needs to be
simplified. Repairer networks and bodyshops must currently log into
multiple platforms to find and cost the parts they need. This is hugely
time consuming and inefficient. Uniting the motor claims supply chain
through a centralised system - one that can provide real time data
on parts availability, geographic location and cost - is the innovation
required to pave the way for maximum added value in 2023 and
beyond.
Jim Loughran,
CEO, e2e Total Loss Vehicle Management
Kinetic,
the countdown begins
Vizion’s conference returns on March 22nd and
23rd at Telford International Centre, one of the
largest event venues in the UK.
Kinetic, let’s move forward together. A powerful statement which
embodies the thinking of Vizion. Combining collision repairers,
partner businesses, insurers, vehicle manufacturers and suppliers, we
are collaborating to rise above the stresses and restrictions felt by all
of us in recent years, to embrace a much more positive future.
Designed to take delegates on a journey, Kinetic looks at critical
shifts in the sector which have been affecting the entire automotive
ecosystem. Innovations in design such as connected car, fuel types,
and key factors such as the environment and energy are all expected
to be addressed. We will also continue to utilise the combination
of exhibition, conference and networking opportunities which have
made previous Vizion events so fruitful for everyone in attendance.
One of the biggest and most important drivers of change is
sustainability. As such, this will play an important role at Kinetic.
Vizion R&D teams are constantly reviewing what can be done
better; asking how Vizion, our customers, partners and suppliers can
collaborate to build better, more sustainable solutions, providing
opportunities to become more aware, expanding on our knowledge
and celebrating existing successes. There’s no hiding from our
collective environmental responsibilities. These are so big - and the
targets so challenging - that no one person or business can resolve
them alone. We can and will make a difference together through
better thinking. Saving the planet doesn’t need to cost the earth.
Understanding the commercial space is critical, and we will also be
joined by a number of insurers at this year’s event, with discussions
and presentations by representatives from Aviva and AXA.
Another area of focus will be cyber strategy, addressing the need
to become even more secure, vigilant, and resilient. Our conference
and exhibition promises to inspire and showcase the latest services,
products and innovations on offer by Vizion and leading businesses
- big or small – who are dedicated to the repairer industry as a
whole. Take the opportunity to make new connections, do business,
collaborate and share ideas with a huge cross section of the industry,
and an extensive array of sponsors and exhibitors from global
businesses. Kinetic has something for everyone, and our intent is
to openly share our thoughts to motivate, engage and encourage
discussion around some of the most important areas of change, new
and old, so we can all move forward together with shared potential.
Chris McKie,
Managing Director, Vizion Network Limited
MODERN INSURANCE | 23

Helping businesses
make better decisions
“The Digilog Solution is a key tool for us as it
enables us to ‘fast track’ many truthful
customers whilst we can have more detailed
discussions with those where the technology
detects high risk.”
Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence to analyse and
validate risk in a Telephone or Video conversation.
Right Choice Insurance Brokers
Our unique software enables the fast & accurate validation of
genuine customers whilst identifying key risk issues associated
with a claim, application or dispute, irrespective of the
customers past, profile or geographic location.
Find out more:
Email: enquiries@digiloguk.com / Call: +44 208 087 2724
www.digiloguk.com / https://www.linkedin.com/company/digilog-uk-ltd

EDITORIAL BOARD
Unlocking Competitive Edge
through Learning and
Development
In a growing and thriving industry, we
often centre our focus on the here and
now; ensuring our key objectives are met,
delivering efficiency and maintaining customer
satisfaction. But the wider focus comes from
thinking ahead and prioritising continuous
improvement. It’s about keeping on top of the
changes, adapting to new technologies, always
refining our ‘fresh approach to accident repair’
and the meaning behind that.
Does this ‘fresh approach’ make us truly different from other repair
groups? We have a successful reputation with regards to our people
- particularly the focus on apprenticeships and training - shaping the
way that the industry is closing in on a skills shortage. It’s no secret
that our industry had an aging work force issue, yet since we have
implemented our successful apprenticeships programme back in
2017, it’s incredible to see other businesses in the industry implement
this change and adapt. Our training focus has provided a successful,
thriving workplace with multiple apprenticeship and training
opportunities, resulting in a devoted team which allows us to maintain
our competitive edge amidst further change.
13% of the workforce at Gemini Accident Repair Centres are enrolled
onto an apprenticeship. We are a Top 100 Apprenticeship employer
and consistently receive recognition and awards for our Learning and
Development initiatives, with a growing in-house training department
and recruitment personnel to boot. We are however still in a highly
competitive recruitment market, and it’s a sensible time to focus on
‘our people’; the teams that make the business what it is, and further
expand training capabilities from within before defaulting to a ‘recruit
and replace’ attitude.
Looking for new jobs in this current climate can be frightening for
some, and we have seen a mass reduction in people moving from
bodyshop to bodyshop in recent times. This fits in well with our
people focus, enabling us to use this time to concentrate more on
employees and understand how we can keep our foot on the gas in
terms of support and staff retention. We’ve invested highly in learning
opportunities; including technical courses, customer service courses,
management pathways, new technologies, state of the art equipment,
new branding, amongst a mix of other attributes which equip our
competitive edge.
Whatever it may be, we are forever striving for continuous
improvement, and having further expansion plans within the
apprenticeships and training emphasis remains key.
Dave Sargeant,
Managing Director, Gemini Accident Repair Solutions
For more Modern Insurance Magazine
insights, news, trends, blogs,
events news and stories
follow us on
Twitter:
@ModInsuranceMag
and
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Insurance Magazaine
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To get in touch and find out how you
can be featured inthe magazine
call Rachael on
01765 694167
MODERN INSURANCE | 25

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EDITORIAL BOARD
Our Role in the
Circular Economy
The world is changing at a rapid pace. More
urgently than ever, solutions are needed for
a more sustainable future.
Chemistry plays a key role here. In almost all areas of life, it can
help overcome pressing global challenges with innovative products
and technologies – from climate change and using resources more
sparingly, to feeding the world’s population. Now, Circular Economy
means decoupling growth from resource consumption. BASF is
driving Circular Economy by making the most of the limited resources
our planet has to offer. We close and extend the loops by developing
and implementing circular solutions for the materials that we source,
optimising our operations and offering resource-efficient products
and services which support our customers’ circularity journeys.
We aim to move toward a more Circular Economy by increasing our
use of recycled and renewable feedstocks, shaping new material
cycles and creating new business models. BASF has launched a new
Circular Economy Program, and as of 2025, BASF aims to process
250,000 metric tonnes of recycled and waste-based raw materials
annually, replacing fossil raw materials. By 2030, BASF aims to double
its sales generated with solutions for the Circular Economy to the
value of €17 billion.
As the world’s largest chemical company, we want to lead the way
to actively and responsibly shape the change. We are developing
pioneering low-carbon production processes for our products. We are
accelerating our innovation processes to develop high-performance
products that also require fewer resources and have a lower carbon
footprint. We are harnessing the many opportunities of digitalisation.
We are systematically aligning our portfolio with future technologies.
We are strongly integrating sustainability into our value chains.
For its Automotive Refinish business, BASF’s Coatings division looks
to leverage its sustainable technology leadership. We’re still flying
high from our win as the 2022 British Coatings Federation Sustainable
Innovation Manufacturer of the Year, and we want to continue to
strengthen our position as a thought and action leader in sustainability.
Earlier this year, we also launched our all new Glasurit 100 Line paint
system, which is already proving to be an absolute winner in the UK
market. Glasurit 100 Line stands for the highest eco-efficiency; helping
our customers to grow and become more competitive whilst reducing
environmental impact.
At BASF, embracing the Circular Economy means not just rethinking
materials and production processes, but also viewing our role in the
value chain in a whole new light. So, let’s imagine it’s 2050…
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future.
Jason Lea,
Strategic Account Manager, BASF
Competitive Edge
does not require AI
Robertson understand the need to constantly
evolve their products and services to keep
up with, and deliver against, a fast-evolving
landscape. But what does that mean in
practice?
It is undeniable that we live in an age of change and transformation,
where the way we work and interact with each other is constantly
evolving. How do you keep a competitive edge when there are so
many moving parts, and the traditional models within which you work
are being challenged?
As a senior team at Robertsons, we have a clearly defined focus
strategy which allows us to move quickly and without red tape to get
our services to market before our competitors. This is a huge part of
our success in retaining competitive edge.
A recent example of how this works came following the recent
CoA judgement in the test case of Rabot v Hassam, regarding the
methodology of valuing whiplash reform mixed injury cases. Early
on, it was clear to us that one of the consequences of the judgement
for our insurer clients could be delays in medical evidence being
obtained, leading to prolonged settlement times alongside an increase
in injury severity or an inflation in low value injury claims - the opposite
to what the Civil Liability Act intended!
We were therefore able to move at pace, developing and marketing an
intervention process to capture and support the injured Third Party in
a non-leading way on behalf of the insurer. We could also assist in the
injury triaging process, which was clearly going to be of great benefit
to both the injured party and the insurer, too.
As you would expect, focus strategy has to be underpinned by a skilled
team and supportive leadership. In the example above, this was as
simple as understanding the consequences of the Rabot judgement,
making a business case to share with the Leadership team for
assessment, signing off on how we would present this to market and
then delivering.
So, despite the challenges of technology and the age of change
that we live in, gaining competitive edge does not need to be
overcomplicated. Clear focus, skilled people, and proactive speed to
market does not require AI.
Allan Clark,
Head of Claims Strategy, Robertson & Co.
MODERN INSURANCE | 27

EDITORIAL BOARD
How can repairers
remain competitive in the
eye of a ‘perfect storm’?
It’s no secret that the repair market is facing
what many have described as a ‘perfect
storm’. Rising prices, parts supply chain issues
and a shortage of skilled labour continues to
increase costs and repair times right across the
industry.
The first thing to say is that most of these challenges are beyond the
control of individual businesses. There’s no silver bullet, and these
challenges impact the entire motor claims industry. Insurers, fleets
and accident management providers like Activate Group need to
work alongside repairers to relieve the pressure. This is something
we’ve worked on with the support of our customers, and we will
maintain this focus over the months ahead.
We’ve looked at improved terms, but also processes and
communication. Our new damage capture app is a good example,
obtaining quality images at an earlier stage, and giving repairers
better information from the start.
At Activate Accident Repair - our owned chain of bodyshops – we’ve
taken opportunities to mitigate costs. Ask anyone in the industry and
they’ll tell you that parts supply is one of their biggest challenges
right now. We already had a ‘repair over replace’ philosophy, and
we’ve invested in technology and training to develop this, reducing
parts requirements.
When repairs are needed, we work with our sister-company (Activate
Parts) to proactively reduce delays. They search across UK-wide
suppliers to source and offer suitable alternatives, including green and
aftermarket parts where appropriate. The team is able to speed up
delivery for more than 30% of orders with parts delays!
When it comes to reducing direct costs, we’ve invested up-front to
generate longer term savings. There’s so much technology out there to
maximise efficiency; savings are even more attractive now with rising
energy costs, and sustainability goals are supported at the same time.
We’ve identified investments that offer the greatest return - from
relatively small steps, like switching to primers and paints that cut oven
time, to purchasing bailers and compactors that reduce our waste
collection costs. As we expand our chain of bodyshops, we’re also
taking the opportunity to use alternative energy sources, including
solar and LPG.
Finally, with an eye on the future, it’s more important than ever to
invest in training. We have a growing apprenticeship programme,
delivered in partnership with Thatcham. As vehicle technology
advances, it’s also important to support existing technicians to
continually develop their skills.
While there are always efficiencies to be found in any business, this will
never cancel out the challenges posed by external headwinds. If we
can, we need to work together and use this moment as an opportunity
to make positive changes to our industry, changes that will set us up
for future success.
Victoria Turner,
Chief Commercial Officer, Activate Group
Harmony in the
Claims Process
The conversation around automated claims has
been a particularly interesting one in recent
months, with most meetings, conferences
and roundtables questioning how data is
changing the claims landscape. I welcome
these open discussions; whilst some may think
it would worry me, I see the use of data and
automation as a great opportunity to make
positive changes within the industry.
RGI were one of the first independent investigations companies to
use data to detect fraud. Subsequently, we are well versed in what
quality data can do when it comes to fighting fraud.
I just about fall into the Millennial bracket, and I have witnessed
technology advance at a rate of knots. It has certainly been
interesting becoming a parent and witnessing a child’s expectations
towards the technology they use!
There is however no doubt in my mind that we still need human
interaction to make the customer journey even better, with the
involvement of technology to assist. For example, a claim for a chip
in your windscreen could easily be fully automated. However, for any
business-related claims - or a claim that could be considered out of
the ordinary - I do think it’s likely for this to continue to be handled by
humans once it has been screened via AI at FNOL stage.
The ‘robot vs. human’ approach is not a new debate, and I have
voiced my reservations before. I don’t believe claims should be fully
automated, and I don’t think that the industry should become wholly
reliant on external data to do this. The quality of the data will only ever
be as strong as what the human inputs, and there is still a long way to
go when it comes to understanding big data and how that should be
managed and kept relevant.
I strongly believe it would be extremely dangerous to just rely on
external data and AI when it comes to detecting fraud. It would be
naïve to underestimate or refuse to acknowledge the resolve of those
committing fraud, people who are already exploiting weaknesses and
bypassing existing detection methods. Coming from a background
of investigating fraud, I believe the best model would be to make use
of both data and human input, which would be a harmonious fit and
result in reduced leakage due to fraud.
Sarah Glenn,
Commercial Director, RGI Solutions
MODERN INSURANCE | 29

EDITORIAL BOARD
What is gender equity, and
how does it help us achieve
equality in leadership?
According to Statista, 570,000 men were
employed full time in the UK financial and
insurance sector at the end of 2022, compared
with 378,000 women. The ratio of men to
women in the sector is higher than it has been
traditionally, but there’s still some work to be
done to bring more women into the sector and
rectify this disparity. The ratio also needs to be
representative across all levels of seniority.
‘Equality’ happens when groups or individuals are given the same
opportunities and resources. On the other hand, ‘equity’ recognises
that whilst circumstances vary from person to person, resources
should be allocated fairly, reaching an equal outcome for the wider
group.
The majority of businesses are now trying to address diversity in
their leadership teams to ensure that society is reflected in not just
their products, but also their organisations. Many would think that
the act of championing equality would support this goal, but equity
is needed before we can achieve equality. Therefore, where an
organisation wants to diversify their team, women and other minority
groups need more - not equal - resources, development opportunities
and access, in order to accelerate their career progression. The
accelerated career development of minority groups will enable true
diversification of an organisation’s team. Once this diversification
occurs, we can then talk about implementing equal opportunities
across the whole organisation.
This is why ISC Group focuses specifically on women in the insurance
industry, providing the sector with the additional resources required
to develop and accelerate the careers of women.
Inclusion is so important. It raises awareness of the barriers that
women and minority groups face, and remains critical when it comes
to implementing initiatives that address common issues and gaps.
Intersectionality of minority groups, and understanding the everevolving
landscape of ‘emerging’ minority groups, should also be
front of mind.
We see organisations trying to streamline their Diversity, Equity and
Inclusion initiatives, and getting caught out by what to prioritise around
intersectionality. Perhaps they don’t want to duplicate efforts, or
they’re looking for solutions that are overarching of multiple minority
groups. Therefore, my question to companies is this; how much of a
priority is diversifying your organisation? If it’s on the board agenda,
then more investment and data is needed, not less. Championing
equality over equity could significantly hinder meaningful progress.
Lara Pedley,
Global Managing Director, ISC Group
MODERN INSURANCE | 31

SHAPING THE FUTURE OF
SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY
Take charge at europcar.co.uk/business
or call 0371 384 0140

FEATURES
Shifting the Mindset:
Navigating a New Year
As the market
enters a fresh
year, it is likely that
insurance providers
will be feeling a
small sense of relief
that the disruptions
caused by the
COVID-19 pandemic
are now firmly in the
past. The unsettled
vehicle supply chain
caused endless
headaches, forcing
the market to review
a lot of its processes
and the way it
works with different
suppliers in order to
survive.
Although things have moved on considerably,
the stark reality is that we are still not ‘back to
normal’ when it comes to the motor insurance
market. Supply chain and vehicle costs remain
extremely high, and customer expectation in every
sector has also risen over the last few years. Now
insurance providers must take some key factors into
consideration in order to thrive in 2023 and beyond.
Don’t let price lead to sole supply
The supply and availability of both vehicles and
parts continues to be limited, and is likely to remain
this way for much of the year. Insurance providers
may start to see some suppliers drive down their
price in order to secure business volume, but the
reality is that this will eventually increase costs.
There may be the perception that choosing a sole
supplier will be a cheaper and easier relationship
to manage. Unfortunately, this often leads to
complacency, lack of innovation and limited
control over cost in the long-term. The restricted
replacement vehicle supply could also be a bigger
challenge in a sole supplier relationship than those
who work with a range of good partners with
dedicated insurance specialists and streamlined
systems for fleet management. Unfortunately, we’ve
already seen many insurers on sole supply contracts
go through three years of difficulty; forced to scrap
like-for-like vehicle replacement policies, grateful
to be in a position where they can still offer a
temporary vehicle to customers.
Moving away from sole supply will ensure that
insurers have contingency against a shortage in
vehicle supply this year, whilst also promoting
healthy competition within the chain. Collaboration
will remove friction from the claims process and
help the market to overcome different challenges
along the way.
Courtesy vs. Hire
It is crucial that insurers continue to work within
a supply chain that has an appetite to do things a
little differently and think outside of the box. The
concept of courtesy cars is somewhat outdated
in the current market; in reality, most people have
been offered or have taken a courtesy car without
the real need for it. The cars are often too small and
not sufficient for customer needs.
The cost of leasing courtesy cars has increased
significantly over the last few years, and body shops
will generally be required to source the vehicles on
a two-to-three-year deal with limited flexibility. The
industry has also seen a recent shift towards high
sided and EV vehicles, meaning that the courtesy
cars on offer may not even be suitable for the
customer.
There is a common misconception with body shops
that the costs associated with daily rentals are
significant, but the reality is that the customer can
be offered a vehicle that suits their needs. The body
shop is also not tied into a lengthy contract and left
with various unsuitable courtesy cars. Turning to
rental means body shops can concentrate on their
core business without needing to dedicate time and
resource in running a fleet, and only paying for the
hire vehicle when it is in use.
Never lose the human touch
In order to provide the best outcome for the
customer, insurance providers must be able to
adapt to new technologies and enhance the
policyholder’s digital journey. Working with partners
with the technology to automate certain parts of
the claims process is great to relieve the pressures
on the supply chain and reduce costs. However, no
matter how powerful automation can be, it is vital
that the customer experience is not compromised.
Automation needs to be used at the right point in
the customer journey to help streamline the claims
process and remove human error. But for the best
customer experience, individuals should always be
given a choice of speaking to a representative when
in need of support. Customers will always need a
quick and efficient way to speak to someone in
different situations; they may be stranded at the
side of the road after a motor collision or need help
resolving an issue with a product. Whether that
communication is by telephone, personal email or
SMS message, it needs to be human communication
rather than a bot.
At Europcar Mobility Group UK, we help insurers
in their mission to provide the best customer
support whilst navigating the challenges that will
remain in the industry
throughout this year.
We understand that
working with the right
vehicle partner - one
that is flexible and
able to help insurance
providers meet
demands efficiently
- plays a vital role in
ensuring a smooth and
successful customer
journey.
James Roberts,
Business Development Director,
Insurance, Europcar Mobility Group UK
MODERN INSURANCE | 33

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ASSOCIATIONS ASSEMBLE
ASSOCIATIONS
ASSEMBLE
Welcome to
Associations Assemble!
Modern Insurance Magazine is delighted to be
joined by some of the leading names from our
industry associations, organisations and institutes!
This issue voices the thoughts of:
Sue Brown,
Chair of the Motor Accident Solicitors
Society (MASS)
Anthony Hughes,
Chairman and CEO of the Credit Hire
Organisation (CHO)
John McQuater,
President of the Association of
Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL)
Nicola Critchley,
President of the Forum of Insurance
Lawyers (FOIL) and Partner at DWF
David Sparkes,
Head of Compliance and Training
at the British Insurance Brokers’
Association (BIBA)
Chris Weeks,
Executive Director at the National
Body Repair Association (NBRA)
Dr Matthew Connell,
Director, Policy and Public Affairs, at
the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII)
Mike Keating,
CEO of the Managing General Agents’
Association (MGAA)
MODERN INSURANCE | 35

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ASSOCIATIONS ASSEMBLE
Sue Brown
Title: Chair
Association: Motor Accident Solicitors Society
(MASS)
A Ruling on
Mixed Injury
Personal Injury
Damages
The recent Court of Appeal judgment on
personal injury damages involving mixed
injuries within the Official Injury Claims
process has been both welcomed and
condemned in equal measure.
All sides were certainly hoping for greater clarity
around how compensation should be calculated where
the claimant has suffered both a whiplash injury and
one or more non-whiplash injuries. The absence of
any regulatory guidance on mixed injuries, from either
Government or Parliament, was one of the glaring holes
in the Government’s whiplash reforms. Instead, the job
of resolving this was passed to the judiciary. This hole
in the new regulatory structure has undoubtedly led to
delays in a number of claims settling, and the increased
risk of under-compensation.
In a majority decision, the CoA agreed that damages
for a whiplash injury should be calculated in accordance
with the tariff, and that an award for a non-whiplash
injury should be assessed on common law principles.
The judge should then ‘step back’ and apply a discount
for overlap, broadly along the lines applied by District
Judge Hennessey in her first instance judgments. The
only real point of difference from the first instance
judgment was that the Court of Appeal stated that the
discount should not leave the claimant with an award
for the non-whiplash injury lower than the valuation of
that injury.
Some were clearly disappointed that the judgment
did not declare a more precise formula for calculating
a deduction from the overlapping cases. Personally,
I think the guidance given by the Court of Appeal
is helpful. Practitioners and judges - who are quite
accustomed to dealing with a degree of overlap - will
probably find it workable, certainly in cases of injuries
similar to those
considered by the
Court of Appeal.
For unrepresented
claimants however,
the whole exercise
may prove slightly
bewildering.
Anthony Hughes
Title: Chairman & CEO
Association: Credit Hire Organisation (CHO)
Competitive
Edge in Mobility
Provision
Why is mobility provision handed over to
credit hire companies (CHCs)?
CHCs are mobility experts with a strong service
ethos and a deep understanding of the needs of
the customers they help. Hundreds of thousands of
individuals rely on our assistance each year while their
own vehicle is off the road, and 70% of all hires are
sourced from insurers working with their CHC partners.
In our sector, the real competition is for non-fault
customer capture. Non-fault customers are valuable
commodities; or costly, depending on your perspective.
Capturing the customer enables the at-fault insurer
to reduce the costs of the claim. This business is
so lucrative that many insurers employ specialist
intervention teams, whose role it is to encourage nonfault
customers to manage their claim through them
as opposed to a rival operator. The risk is that, while
insurers save themselves a lot of money, customer
rights under tort are undermined.
For example, if an insurer can put a Lexus driver into
a Honda Civic while the Lexus is being repaired, they
save a fortune on hire costs. Control of the claim
means insurers can use their own repair network,
with the financial leverage that gives them. They can
encourage their own vehicle provider to cut corners;
charging extra for child seats, for example, or making
the customer pick up and drop off the vehicle. Many
customers are unaware of their legal rights and don’t
complain, perhaps just grateful that they can still get
their kids to school in the morning.
Have no doubt that
competition is part and
parcel of providing
mobility, but not at the
expense of consumer
rights. Those rights must
be upheld by all parties
who are in the business of
managing a motor claim.
MODERN INSURANCE | 37

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ASSOCIATIONS ASSEMBLE
John McQuater
Title: President
Association: Association of Personal Injury
Lawyers (APIL)
Supporting a ban
on Cold Calls
Several legislative Bills became
casualties of last year’s political turmoil
in Westminster. One such Bill is the Data
Protection and Digital Information Bill.
This Bill presents the ideal opportunity to implement a
proper ban on cold calls and text messages which tout
for personal injury claims. APIL briefed MPs ahead of
the Bill’s second reading in the House of Commons in
September, but it was pushed back amid the switching
of Prime Ministers.
Solicitors are banned from cold calling for personal
injury claims, and APIL fully supports this. Claims
Management companies are however still allowed to
contact people, provided they follow the rules as set
out in the Financial Guidance and Claims Act 2018. The
Act merely tinkered with the rules on seeking consent
to call. It did not go far enough, as 22 million adults
received a call or text about making a personal injury
claim in the year leading to June 2022.
A ban would be popular; cold calls and spam
text messages have long been a source of anger
and frustration for the public. In a 2022 survey by
YouGov for example, 96% of participants supported
a ban. Aside from being tasteless and intrusive, the
practice generates the false perception that obtaining
compensation for injuries is easy, even when there is
no injury. It brings the whole personal injury sector into
disrepute.
The Association of British Insurers, Aviva and the House
of Commons Justice Select Committee are among
those who have expressed support for a proper ban in
the past. At the time of writing, it is not known when
the Bill will return. When it does, APIL will lobby for
amendments to rid the public of the scourge of calls
and texts.
Nicola Critchley
Title: President and Partner
Association: FOIL and DWF
FOIL at 30 –
Collaborative
Influence
From its inception in 1992, FOIL has always
provided support and a voice for the
defendant community in the performance
of its mission statement ‘Informing
Progress / Shaping the Future’. But a rapid
period of evolution over the last 15 years
has seen FOIL significantly expand its
sphere of influence.
This has been achieved through the growth of our
membership, now consisting of 80 firms alongside
around 8,000 lawyers and paralegals, extending across
all jurisdictions in the UK and Ireland. Through a series of
well-developed and interlinked processes, at the heart of
which is collaboration between our members, FOIL now
plays a pivotal role in influencing the legislative agenda.
38 Sector Focus Teams (SFTs) meet regularly to discuss
the major developments in their areas of interest,
relating mainly to the law, practice and procedure.
These also provide input to FOIL’s responses regarding
numerous government consultations, and identify
issues on which FOIL should seek to influence future
developments.
Increasingly, those issues are not solely of interest to
the legal profession. FOIL has built strong collaborative
networks with industry partners to scrutinise what is
happening, identifying areas where interests are aligned
and seeking to develop best practices. Panels of expert
speakers are brought together to examine a wide range
of topics and provide insight on emerging issues. Recent
events have covered ESG, D&I, artificial intelligence,
automated vehicles, electric scooters and EU derived
law; all of which continue to be closely monitored so
FOIL is always primed to identify developments and
respond accordingly.
Remaining true to its roots,
FOIL continues to provide a
voice to its members, large
and small. Crucially, through
its growth and innovation,
it has also provided the
opportunity to amplify that
voice and inspire change.
MODERN INSURANCE | 39

ONE PLATFORM. ONE PROPOSITION.
ONE PARTNER.
One stop solution brings simplicity to claims
management
The benefits of outsourcing claims
management are well-understood
in the insurance arena, but the fully
integrated solution delivered by
Redde raises the bar further.
Redde provides insurers with integrated claims
and mobility solutions via a comprehensive one
stop shop model where all businesses in the chain
are wholly owned and integrated. The unique
operational fulfilment brings a refreshing simplicity
to the world of claims management, with Redde’s
entire supply chain presenting as a single-partner
relationship through a set of inter-connected
platforms.
The Redde group of businesses nestle within
Redde Northgate, a FTSE 250 company and
the UK’s leading supplier of integrated mobility
solutions. With solid foundations of size, scale
and volume, Redde delivers seamless solutions
spanning the entire motor claims lifecycle, repair,
mobility and legal services. Following a strong
decade of organic growth, careful acquisition and
high customer retention, Redde has honed the
perfect structure, assets, knowledge and expertise.
The individual businesses, some established in the
1980’s, operate with tried and tested operational
models that excel in the three foundational areas
of claims—customer experience, efficiency, and
effectiveness. Customer relationships also span
the decades with such loyalty nourished by a
continuous commitment to service excellence,
the confidence and financial stability for bold
innovations and a stellar communications strategy,
driven by New Law’s Pilot application, FMG
Connect and Auxillis’ Driver Portal, which detects
the most subtle changes in customer requirements.
Every aspect of the claims journey is honed and
streamlined in collaboration with insurers, brokers
and policyholders. Seamlessly integrated IT
systems strip out the need for multiple handlers,
billing structures, service handoffs and subsequent
call-backs, mitigating the need for an entire supplier
management structure, for systems integration and
third party licence fees.
The moment of truth for a claimant is at claims
reporting. They need someone to take control of
putting things right, quickly. Through Redde’s Claim
Centres of Excellence, that one call triggers instant
and critical next steps behind the scenes, mobilising
simultaneous repair, mobility and legal services
workflows across Redde. Redde provides ease of
access to best in class partners with customisation
as standard, yet drivers will interact with one single
business entity, removing the complex nature often
incurred in claims with commonly disparate supply
chains.

Within minutes of receipt of the claim, vehicle
recovery is en-route to stranded occupants and
vehicle repair is booked in at a Redde-owned FMG
Repair Services bodyshop or with a repairer from
their UK-wide network of over 200 independents.
Customer interactions are controlled with a full
menu of repair options, with Redde’s Engineering
team independently assessing every repair against
stringent quality standards, the latest techniques
and technology and, always, aligning to repair
methods.
Replacement vehicle options spanning 60 vehicle
classes are coordinated by Auxillis, with UK-wide
mobility offering including first party hire, third party
hire, credit hire and credit repair options to assuage
non-fault parties. Injured claimants are offered an
ethical and professional Personal Injury service
from market-leading solicitors New Law.
The Group excels at integration, yet those perfectlyaligned
individual businesses can also operate
independently, delivering any single aspects of the
Redde offering.
The Redde model creates a simple claims journey
for insurers from a partner base consolidated to
one point of contact, reinforcing Redde’s position
as the provider of choice for an insurance world
wise to the ultimate reassurance and lean benefits
of an all-encompassing outsourced claims solution.
The future of claims management is seamless and
streamlined, digital and frictionless, and Redde is
already there.
And when the policyholder is at fault? That initial
claim report triggers a different set of workflows
at FMG, by immediately offering the third party
intervention services on the insurer’s behalf.
Redde combines and configures any or all its
services on a modular basis; they’re scalable and
bend and flex to meet each insurer’s evolving
needs. Insurers seeking an end to end solution can
liaise with any company within the Group as an
entry point to issue instructions across the board.
ANDREW CHANDLER
Sales Director
Redde group
companies

Maintaining a competitive edge through the
use of digital technology
The traditional claims function is changing, emerging from
behind the scenes to forge a bold new path as a key source
of competitive advantage – and enhanced service is at the
heart. As a result, industry executives now have to make
an array of deliberate and assertive strategic choices to
‘succeed’ – recognising that investment in new technologies
are the best way to facilitate market access, risk management
and customer service capabilities.
In this era driven by technical capability, improved efficiency
and data overload, insurers are seeking new ways to reduce
indemnity spend whilst providing that sleek, simple and
satisfying experience customers now expect. The efficiency of
the claims function is a critical element in the value chain and
insurers and outsource providers are introducing intuitive
digital processes, based on insight-led decisions, that allow
claims to be dealt with more quickly, accurately, efficiently,
and fairly.
Here at FMG, investment in technology has allowed us to
streamline and automate a high proportion of customer
service functions at many stages of the claims lifecycle. Our
intelligently connected systems vastly increase efficiency, cost
control and data accuracy, resulting in a superior solution
which is both lean yet scalable.
From the First Notification of Loss (FNOL), one proprietary
platform automates every downstream service through
intelligently connected systems designed, tweaked and
honed, in consultation with major insurers, brokers and
customers. Every step in the claim is designed to reduce
claims leakage from liability assessment through to claims
settlement.
From the customer’s point of view, FNOL may be their only
touchpoint with us and handling it well can be critical to their
satisfaction. Our claims handlers provide immediate access to
all the driver and vehicle support they need. Damage triage
is instantaneous and accurate, as is bodyshop allocation, and
direct integration with our repairers enable image capture
and estimating in a fraction of the time.
Mobile estimating works in tandem with a full range of
flexible repair options, keeping driveable vehicles on the road
as long as possible. FMG’s inhouse engineers operate with
delegated authority, ratifying repair methods, scrutinising
costs and closely monitoring vehicle downtime to control
related replacement vehicle costs. And when our customer is
at fault, we defend and protect all cost bases.
FMG Connect, our real-time self-serve online platform
empowers customers to manage and control aspects of their
claim if they so desire - scheduling repair appointments,
using image capture technology to speed the estimating
process along, checking repair updates 24/7.
Seamlessly connected systems vastly improve efficiency
in communication between parties and speed up claims
processing, whilst providing customers with transparency on
where they are in the process and what happens next.
To effectively manage indemnity spend, and deliver against
higher customer expectations, insurers and outsource
providers must elevate the claims process and embrace
digitisation of the customer journey. Here at FMG we’re
continually investing in our technology infrastructure to
settle claims faster and more accurately, whilst protecting
all cost bases. This frees claims
handlers up to genuinely add
value in the moments that
matter, by supporting, advising,
negotiating and expediting claims
settlements.
Andrew Chandler,
Sales Director
FMG

ASSOCIATIONS ASSEMBLE
Chris Weeks
Title: Executive Director
Association: National Body Repair Association
(NBRA)
What’s the
Hold Up?!
We all want to look after the customer in
the claims process, and the body repair
community are no different.
However, here at the National Body Repairers
Association (NBRA), we get far too many calls from
repairers in an odd situation. Typically, these are nonnetwork
insurance repairers completing work for an
insurer or an Accident Management customer, and the
scenario is always the same.
Repairs have been fully completed and the car is ready
to be returned. However, the repairer is awaiting a final
authorisation from engineers, which can take up to
a month in the worst-case scenario. Customers can’t
have their car back, the repairer can’t get paid, and
claims are left open to attract more cost. There’s often
a hire car with the customer, and for what? Sometimes
it comes down to haggling over £50 of differences!
Having worked in that role for many years, I have great
respect for engineers and their knowledge. But with
repair costs increasing as a result of parts and paint
increases, we believe too much pressure is placed on
engineers to save costs and control inflation. Many
engineers are concerned about being scrutinised
through internal leakage audits, resulting in extended
process times and delays.
The unintended consequence of this approach can
be devastating to small repairers who need cashflow,
space and mobility freed up for the next customers.
Insurance contracts with repairers often stretch to
over 50 pages of requirements, service levels and
guarantees, with no such courtesy in return.
The NBRA would like to see a 48hr maximum waiting
time for an engineer’s final authorisation, which would
protect the consumer and keep us all honest. Many
industry organisations routinely deliver this already,
and we continue to work with a sizeable group of
exceptions!
David Sparkes
Title: Head of Compliance and Training
Association: British Insurance Brokers’
Association (ABI)
Claims and the
Consumer Duty
Taken at its most basic, the new Consumer
Duty from the Financial Conduct Authority
(FCA) could be interpreted in such a way
that all claims should be paid. This would
certainly meet the principal expectation
of ‘delivering good outcomes for retail
customers.’
It could also meet two of the three cross-cutting rules;
to ‘avoid causing foreseeable harm’ that may flow from
not getting a pay-out, and to ‘support retail customers
to pursue their financial objectives’ through having their
claim settled. For insurance brokers, this would involve
supporting each customer wishing to make a claim to
the point of a resolution. For insurers, it would involve
agreeing to pay every claim that their customer wished
to make.
However, this is an over-simplification. The expectations
of the regulator start much earlier in the process with
the support retail customers receive when taking
out a policy, and the steps taken to help a customer
understand their policy so an informed decision is
made. This increases the likelihood that a customer
would make a claim only for something that they know
is covered.
Back in February 2015, when the FCA published its
Occasional Paper No.8 on Consumer Vulnerability,
it quoted data from the Department for Business,
Innovation and Skills indicating that one in seven adults
have literacy skills on par with a child aged 11 or below.
It also stated that just under half of UK adults have a
numeracy attainment representative of a child aged 11
or below.
Can we truly say that we are we mindful of this data
when we look at how we put product literature
together, when we explain a product to a customer or
explain the outcome of a
claim?
MODERN INSURANCE | 43

I Love Claims
www.iloveclaims.com
KEY EVENT
CALENDAR
2023
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14
MAR
23
APR
26
ILC Day
Charity
Day
Subsidence
Conference
New Generation
Event
MAY
12
JUN
08
SEP
13
Home
& Property
Claims
Networking
Lunch
Partner
Networking
Event
ClaimsTech
LIVE
Event
SEP
27
OCT
05
NOV
09
MGA Claims
Conference
Motor Claims
Exclusive
Conference
Home
& Property
Claims
Conference
NOV
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EVENTS | VIDEOS | PODCASTS | INSIGHTS
ARC360
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Home & Property Claims

ASSOCIATIONS ASSEMBLE
Dr Matthew Connell
Title: Director, Policy and Public Affairs
Association: Chartered Insurance Institute
(CII)
Customer
Service: The
Lifeblood of
Insurance
Many people working in insurance have
resigned themselves to the idea that the
only competitive edge to be had in their
industry is through price, where a few
pence off an annual premium or the offer
of a cuddly toy can sway prospective
customers on a purchase.
However, consumers and SMEs have told us that even
in a cost-of-living crisis, price is not the key competitive
advantage in insurance. Research for our Trust Index
tells us that there are many more aspects of insurance
that are more important to the customer; such as the
confidence that an insurer will be there for them when
it comes to paying out, ease of doing business, the
relevance of a policy to their needs, the speed with
which claims are made, and the respect that they are
shown when they make a claim.
All of these elements rely heavily on customer service,
and on professionals who have a wide range of skills;
empathy, a strong understanding of the technicalities
of insurance contracts, the ability to convey complex
information in an accessible and sensitive way, the
ability to deal with a range of business partners, and
the skills to prioritise what is most important to the
customer.
The winners at the Insurance CX Awards always show
how service can make a difference – using technology,
training, market information and the simple dedication
of staff to increase retention rates and referrals. They
know that if their customers were to see the difference
great customer service makes, they will value this
above price.
This is why customer
service in insurance is so
important. Price is easy to
measure, but it’s not what
consumers care about in
the long run. Providing
a relevant, high-quality
service is the life blood of
insurance, and we should
never lose focus on that.
Michael Keating
Title: CEO
Association: Managing General Agents’
Association (MGAA)
The importance
of in-person
insurance events
There’s no doubt about it; face-to-face
interaction has, and will continue to be,
fundamental to everything we do in
insurance.
Last year saw the first full calendar of in-person
insurance events since the UK went into lockdown way
back in March 2020 - including the hugely successful
return of the BIBA Conference, and a record attendance
of over 900 people at our own conference in June.
The popular return of these events underlines just
how important face-to-face events are for the market.
The industry relies on in-person events to build new
and existing relationships with clients and suppliers;
interactions that simply cannot be successfully
replicated, despite huge efforts all round, via video calls
or virtual meetings.
Whilst digital tools such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom
remain part of our post-pandemic lives - and improve
efficiency in many areas - it’s clear that they are best
used as a compliment to real-life interaction, as opposed
to a replacement.
In-person events are particularly important for MGAs
looking to grow their businesses by expanding their
networks with potential new customers, brokers and
capacity providers. As a case in point, this year’s MGAA
conference in July will be bigger and better than ever
before, building on last year’s record attendance. To
meet the needs of our growing membership, we are also
relocating to a bigger venue in London’s popular area of
Billingsgate.
At the MGAA, we know that
our members - along with
the wider insurance market
- thrive and benefit from
human contact. Interestingly,
perhaps this is the case now
more than ever, as digital
communication tools reduce
day-to-day opportunities to
gather in person.
MODERN INSURANCE | 45

Meet your customers
on their digital doorstep
3 STEPS TO
BECOMING
CXi FLUENT
Your customers are digital.
Align your CX approach to match their preferences.
What does it take to master ALL interactions
across the customer journey – not just those
that make it to the contact centre?
1
2 3
CONNECTED
Meet your customers on their digital
doorstep, and seamlessly guide
them to resolution through
their channel of choice – be that
search, social media, email in-app,
via chat, or IVR.
INTELLIGENT
Enable customers to solve problems
on their own with self-service
that works – every time.
Pre-empt customer needs
and engage them in proactive
conversation through their preferred
channel, before they contact you.
COMPLETE
Empower advisors to address
customer issues effectively,
and deliver experiences that create
lifelong loyalty. Drive success
with real-time information and
guidance for fast, personalised
experiences. Continuously improve
experiences and operations.
The traditional approach to CX misses the mark. A patchwork of
disconnected systems creating disjointed experiences for everyone.
NICE CXone is the only unified platform addressing the comprehensive
needs of customer eXperience interactions (Cxi) — every interaction,
across the entire journey, and every channel (even emerging ones).
Ready to deliver frictionless digital customer experiences?
Powered by

How can insurance
firms obtain the
competitive
edge through new
CX trends?
The insurance sector is undergoing
a reinvention. In the face of obstacles,
including a pandemic and war, insurance
firms proved resilient as their digital
transformation efforts paid off. 2023
promises to present even more hurdles
in the shape of inflation, a recession,
increased digital competition and
climate change – to name but a few.
But insurance firms don’t have time to bask in ‘a job well done’.
Instead, they must look forward – ensuring that they are not only
retaining customers but also obtaining the competitive edge. For
this, an AI-powered data-driven strategy to customer experience
is paramount.
No Silver Bullets Here
Sadly, there’s no silver bullet for insurance firms. However, there
is a new approach that, when implemented properly, provides
a superior customer experience. One that goes beyond the
contact centre and focuses on delivering a frictionless and
personalised experience across every customer interaction
throughout their entire journey, whilst also empowering the
agents on the frontline. So, where to start?
Data, Data, Data
Sadly, despite having an abundance of data under their noses,
many insurance firms still struggle to use this to their advantage.
Insurance firms own all the information they could ever need to
build superior experiences through their customer interaction
data. Call recordings, emails and webchat transcripts all contain
human-led conversations that can provide the perfect insights
into customer likes, dislikes, preferences and more. For this to be
successful, an AI-powered analytics engine is however required
to surface, categorise and prioritise the insights that should
be used to drive a frictionless journey, as well as providing
developers with the language needed to build them.
Traditional CX misses the mark
Today, most customer service journeys start with search. Sadly,
the traditional experiences offered by insurance firms usually
miss this digital touchpoint completely. In reality, there are some
event needs that are so simple, a blog post could provide the
customer with a resolution. With this in mind, insurance firms
should be harnessing their FAQ pages and optimising this
information for search.
Next up, chatbots – otherwise known as ‘Conversational AI’
technology. This is now a customer’s most frequently used
digital channel for communicating with businesses. Sadly,
Register for
a Free Demo
FEATURES
many customers still walk away feeling frustrated with the
service they have been delivered, despite the demand. Not only
should self-service options like chatbots work every time, but
they should be proactive to stay ahead of the curve. Contacting
the customer through their preferred channel before they know
they need you holds a valuable place in the insurance world,
and certainly would help to differentiate.
Empowering advisors
While customers are keen to use more digital customer service
channel options, nothing beats talking to a human when your
event need requires empathy. Currently, advisors are stuck
between a rock and a hard place – dealing with frustrated
customers who need help, despite having no visibility of
previous interactions or changing information. When your
advisors have AI-powered tools at the tip of their fingers,
they can impress customers like never before - delivering
an experience that can create lifelong loyalty as well as new
business. Real-time information, guidance and coaching can
stop advisors from sweating the small stuff, so they can focus
on solving the issue at hand with the support they need.
Visibility of their performance, gamification and mobile shift
scheduling can provide advisors with the control they need to
improve and feel motivated.
Choose the best tool for the job
To obtain a competitive advantage, insurance firms need to
seamlessly manage all interactions
across the entire customer journey
— not just those that make it to
the contact centre. As it stands,
NICE CXone is the only unified
platform addressing the full needs
of this new customer experience
interactions-led approach. It is
helping insurance companies to
deliver frictionless experiences
across the end-to-end customer
journey, everywhere and on every
channel - even emerging ones!
Daryn Robinson,
Technical Director –
CX Transformations, AllThingsCX
MODERN INSURANCE | 47

FEATURES
Welcoming
Contemi
Solutions:
Q&A with
Daniel Thafvelin
QHi, Daniel! A very warm
welcome to Modern Insurance
Magazine’s Insurtech Editorial
Board!
Why don’t we start by talking about
Contemi, the solutions you provide
and the work you’re up to over there
at the moment? Tell me more!
A
Contemi is a global fintech
house with a primary focus on
Southeast Asia, ANZ and EMEA.
We have been at the forefront of
fintech digitisation for more than two
decades, delivering digital solutions for
Wealth Management, Post Trade and
Insurance. Our focus and investments
in recent years have been towards
SaaS, microservices and no-code, and
skewed towards insurance. We have
built one of the strongest insurance
platforms available to the industry
today.
Our focus with Seamless.Insure has
been to build a complete platform
that delivers flexibility, usability and
speed to its user, while also enabling
third-party applications in a seamless
ecosystem. We have built a solution
that can fit the needs of insurers as
well as MGAs, with a simple selection
and de-selection of modules. In
addition, the no-code approach makes
it highly usable for the business teams.
We are constantly working with our
clients on adding functionalities to
each module, so we have a system that
is industry tested.
QContemi is a global solutions
provider, with 11 offices across
the UK, Norway, Singapore,
Hong Kong and Australia, to name
but a few! What are the strengths and
benefits of being so widespread?
AWe have strategically placed our
offices close to clients and to
talent. Being close to the markets
we serve ensures that we understand
their requirements better and can offer
them solutions that solve their specific
challenges. Having five Development
Centres across time zones, combined
with customer facing resources close to
customers, is a real benefit in terms of
availability, support, and customer insight.
QWhat challenges have Contemi
faced in recent years, and how
have you responded?
A
I would say that the challenges we
face are typical of that of many
scale-ups. We knew these would
come, so we started to prepare a while
back with a new organization structure,
process improvement and getting guidance
from experienced experts. Having said
that, there’s no easy fix to ensure that we
hire the right talent and scale operations. It
requires focus and a lot of hard work.
Q
Contemi have a consistent
presence at industry events and
conferences around the globe,
such as Insurtech Insights, Insuretech
Connect, Insurtech Summit Australia and
the UK MGAA Annual Conference. What
were your event highlights from the last
12 months?
AEvents are a good source of
inspiration for us and validate our
product offering. For insurance
and tech enthusiasts like us, it’s also great
to meet likeminded peers! At many of
the events we’ve attended in the past -
and in the interactions we’ve had with
insurers and MGAs – it’s been clear that
the insurance sector is increasing IT as a
percentage of total costs and switching
more to SaaS. Flexibility offered by these
applications helps minimise or eliminate
manual work arising from legacy processes
and systems.
It’s positive that we’ve moved on from
talking about ‘buzzwords’ at events. We’re
now able to see clear examples, verifying
McKinsey’s Insurance 360° benchmark
which provided strong evidence of the
positive business impact of targeted IT
investments. In many of the conversations
we’ve had, business leaders have been
wanting to invest in modern technologies
like SaaS, AI, and microservices; not just
to increase customer experience and
their business value, but also to lessen the
insurance productivity issue and reduce
underinsurance.
QLooking to the future, what might
2023 have in store for you and the
wider team at Contemi Solutions?
AWe have built a solid base with
our investments and growth in
new business applications over
the last year, utilising our long insurance
experience. We have a good team in place,
and have entered 2023 with plenty of
zeal. More clarity has been set towards
the vision and mission of our company,
and we are ready to work hard to achieve
seamless information flow for the benefit
of our customers and their customers, too.
2023 will certainly deliver many challenges,
but this also means many opportunities
will arise as well. Looking at the current
situation, I am positive that 2023 will lead
to growth for our customer base, company,
employees, and partners.
Daniel Thafvelin,
Group CEO, Contemi Solutions
MODERN INSURANCE | 49

FEATURES
Thinking
Upside-Down
Last week, a Diversity, Equality and Inclusivity champion suggested it was time to reconsider our
use of everyday idioms that come with violent undertones. Do we need to ‘pick our battles’ when we
can ‘choose our opportunities,’ or ‘kick the tyres’ when we can ‘test the build quality’? Why ‘kill two
birds with one stone’, when you can ‘feed two birds with one scone’? Why not indeed. I’m tempted
to add another to the list; ‘competition’.
As I enjoy my weekend walk to Regents Park, I pass by a toy
store my grandparents owned in the 1950s (predictably, now
a coffee shop). I’m told its closure was caused by another toy
store opening opposite. According to this particular family
legend, there was only room for one toy store in town and it
wasn’t Grandad’s. Competition dominates business thinking. To
win, someone else has to lose.
You don’t have to have been a student of the moral and
economic philosophy of Locke, Bentham and Smith to accept
that individualism, free markets and competition are cultural,
self-evident truths that we were all born into - especially in
the UK. Businesses like to think that they are different to their
competitors; but driven by the competitive need to cut prices,
they remove more and more cost and inevitably, quality. So,
rather than differentiate themselves, the reverse occurs; they
look more and more like the competition they are trying to
avoid. The result is a race to the bottom, where the buyer can no
longer tell the difference between one logo and another.
We see this when it comes to buying insurance. Customers
flock to price comparison websites in the hope of buying at
the lowest possible price, and the transparency offered by the
price comparison site means that insurers are forced to reduce
the cost and product benefits to achieve market share. The
same dynamic applies to service providers such as TPAs (Third
Party Administrators), where the insurer’s procurement teams
are incentivised to reduce cost as much as possible, which
leads to service providers having to de-skill the claims function
until it can be de-skilled no more. Economic theory says this
downward spiral results in a ‘perfect’ market, which is a strange
way to describe a situation where everyone loses; the insurer,
the service provider, their employees, even customers, whose
issues are rarely resolved at first attempt and subsequently at
optimal time/cost, because the right person for the job was ‘too
expensive’.
Look to the long-term, and competition often comes from
someone slightly ahead of you in the value chain. For insurers,
the challenge isn’t from who they think their competitor is (eg.
A N Other insurer) as much as it will be from, say, Revolut. By
owning the relationship with my current account, Revolut is a
far more natural partner to insure the products and services
I buy. For a Third Party Administrator (TPA), their long-term
competition isn’t another TPA. It’s the insurer creating a zerotouch
claims process within their own apps, and bringing the
remainder back in-house. For a Policy Admin System (PAS)
vendor, you might think there’s no one up the chain because
they support the configuration of the product itself. However,
as the customer sits above the product, long-term competition
is likely to come from a vendor like Salesforce, who will promise
that you’ll be able to configure insurance products with no-code,
but with the benefit of selling more by leveraging their customer
insight.
So why not get ahead of the curve and beat them to it? Rather
than obsess about what your competitor is doing, try adopting
a radical alternative; collaboration. When you think in terms of
collaboration rather than competition, you focus on your core
proposition and augment it with complementary partner(s)
that make your proposition both wider and easier to consume.
As if by magic, you’re now head-and-shoulders above your
competitors.
So rather than try to compete with Revolut and create its own
bank, an insurer could work with a tech provider that makes the
purchase of their insurance more streamlined within any banking
app. Rather than compete with another TPA on just people, a
TPA could find a complementary tech provider to blend the best
people with the best of automation. This is exactly what the
major TPAs are doing with Claim Technology’s platform, renewing
and winning new business as a result. A PAS provider could
benefit from strategically partnering with an analytics business
that provides deep insight into customer buying behaviour to
fend off a challenge from Salesforce.
The key is to focus on deepening your core capability (ie. get
ever smarter at pricing risk if you are an insurer, smarter at
technical claims decisioning/loss ratios if you’re a TPA, or better
at developing no-code configuration if you’re a PaaS provider),
rather than dabble in building something in-house that isn’t.
That’s why in-house tech efforts are self-defeating, when the
alternative would be to partner with someone whose core
competency is focused around the very change you seek.
I am often asked by VCs as to who my competitors are. Asking
who I collaborate with would be far more revealing on how the
business is uniquely positioned and why the business outperforms.
Isn’t it time we replaced competitive differentiation
with collaborative differentiation?
As for Grandad - if he’d thought in
terms of collaboration, he might
have invited a couple more toy
purveyors to town. It would have
been what we would now call a
destination.
Rather than ‘shoot me a message,’
you can reach me via email at
michael.lewis@claimtechnology.
co.uk.
Michael Lewis,
CEO, Claim Technology
MODERN INSURANCE | 51

“We don’t just want to be good; we want to be the best.”
Robertsons understand the need to design products and
services, which deliver across a fast-evolving landscape.
W I T H
E X P E R T I S E
I N
Our packaged services are bespoke, innovative and cost focused,
providing fully integrated claim solutions to the Insurer, broker, MGA
and wider financial services industry.
For further
details contact
Ben.Robertson@Robertsonandco.com
David.Eldridge@Robertsonandco.com
Lee.Whitehouse@Robertsonandco.com
Allan.Clark@Robertsonandco.com
Jason.Harris@Robertsonandco.com
robertsonandco.com

mins with...
Ben Robertson
Title: Managing Director
Company: Robertson and Co.
Q
What has been your most memorable
achievement whilst working in your current role?
AThe most memorable achievement for me was
carrying out the first ever surveillance operation
on a staged accident. It involved getting a call at
around midnight, racing to north London to get to the
scene on time and filming a group of organised fraudsters
towing some unrecorded salvage to an empty retail park
and ramming it with another vehicle to create consistent
damage. I can still remember the adrenaline rush to this
day.
Q
What has been the most valuable piece of advice
you’ve been given?
AAs a family business, Robertsons was built
on family values which still lie at the heart of
everything we do. Whilst driving me mad growing
up, sayings like ‘if a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing
well,’ ‘never put off to tomorrow what you can do today’
and ‘actions speak louder than words’ have shaped the
company from the start.
If I could pick one piece of advice that had the most
impact, it would be that ‘hard work is the key to success.’
Whilst enjoyable, every step of the journey of Robertsons
has involved a lot of hard work. Thankfully however, this
doesn’t end with the family. We have a fantastic team
behind us with the same work ethic, and this has been a
huge part our success so far.
Q
What has been the key positive or negative
impact of change in your area of the market?
AI think that the development of technology has had
the greatest positive impact on the way we work.
Twenty-five years ago, we’d need to physically
attend Companies House to research a company, whereas
now the information is at our fingertips. This, along with
the multitude of other open-source information, makes
desktop research a huge part of what we do.
Miniaturisation has helped immeasurably from a
surveillance perspective. We’ve moved from huge Hi-8
cameras - producing low resolution footage on VHS
video tapes - to tiny cameras that record to a miniature
SD card in full HD. Thankfully, footage is now transmitted
immediately and securely without the need to be posted.
I’ll never forget our first body-worn covert recording
device. It was a tiny pinhole lens that could be clipped
inside an item of clothing or sewn into a tie, and it cost
a fortune. Unfortunately, you had to wear a vest under
your clothing that held something about the size of a
VHS player under one arm and a car battery under the
other. Both - along with the wiring to connect the two -
produced enough heat to feel like you were in a sauna!!
Nowadays, miniature cameras fit in your pocket, produce
better quality footage and the batteries last much longer.
Lastly, the development of low code / no code software
applications has made a massive impact. This has allowed
us to create low cost, quick turnaround digital claims
validation tools which can be swiftly updated, altered
or adapted to meet new challenges without the need to
utilise software developers.
QIf you were not in your current position, what
would you like to be doing?
AThis is a tough one, as having started straight from
school I’ve only ever had one job and haven’t really
thought about it. I’d love to do something outside in
a warm climate, maybe on a boat…although the more I think
about it, this is sounding less and less like an actual job!
QWhat three items would you put on display in a
museum of your life and why?
AI love travelling, the gym and wine, so I guess some
dumbbells, my passport and a glass of red!
QWhat three guests would you invite to a dinner
party?
AOne of the great benefits of working with family
is that lots of the meetings involve a great dinner!
Continuing that tradition - and despite the fact
that we end up talking about work - I’d ignore the threeperson
rule and invite my parents, my brother and my
wife. Most importantly, we’d be drinking Amarone.
MODERN INSURANCE | 53

FEATURES
What’s So Special
About You?
Working with the claims departments of insurers, TPAs and
incident managers – as well as the multitude of vendors
seeking to sell their products and services to these people
- gives me a great perspective on the thorny subject of
‘competitive advantage’.
Just a
Thought
from Eddie Longworth
Every vendor will tell you that they are the best at what they do,
whilst the claims department will demand a range of competitive
propositions from their suppliers which are intended to convey
some sort of advantage over other insurers.
Occasionally, you do see a stunning proposition in the
supplier marketplace that is a clear winner. The recent wave of
independent insurtech developments has seen a very welcome
growth in new ideas and applications. However, rare is the
claims department with a firm grip on how they want to position
themselves – other than, of course, the all-pervading demand
to reduce indemnity and operational
expenses.
But, despite some of the great
innovations that have been
happening on the tech
front, vendors still find
it especially hard
to differentiate
themselves
from their
immediate
competitors. Claims departments are also not that great at
finding the golden nuggets that they’re looking for. In the
former case, it is often a failure to invest time, money and
research into designing and implementing the compelling
proposition needed, whilst insurers and their claims
departments are too often bound by corporate culture,
process and internal politics to have the freedom necessary to
experiment and challenge the norms.
It’s All About the Story
For vendors, having a great product or service (if you have
one) is rarely enough to stand out from the crowd. It seems
to me that part of the secret involves the ability to tell a
convincing story; not just the operational stuff in terms of who
you are and what you do, but also the skills to draw the buyer
in on what you are trying to achieve. Strong examples of this in
the motor market might be the progress made by companies
such as Tractable and RightIndem, who have taken us on a
journey around how the claims market could change for the
better. They have been ultra-consistent in their messaging and
positioning about this over many years.
For insurers and their claims departments, the task is made a
little more difficult in that their customers have little option but
to work with them. There are very limited options for reporting
your claim to anyone other than your insurer (or their agent),
and so there is a captive market mentality. The key driver is
cost management with a nod towards customer service and, in
truth, there is very little else to differentiate the positioning of
a typical insurer.
Even when there’s real competition to manage a claim (a
potential credit hire/personal injury situation, for example),
insurers are very focused on the speed with which they
can find the customer, rather than the offer being made. In
other words, everyone looks pretty much the same from the
consumer perspective, and it is simply a matter of who gets
there first!
Of course, there are exceptions. In the US, Lemonade has
made a great effort at storytelling, and they’ve seen huge
success in that respect. In the UK, we can see High Net Worth
companies positioning themselves as the service-driven claims
operation that costs money – but is worth it in the end!
So, my message is simple. There’s a compelling need to be able
to tell an interesting, engaging
and meaningful story about who
you are and where you are going.
Without this, you are just another
vendor or claims department.
Eddie Longworth
is a Director at JEL Consulting.
MODERN INSURANCE | 55

FEATURES
Staying
ahead
with
ESG
For now, organisations
that are able to promote
strong Environmental,
Social and Governance
(ESG) policies are
enjoying a competitive
advantage. However,
as more and more
businesses catch up and
sustainability becomes
the norm, it will soon be
the case that those who
aren’t embracing ESG
initiatives are left behind.
According to a report by global
consultancy firm McKinsey & Company,
investment in ESG has risen by 68% since
2014 - and now exceeds £24tn globally.
Apart from being ‘the right thing to do’,
there are also strong business arguments
for this investment.
Operating in a more sustainable way,
and offering products that are kinder to
the environment, will attract customers
and business partners alike, while less
waste and lower energy consumption will
reduce overhead costs.
Furthermore, as regulations tighten
around the world, companies with
stronger ESG credentials will enjoy
more strategic freedom for growth
and expansion, and may well qualify
for government subsidies. Meanwhile,
greater social credibility will also help
companies to recruit and retain the best
talent out there.
Culture
However, benefitting from this range of
ESG wins is not as straightforward as
it sounds. Simply introducing a raft of
new policies will not create the culture
required for lasting change. Instead,
companies need a clear forward vision
which must be clearly communicated
throughout the workforce.
But Chris Brightmore, Director of
Chartwell – The Super Brand Body Shop,
believes this is where many go wrong.
He fears that particularly in industries
such as motor claims, where margins
are tight and volumes matter, too many
businesses get so distracted by meeting
someone else’s targets that they forget
what matters to them – their own ‘why’.
Chris said, “Only by understanding
the ‘why’ can businesses begin to
understand the ‘what’ and the ‘how’. We
understand our ‘why’ at Chartwell, but
too many seem to be driven by someone
else’s direction, never stopping to ask
themselves, ‘why am I in this market,
why does it suit us, and why should I
proceed?’ We have become great at
questioning these things, and that’s
probably why we’ve survived in the
market that we’re in.”
Social
There’s also a danger that when it comes
to ESG, business leaders don’t get past
the first letter. Of course, environmental
focus is critical, but it should not be the
only focus.
Speaking at ARC360’s Gaining Ground
Together event, which was held at The
Manufacturing Technology Centre in
Coventry, Dee Hylton, Head of Claims
Procurement, Aviva, said, “ESG covers
lots of things. We talk about the ‘E’, but
in terms of the ‘S,’ it’s important to get
more women into the sector – not just
from a gender perspective but from a
diversity of thought perspective, too.”
Dee continues, “As an industry, we also
need to be a lot more diverse in terms of
race and age. We need to focus more on
inclusion. I think now the insurance sector
has realised it’s not done enough, and
what it has done, it has done too slowly.
When we talk about ESG, we need to talk
about all of it - not just Environment.”
Her comments come after research
from the IMI Diversity Task Force found
that 81% of the industry identifies as
white British - compared to 56% in other
industries - while male employees make
up more than eight in 10 of the wider
automotive workforce.
Collaboration
But addressing sustainability in skills, like
much else, can only be achieved with a
shared approach.
Those who build stronger partnerships
and seek broader efficiency savings
throughout the claims ecosystem are far
more likely to see measurable gains and
make a real difference, than those who
go it alone.
Andrew Hooker, Head of Technical, Solus
Accident Repair Services, called for much
greater collaboration throughout the
supply chain.
He said, “The supply chain should be
viewed as circular, not linear. Yes, we’re all
business and financial competitors, but
this is a shared problem and it’s not going
to go away or get any easier. We have
one planet. There are no easy answers,
but that’s why we have to tackle this in
partnership. We can’t continue to work
in silos.”
56 | MODERN INSURANCE

ICX23 AWARDS
On February 15th, Modern Insurance welcomed
honoured guests and hopeful winners to London’s Proud
Embankment, in celebration of outstanding customer experience
from all corners of the insurance industry.
Amelia Barlow, Editor-in-Chief at Modern Insurance Magazine,
reports on the details of the night and congratulates the
esteemed winners of the Insurance CX Awards 2023.
MODERN INSURANCE | 57

ICX23 AWARDS
Delivering an outstanding customer experience is
paramount for the success of any business, possibly even
more so now in our evolved, modern world. Just as Donna
Scully, Director at Carpenters Group and Insurance CX
Awards Chair Judge, states in her opening speech - since
the start of the pandemic in 2020, unhappy customers
seem more inclined to complain via social media; even
escalating their grievance by contacting the CEO of an
organisation straight away instead of otherwise following
the protocol of a standard and established complaints
procedure.
Thankfully, she says, the insurance industry has become
aware of this change, shifting focus accordingly to meet
and support the ever-changing needs of the consumer at
every stage of their customer journey.
“The Modern Insurance CX Awards did it
again! A great, intimate, quirky venue with
Andy Parsons as such a funny and engaging
choice of host. As a judge, I can vouch for this
being amongst the most detailed, partisan
process too! This is exactly how insurance
awards should be done!”
Chris Weeks, Executive Director, National
Body Repair Association (NBRA)
It is this adaptability that we’ve come together to
celebrate at this year’s Insurance CX Awards. Previously
the UK Customer Service Excellence Awards, we’ve
rebranded and returned to London, this time hosting
guests, judges and hopeful winners for an evening of
revelry at Proud Embankment - just a stone’s throw away
from the edge of the River Thames.
We’re here to regroup, rejoice, and raise a toast to the
customer, acknowledging the very best that the business
has to offer in unparalleled customer experience.
The evening begins with a meet and greet from burlesque
dancer duo J’adore La Vie, followed by a champagne
reception kindly sponsored by Gemini Accident Repair
Centres - where guests were warmly welcomed to Proud
Embankment with an aerial act from The Seifert Sisters
before taking to their seats for welcome speeches.
58 | MODERN INSURANCE

ICX23 AWARDS
Modern Insurance Magazine’s very own Rachael Pearson is
first to take the stage, welcoming guests to the Insurance
CX Awards whilst thanking all sponsors, judges and
nominees for their time, enthusiasm and support in the run
up to the event. There’s a slight nod to the rescheduled date
due to rail strikes in the UK earlier in February, before Donna
Scully - Chair Judge and Director of Carpenter’s Group, our
headline sponsor for the evening – gracefully follows suit to
acknowledge not just the calibre of the talent in the room,
but the outstanding effort made by all to adapt after a few
years of especially difficult socio-economic circumstances.
Without further ado, a three-course meal is served along
with wine aplenty. From the very beginning, the atmosphere
in the room is a buzzing blend of relaxed and revelrous, with
drinks and conversation flowing in abundance ahead of the
Insurance CX Awards ceremony itself…
From Napo Pet Insurance winning the Best Insurer award,
to Romero Group winning the CX Partnership award,
the room was electric with recognition, festivity and
acknowledgment of hard-earned success in the face of
unprecedented customer challenges within the wider
industry.
Once the awards had been presented, the room bids a fond
farewell to our host and the celebrations truly begin. Shade
Flamewater, founder of the Flamewater Circus, takes to the
stage to display his unique blend of fire, circus and magic
performance, followed by Matt Smith’s awe-inspiring hand
balancing act.
Food eaten, and the room warmly welcomes our host
for the evening; multi award-winning comedian Andy
Parsons, perhaps most recognisable for a decade of regular
appearances on the BBC’s hit satirical celebrity panel show,
Mock the Week. Andy’s sharp mind engaged the crowd in a
fantastic stand-up set to warm us up spectacularly for the
main event.
In a round of applause and fanfare, sponsors took to the
stage for the opportunity to present each award to the
lucky winners, with plenty of photographs taken on and off
stage alongside a fierce celebration of a job well done.
The entertainment continues long into the night, with more
burlesque dancing from J’adore La Vie and a final fire finale
– introducing our DJ in style and opening up the dancefloor
for the bold and bravest among us. The dancing continues
well into the early hours and as the crowd thins out, it’s
soon time to head home and take the opportunity for
reflection, and a well-earned rest!
Do join us in congratulating all of the 2023 winners,
highly commended, and everyone who made this year’s
shortlist! The hype is still going strong online – follow the
conversation using the #InsuranceCXAwards hashtag!
MODERN INSURANCE | 59

ICX23 AWARDS
INSURANCE CX AWARDS 2023 AWARDS RESULTS
BEST BROKER
WINNER: Jukes Insurance Brokers
HIGHLY COMMENDED: The Insurance Surgery
BEST INSURER
WINNER: Napo Pet Insurance
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Covéa Insurance
BEST INSURTECH
WINNER: InsureTec.com Ltd
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Flock Limited
CONTACT CENTRE AWARD
WINNER: Kindertons
HIGHLY COMMENDED:
Kingsbridge Contractor Insurance
REPAIRER AWARD
WINNER: The Vella Group
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Shine
SERVICE PROVIDER
WINNER: Sedgwick
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Urban Jungle
GIVING IT BACK TO CHARITY
WINNER: S&G Response
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Minster Law
SOCIAL CX
WINNER: Protex Financial
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Peaccce and Car QR
RETENTION & LOYALTY
WINNER: Protex Financial
HIGHLY COMMENDED:
Jukes Insurance Brokers
ABOVE & BEYOND
WINNER: Napo Pet Insurance
HIGHLY COMMENDED: The Insurance Surgery
60 | MODERN INSURANCE

ICX23 AWARDS
INSURANCE CX AWARDS 2023 AWARDS RESULTS
BEST CUSTOMER-CENTRIC
CULTURE
WINNER: LexisNexis Risk Solutions
HIGHLY COMMENDED: JOINT AWARD
Esure Group and FloodFlash Limited
BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE
PRODUCT
WINNER: Ascend Broking Group Ltd
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Motor Repair Network
OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER
JOURNEY
WINNER: National Windscreens
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Coverdrone
FIGHT AGAINST FRAUD
WINNER: Sedgwick
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Clearspeed
LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT
WINNER: Auger Site Investigations
HIGHLY COMMENDED: SJL Insurance Services
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
IN A CRISIS
WINNER: GT Motive
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Sedgwick
BEST VULNERABLE CUSTOMER
INITIATIVE
WINNER: Covéa Insurance
HIGHLY COMMENDED: JOINT AWARD
AICL (Saga Group) / CoreLogic and Petsure
CX PARTNERSHIP
WINNER: Romero Group
HIGHLY COMMENDED: JOINT AWARD
AICL (Saga Group) / CoreLogic
and GT Motive / S&G Response
MODERN INSURANCE | 61

ICX23 AWARDS
YOUR HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT…
“The atmosphere at the CX Awards this year
was electric from the get go. The amazing
venue was absolutely buzzing, from the start
to the very last dance, and the entertainment
was nothing short of incredible.
As I said in my opening speech, the art of
looking after our customers has changed
with the pandemic, and as the cost-of-living
crisis has intensified. However, this event
showcased how the industry has stepped up,
adapted, managed and innovated through
these changes, listening to what customers
want and delivering on their promises. Award
winners and Highly Commended winners
were all incredibly proud to win, and rightly
so. I thought it was a great atmosphere of
unity, celebration and getting back together
after a difficult few years. Well done Kate &
the team, you hit it out of the park!”
Donna Scully, Director at Carpenter’s
Group and Insurance CX Awards Chair
Judge
“Aside from winning two awards - Best
Service Provider and Fight Against Fraud, as
well as highly commended for our Customer
Experience in a Crisis nomination - the team
really enjoyed meeting like-minded insurance
professionals with the same goal in common
– surpassing customer expectations. And the
venue was fabulous!”
Christian Aplin, Director, Key Accounts,
Sedgwick International UK
“A grand evening at such an amazing venue.
We were in awe at the range of performers
and acts! A massive well done to the team
at Modern Insurance Magazine – we look
forward to seeing everyone at the Modern
Claims Awards in April, where BASF are the
headline sponsor!”
Jason Lea, Strategic Account Manager,
BASF
“It was great to be part of the Insurance CX
Awards. For me, the highlight of the night
for me was seeing so many faces from the
industry and catching up with our customers.
It was fantastic to celebrate with everyone,
and a real honour to present the ‘Retention &
Loyalty’ and ‘Customer Experience in a Crisis’
awards to Protex Financial and GT Motive. A
huge congratulations to their teams, and to
those who were Highly Commended.”
Sean Draycott, Operations Director, Auto
Windscreens
“Making life easier for everyone in property
claims through the use of technology is a
key part of what we do at CoreLogic. We
are delighted to take home two Highly
Commended recognitions for ‘CX Partnership’
and ‘Best Vulnerable Customer Initiative,’
in collaboration with AICL (Saga Group) for
innovations in property claims.”
Mark Barrett, Vice President UK Go To
Market, Insurance Solutions, CoreLogic
62 | MODERN INSURANCE

ICX23 AWARDS
“Thank you very much for hosting such a
fantastic event! I think the highlight of
my night was all about sitting down and
meeting people, meeting other judges, and
seeing how the industry is working together
and embracing customer experience trends
in their businesses moving forward.
Daryn Robinson, Technical Director –
CX Transformations, AllThingsCX
“It was an absolute pleasure to be part of
recognising all the great talent we have
within our industry, and so fantastic to see all
the great winners and highly commended get
the recognition they deserve. Well done to
everyone involved, what a fantastic event to
be part of!”
Sarah Glenn, Commercial Director,
RGI Solutions
“We really enjoyed the CX Awards night
hosted by Andy Parsons! We had been
looking forward to this prestigious awards
evening, and it certainly did not disappoint!
We were delighted to sponsor the
champagne reception, and the venue was
simply excellent.
The highlight of the evening for us was
seeing our logo and branding throughout
the venue! We are already looking forward
to 2024. All of us at Gemini Accident Repair
Group would like to extend huge thanks to
all at Modern Insurance Magazine for having
organised such a wonderful event”.
Dave Sargeant, Managing Director,
Gemini Accident Repair Solutions
“What a fantastic celebration of all things
customer service - I did not envy the role of
the judges in selecting the overall winners as
each and every nomination makes a valuable
contribution, demonstrating excellence in
their area and totally deserving of recognition.
What an absolutely sensational night to
come together and celebrate expeditors of
the ultimate customer experience, alongside
colleagues, clients, partners and friends.”
Charlie Emsley, Project Manager,
Digilog UK Ltd
HEADLINE SPONSOR
CHAMPAGNE SPONSOR
MODERN INSURANCE | 63

INSURTECH
INSUR.
TECH.
TALK
MODERN INSURANCE | 65

INSURTECH
WELCOME
to Insur.Tech.Talk Issue #8!
Despite being only days away from hosting Europe’s largest Insurtech
conference, I sat down to interview a selection of the most impressive
insurance sector leaders from across the globe.
In this issue, I query some of the latest cross-continental innovations,
consider how the current economic climate is affecting strategies, and
ask what actions the industry should be taking to remain resilient for
the years ahead.
To summarise a few of the key takeaways:
1. VCs are adjusting back to the fundamentals, looking for
companies with a clear path to profitability and a unique
competitive advantage. Insurtechs should be willing and able to
demonstrate traction, with a clear path to profitability and unique
competitive advantage.
2. Disruption could come from outside of insurance, as tech enabled
companies can have a better ability to underwrite than insurance
companies.
3. Consolidation will happen as M&A activity picks up - although it
takes longer to sell a company than most people think!
4. Partnership and integration will rule 2023 with a focus on
marketplaces, ecosystems and APIs.
5. Trailblazing insurers are embracing data - ML and AI, combined
with cloud and digital - to rethink their business models,
operations, value chain reinvention and enterprise capability
transformation.
If you’d like to meet or hear more from some of the insurtech leaders
interviewed in this issue, there’s still time to get your hands on a
ticket for Insurtech Insights Europe in London on March 1st and March
2nd! Artur, Tiffine, Angus, Glynn and myself will take to the stage
alongside 400 speakers, with 5,000 senior executives from all over
the industry also in attendance. I guarantee that this event will boost
your inspiration, insights and network, with plenty of fun to be had in
the process!
Until next time,
Bradley Collins,
Chief Commercial Officer,
Insurtech Insights Advisor,
Insurtech Week
66 | MODERN INSURANCE

INSURTECH
Chartered
Insurance Institute
Q
Hi Artur, great speaking with you as
always. Given your background in
the enterprise, investor and startup
side of things, I’m interested to hear your
thoughts on how the economic situation
is going to affect future innovations in
insurance…
A
At the height of the valuation bubble
in 2021, every startup received
funding - no matter how unrealistic
- often after only 2 weeks of DD. Now, the
outgoing tide of 2022/23 has shown ‘who’s
been swimming naked.’ Insurtechs with a
strong customer proposition, which are
differentiated and add tangible value in the
insurance value chain will do well. Those
that do not will fail. For example; omni:us, a
claims AI specialist, has successfully closed
funding in November 2022 from a German
insurer.
All large insurers, brokers or reinsurers
continue their innovation and/or venture
investment programmes. For instance;
Aviva, Generali, Ardonagh, Howden, and
Zurich all have innovation ambitions
and dedicated teams behind those
ambitions. Just like the startups, these
teams focus their efforts on technologies
and breakthrough ideas to improve their
company’s customer proposition and/or
add value within the value chain. However,
these innovations have to deliver tangible
ROIs within a reasonable timeframe.
How can both startups and
incumbents make themselves
Q resilient for what’s to come?
A
There are 3 key success factors in
the current economic environment:
(1) Profit, (2) Profit, and (3) Profit.
Doesn’t matter whether you are a large
established insurer or a startup, you are
being judged on that oldest and most
surprising business metric: The Profit.
I also serve on the board of a UK home
mutual insurer. The UK home insurance
sector was badly hit in 2022; first by a
subsidence spike due to the dry summer,
and then by burst pipes due to the winter
freeze. Add this to claims inflation running
at 25%+ pa - driven by building materials
- and the premiums they had collected
are not enough. If you thought you had it
hard as a startup, the life of an established
insurer is not much easier either!
So if you’re an insurer, it’s about your LR
and COR. If you’re a broker or MGA, it’s
about your cost to income ratio. If you’re a
techie, it’s about your licence fees versus
development costs. A profitable business
negotiates with investors and shareholders
from a position of strength. An unprofitable
business negotiates from a position of
weakness.
Our mutual friend, Adrian Jones, just dug
out ‘The Journey,’ a timeless McKinsey
classic from 1993. In Adrian’s words, ‘this
is the single best document ever written
about how to run an insurance company’ –
if you haven’t already done so, read it!
Q
Finally, do you have any advice to
offer to incumbents and startups on
how to best work together?
This is exactly what we do at
Anthemis, where I serve as an
A Advisor. Our LPs are established
insurers and our role is to build bridges
between startups and corporates, helping
them to speak each other’s language.
For the startups, just having ‘cool tech’ isn’t
enough. Learn to understand the motivation
and buying behaviours of your corporate
clients. For example, Eigen Technologies -
arguably the coolest NLP startup, where I
serve on the Advisory Board - understood
this early on. They handle some super
sensitive customer data for Aviva and Swiss
Re. The Eigen team had gone out of their
way to demonstrate compliance with all
the current data privacy and information
security standards, including 5 ISO
certifications.
For the established companies, don’t ignore
startups which might struggle to ‘speak the
corporate language’. One day they might
transform your business and accelerate
your success.
I’m very much looking forward to our
session together at InsurTech Insights
Conference, ‘Ethics in Insurance: From
Humans to AI’, this time wearing my
Chartered Insurance Institute hat!
Artur Niemczewski,
NED, Chartered Insurance Institute
MODERN INSURANCE | 67

INSURTECH
MS&AD Ventures
As an investor, has your investment strategy changed given the
economic climate, and if so, how?
Q
Our strategy has always been to focus on startups with strong
foundations, who can build long lasting resilient companies. This year, VCs
are just readjusting back to the fundamentals.
A
Part of our job is always to look for opportunities that arise regardless of market
conditions. Companies that are well positioned to take advantage of it will
thrive. Many startups will die, but companies with strong business models and
clear paths to profitability will get funded.
We continue to invest in early-stage startups, looking for later stage companies
that we can partner with to go to market in Japan, South East Asia, Europe and
beyond. Sectors include fintech, insurtech, mobility, digital health, enterprise,
security and beyond!
QWhat are the most interesting areas of innovation that you’re seeing
right now, and what does the next generation of insurtechs look like from
your perspective?
AI/ML is finally mainstream. There’s a fear that technology will replace
humans, but those who embrace and adopt it will adjust better to the
Afuture. These solutions will enable insurance companies to become more
efficient and customer-centric. Technologies will get easier to understand
and implement, which can be used to augment underwriting, claims, fraud
prevention, customer service and beyond.
Real time access to data will allow insurance to become embedded into our
everyday lives, because it understands customer behaviour and preferences.
This means there’s a new baseline and expectation from customers. Whoever
can use the information to make better decisions will stay ahead of the game.
QWill disruption come from within insurance, or outside of insurance?
A
Companies in industries such as finance, ecommerce and tech are
already using large amounts of data for insights and decision making.
Most of them don’t want to become an insurance company, but as these
companies continue to collect and analyse data, they may have a better ability
to underwrite than the insurance companies themselves.
With many of our portfolio companies, we’re already seeing that it has become
much easier to partner and integrate with tech enabled companies then
incumbents. Over time, this can greatly impact the direction of our industry.
QFinally – is there any advice you can offer insurtechs seeking investment
during these changing times?
A
Investors are always looking for companies that have a clear path to
profitability, with unique competitive advantage. If your company doesn’t
have strong growth, focus on serving your paying customers well, as this
will fund your runway.
It’s much easier to build insurtech products these days, so now investors have
much higher expectations for MGAs. It’s important that your loss ratios and CAC
are under control. Startups need to demonstrate traction and show that there’s
a viable product with long term defensibility in order to get funded.
Some consolidation will happen, as we’re already seeing M&A activity pick up.
Always remember that it takes much longer to sell a company than most people
think. During these challenging times, the strong ones will emerge and grow up
to be long lasting reliance corporations of the future.
Tiffine Wang,
Partner, Investments, MS&AD Ventures
68 | MODERN INSURANCE

INSURTECH
InsurTech
Asia
Association
QHi George, great to catch up. What are the most interesting innovation
areas you’re coming across in Asia?
AThere are two exciting areas of innovation in the region. First, the
convergence between online and offline into a hybrid insurance
distribution. The second exciting area involves the rapid emergence of
digital bancassurance, with most digital banks and e-wallets actively looking at
insurance as a powerful add-on. While embedded insurance continues to grow
rapidly, cross-sell from embedded into more complex insurance products does
not work so well.
QHow is the economic situation affecting insurance innovation in the
region and how can insurers / insurtechs best prepare for the years
ahead?
AThe economic situation in Asia leads to increasing consolidation and M&A
activity between insurers and insurtechs. The best way to prepare for the
future is to focus on profitable growth, and reinvest in a product efficient
innovation engine. The era of cheap money and burning investor funds in a race
to hit questionable growth methods is over. And thankfully, it allows the industry
to double down on the growth models that have proven scalable.
QChina is a particularly interesting example of the benefits of a connected
ecosystem. What do you think the rest of the world can learn from this
advancement?
A
Yes, indeed! Insurtech innovation in China remains a couple of years
ahead, although Southeast Asia and India are quickly catching up. The
connected ecosystem in China means that the data and connectivity
level provides exciting learnings for insurance innovation. For example, the top
insurtech in China is thought to reach a peak volume of 13B API pings per day
from all the digital ecosystems in China; that’s more than the average of 150
thousand requests per second, all day long.
The evolution of the ecosystems moved from purely embedded, which was all
the hype in China back in 2018, to focus on dynamic bidding for presenting
insurance offers. Imagine a consumer taking a Didi ride-sharing car, buying
groceries on Meituan, or shopping for a new microwave on Alibaba. Each of
these ecosystems would ping a few insurance companies in real-time to see
who wants to bid for a space to insert an insurance offer alongside their core
proposition. The highest offer wins, and while only meta-data is included with
the offer to bid, insurtech companies have derived creative ways to triangulate
the highest propensity targets using a combination of AI and data science.
Another impactful learning from China comes from ByteDance, TikTok’s parent
company. The amount of insurance sold on TikTok’s China equivalent makes
it a number five insurance company by value. With many insurance purchase
journeys originating and completing in that ecosystem, simple health insurance
and influencer marketing seem to become a robust customer acquisition
combination.
George Kesselman,
President, Founder, InsurTech Asia Association
MODERN INSURANCE | 69

INSURTECH
Cover
Genius
QEmbedded distribution has obviously
been a hot topic for a while now. Are you
expecting any new developments in this space
throughout the year ahead?
AThe future of insurance undoubtedly involves
embedded offerings that create seamless,
intuitive experiences online. Our research
shows that 70% of global customers are highly
interested in receiving embedded protection directly
from their bank or financial institution; a trend that
carries through other sectors, like retail, travel and
property. Simply put, customers don’t want a “second
step” when seeking out protection options. They
prefer relevant, tailored offers directly alongside the
purchase of their core product. As more business
ecosystems move online, there’s greater opportunity
for embedded distribution to enhance the customer
experience. We see this with our current partners as
they respond to the growing needs of their customers.
Understanding those needs, and responding with
tech-forward solutions will be critical in the year
ahead.
QWhat industry segments are you finding the
most interesting to work with at the moment,
and why?
AWhat’s most interesting is that embedded
insurance is ubiquitous, rather than confined
to one industry or sector. Cover Genius offers
global, end-to-end capabilities to a wide range of
industries, including property insurance for renters,
landlords, homeowners and corporates, fintech and
bank insurance programs, solutions for retailers,
gig contractors, logistics platforms, cyber security
companies and online travel agencies, rental car
aggregators, and airlines.
Travel is perhaps the most well-known use case for
embedded insurance, and we recently announced
some important partnerships with HomeToGo and
Turkish Airlines in the region. It is an area that is
seeing a post-COVID resurgence, and one where
many consumers felt traditional insurance providers
had failed them. In our Embedded Travel Insurance
Report, we found that 45% of travellers would prefer
to buy protection from embedded sources (ie. their
travel provider, agent or airline) rather than traditional
insurance sources, such as credit cards. There’s still
room for innovation to address these gaps in the
industry, and we’ve made headway in those areas with
our recent partnerships.
We’re also excited about the inroads we’re making
with our business services partners, which include a
large number of industry segments. The gig economy
and remote work is changing how businesses and their
teams are protected in this increasingly digital world.
We’re able to embed protection to keep businesses
safe, from Business Owners Policy (BOPs) to cyber
and commercial liability, property and more - helping
to eliminate time-consuming paperwork and ensuring
compliance in many cases.
Financial institutions and banks are another unique use
case. Today’s consumers want customised protection
at the same time as their major life events, and
financial institutions are uniquely positioned to deliver
value-added services with embedded protection.
According to our Embedded Insurance Fintech report,
demand in the sector is high, with 70% of consumers
worldwide showing a high interest in bank-embedded
insurance offers based on transactional data.
QFinally - what are the most exciting
developments that you have in store at Cover
Genius over the next 12 months?
AConsumers increasingly want convenient,
tailored protection offered within their online
experience, and we don’t see that momentum
slowing down any time soon. As a company, we’ve
experienced a year of immense growth including
completing our Series D funding round, reaching
$1.1m in daily Gross Written Premium (GWP), nearly
tripling our year-over-year revenue, and doubling our
partnership base.
Our teams are continuing to work on exciting
partnerships in travel, property, ticketing, logistics
and fintech, and we’ll be announcing more about this
over the next few months in the UK and abroad. We’re
also focused on expanding our insurance distribution
platform to dive deeper into new industries,
continuously innovating to make protection more
convenient and accessible to the customers of the
world’s largest digital companies.
Angus McDonald,
Co-Founder & CEO, Cover Genius
70 | MODERN INSURANCE

INSURTECH
EIS Ltd &
Industry
Influencer
QHi Ema, lovely to catch up. I know you’re a big
advocate of human-driven transformation. What
advice can you offer insurers that are struggling
to engage team leaders in their digital transformation
journeys?
AAlways start with the ‘why’. It might sound simple,
but I believe this is the biggest factor in getting
your team to support a change. The average
4-year-old asks 200-300 questions a day. As humans, we
are wired to be curious.
We need that ‘why’ to determine our own individual
motivators for supporting a change. This is increasingly
important when it comes to digital transformation,
because there are mixed feelings about automation and
implementation of emerging technologies. Fear, resistance,
disbelief, confusion and frustration will start to show up
if you don’t take the time to focus on the people side of
change.
QWhat are the other key factors in implementing a
successful digital transformation project?
AMy top tips for successful digital transformation are
as follows:
n Let software companies manage the application
development. Not because you can’t do it, but rather
your team should be focused on other (arguably
more important) things, like change management and
process redesign. Find a platform that enables rapid
configuration.
n Find partners, not just vendors. No transformation is
without its bumps in the road. You want to surround
yourself with partners that have experience to guide
you, and the conviction to stay with you and support
you through the sticky parts. When you enter into the
right partnerships, you get the opportunity to form
symbiotic relationships with your software providers
that create win-win opportunities.
n Sometimes you must go slow to go fast. Take the time
that is needed to slow down and evaluate if you have
the basics in place. It can be very easy to jump right to
the shiny tools that you feel will provide a quick ROI,
but often this approach will lead to disjointed results.
n Be sure to have a clear, articulated vision for your
company that focuses on enabling your competitive
differentiation with technology. Share that vision
across the entire company to ensure that everyone is
headed in the same direction. Be sure that your vision
includes critical components like process redesign and
change management. Check that you’re allocating
the appropriate resources, timeline and budget to
accomplish the vision, rather than rushing it.
QFinally - which hot trends are you envisioning for
the year ahead?
A
Partnership and integration are going to rule 2023.
If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s
that the way to innovation in the highly complex
world of insurance is to foster partnerships between
carriers and technology providers. Innovation will not
happen without new ideas intertwining with incumbent
knowledge.
As we head into a tighter economic environment, we
are likely to see some tightening of innovation budgets.
But smart carriers will continue to invest in the right
partnerships that will help them to realise the benefit
of embracing new ways of working and emerging
technologies.
As carriers get further along on their digital
transformation journey, a new set of challenges is
emerging. Integrations are becoming even more critical
in order to realise the full benefit of the solutions that are
being implemented. The flow of information across the
organisation is what will ultimately enable carriers to take
full advantage of things like AI, and the connected home
or car. Ultimately, this will drive the type of employee
and customer experience that we are all striving for.
Marketplaces, Ecosystems, APIs - we will continue to see a
lot of discussion surrounding these ideas and how we can
bring our solutions together.
Ema Roloff,
P&C Director, EIS Ltd & Industry Influencer
MODERN INSURANCE | 71

INSURTECH
PwCadditional Hi Glynn! Given your holistic view the industry,
layer of complexity affecting every one of our
I’d love to know your views on the most interesting
movers and shakers in insurance at the moment,
Q
A
and why?
The insurers we see leading the way and the ‘ones to
watch’ for the future are those which boldly embrace
data, ML and AI, combined with cloud and digital, to
re-think their business models, operations and capabilities.
These organisations stand out from those acting
incrementally and with caution, because they recognise the
significant level of disruption and market change that could
affect the industry over the next decade, as AI becomes
mainstream, Future @ Lloyds reaches maturity, and industry
changes like open and embedded finance become ever
more pervasive.
We’re seeing three common behaviours of those embracing
reinvention early:
clients. However, this hasn’t changed the fundamental
challenges that our insurance clients are working to address
in order to win in the market in the medium-to-long term:
Challenge: Balancing the harnessing of data and digital
innovation opportunities with underlying platform and
capability transformation. Most of our clients know they
need to change and differentiate, but they are constrained
by the pace of change allowed by their underlying
technology and organisational complexity.
Approach: There are different ways to solve this challenge,
from taking a value-driven approach to balanced
technology change and innovation, modernising the
underlying platform incrementally alongside creating new
value, to creating a new greenfield operation from the
ground up and gradually cannibalising the legacy business.
n New business models - the boldest approach, finding
whole new ways to address the market and create value
to disrupt current models; for example, algorithmic
underwriting.
This also includes insurers standing up greenfield new
ventures to overcome the ‘innovator’s dilemma’ of how
to achieve transformational change within the existing
organisation. Think Ki, Howdens Re-think, Aviva and
Beazley.
n Value chain reinvention - those using data and AI to
reinvent core insurance processes, for example e2e
underwriting transformation, innovative approaches to
claims automation and carrier / broker integration. Think
Liberty, QBE, Brit and Howdens.
n Enterprise capability transformation - those committing
to scale transformations of their underlying data, digital
and core insurance capabilities to enable future change.
Think Beazley, NFUM and Admiral.
This bold approach is critical; not just to deliver immediate
value and competitive advantage now, but to build the
‘organisational muscle’ capable of delivering responsive,
fast, effective technology-enabled change. This will be a key
discriminator of success in the future.
Q
What are the common challenges that your clients
are facing right now, and what are your thoughts as
to how they can overcome them?
The pace of change in the market, the backdrop
of global economic volatility and uncertainty, and
A the war for digital-savvy talent are all creating an
Challenge: Enabling the insurance workforce, including the
new talent and skills that will be required, to successfully
adapt and adopt new technologies and ways of working
needed to deliver new outcomes. This is a key challenge
particularly for highly disruptive ‘reinvention’ initiatives that
fundamentally re-wire the way in which our clients operate.
Approach: To address this challenge, we must design
with the user in mind and focus on providing the skills,
literacy and behaviour change support needed to help
organisations operate successfully in a new context.
Challenge: Dealing effectively with the increasingly
complex set of demands placed on insurance businesses.
From a more stringent regulatory landscape covering
consumer duty, dual pricing, ESG and IFRS 17, to changing
customer expectations in a post-COVID, ‘cost of living
crisis’ social context. At the same time, seeking to deliver
operational performance and evolving for the future is a big
challenge for any organisation.
Approach: The foundation of responding to this challenge
involves having a clear vision, purpose and strategy for
your new role as an organisation in the evolving landscape,
to give clarity and enable effective decision making.
Combining this with a planning and delivery approach
built on agility - building and realising value incrementally
and at pace, ready to change course as the environment
and opportunities evolve, will be a key feature of those
insurers who emerge most successfully from this period of
unprecedented transformation in the industry.
Glynn Austen-Brown,
Partner, PwC
72 | MODERN INSURANCE

INSURTECH
EDITORIAL
BOARD
WELCOME to the Insur.Tech.Talk
Editorial Board.
In our first issue of
2023, Modern Insurance
Magazine once again
brings the thoughts,
insights and musings of
our insurtech experts
together all in one place.
This issue voices the thoughts of:
Denise
Garth,
Chief Strategy
Officer,
Majesco
Tim Hardcastle,
CEO and Co-
Founder at
INSTANDA
This time, we’re looking
at the attraction of
embedded insurance,
considering the best
response to insurtech
challenges, and
questioning how insurers
can leverage digitalisation
to gain competitive
advantage…
André
Symes,
Co-CEO,
Genasys
MODERN INSURANCE | 73

INSURTECH
Embedded
Insurance:
A New, Competitive Paradigm
Today’s insurance process can be difficult and time-consuming.
Many InsurTechs and existing insurers are refocusing to a
‘buying’ over ‘selling’ approach, through a multi-channel
strategy that meets customers where and when they want to
buy. Designing products that are compellingly simple and easy
to embed will enable insurance to grow through friction-free
multi-channel distribution.
Denise Garth,
Chief Strategy Officer, Majesco
With increasing competitive challenges to attract and retain
customers, insurers need this broad distribution ecosystem
that engages customers when and how they want, putting
the customer first.
Creating an ecosystem of interconnected channels, using a
range of digital capabilities and connecting with customers
on their terms, requires collaboration; particularly for
embedded insurance, of which there are three different
types:
n Soft Embedded
Coverage offered at the point of purchase that the
customer must opt-in to buy.
n Hard Embedded
Coverage included at the point of purchase that the
customer must opt-out of if they do not want to buy.
n Invisible Embedded
Coverage is automatically included with the purchase
and cannot be removed/opted out.
Embedded coverage uses proven retail psychology. Precisely
timed offers and valuable opt-ins at the point of purchase are
essential tactics. They expand strategic shelf space for wellknown
brands and new startups alike. But why?
Buyer expectation and understanding does not necessarily
align with traditional channels. Many are looking for different
options. Some are unaware that they are at risk and need a
signpost in the purchase path. They all deserve opportunities
to reduce their risk. Trusted and loyal relationships with
strong brand entities make embedded insurance a logical
extension.
While traditional channels served the insurance industry well
for years, customer expectations, markets and technology
are rapidly shifting to options like embedded. This creates
exciting opportunities to satisfy customers and grow books
of business. More importantly, embedded can help address
the insurance protection gap that creates a real challenge and
issue for customers.
Big bets are being made in embedded insurance, both within
and outside the industry. Those who wait will face decreasing
partnership opportunities, limiting market reach and growth
as a new generation of buyers increasingly turn to embedded
options.
What actions should insurers consider?
n Establish new partnerships and channels.
n Stake out your position.
n Refocus to a ‘buying’ over ‘selling’ approach.
n Invest in Next-Gen platforms and capabilities that
embrace openness and interconnectivity.
The attraction of the broader array of channel options, in
particular embedded options, is aligned to what customers
want and expect, particularly Gen Z and Millennials. They
want to buy insurance when, where and how they need it,
with convenience and speed.
Can you meet these new expectations?
If not, you may lose the vital connection to customers that
will keep you relevant and competitive.
MODERN INSURANCE | 75

INSURTECH
André Symes,
CO-CEO, Genasys Technologies
Insurtech
Challenges:
How do we
respond?
It’s a challenging time for insurtech. Capital
markets have hardened over the last 18
months with large VCs pulling back on a longshot
investment, focusing instead on the path
to profitability for portfolio companies. Yet we
know that start-ups demand high capital; they
need that high valuation and that shot in the
dark to get them over the line. How many of
tomorrow’s highly successful tech companies
will be lost due to more conservative capital
markets?
In response, start-ups must change their strategy if they
are to survive and thrive. It’s about taking a laser-focused
approach to profitability and looking at the different profiles
of investors. Show them that you are serious and mature
about your profitability by reflecting slower, realistic growth
rates, and identify those who understand how to scale a
business. Although this may mean dropping your multiples
to less bullish valuations, your organisation will become
more sustainable through frequent reflection around your
expectations.
But while there’s a risk that start-ups with revolutionary
technology may not secure funding due to changing investor
priorities, there are some insurtechs that need to let go.
Why? Because timing is critical. Even when it’s a great
product - if the insurance industry isn’t receptive to the
offering and it’s seriously impacting financial success, then
it’s time to graciously call it a day.
We are now entering the hangover period of cheap capital
thrown at the insurtech space. Inflated salary expectations
leading to a smaller pool of talent to fish from, not to
mention thousands of tech lay-offs, are much discussed
when insurtechs are simply unable to raise the capital
they’ve been used to. Attracting and retaining insurtech
talent requires thinking outside the box. How do you create
a workplace that really allows your people to flourish? How
can you leverage the crowd to access new talent? Are you
focusing on university graduates and giving them a chance
to showcase their capabilities on a global stage?
Insurtech is moving through the trough of disillusionment.
There’s a sense that nothing has really changed, with
insurtech yet to really penetrate the insurance market
at scale. We’re still to see an incumbent insurer deploy
insurtechs for that ‘Uber’ moment that everyone is looking
for. But let’s remember that we’re on the right path towards
the final cycle phase of the plateau of productivity. Until
then, insurtechs must dig deep and focus on what we do
well: avoiding tech for the sake of tech, and providing real
value for both our customers and the consumer.
MODERN INSURANCE | 77

INSURTECH
Tim Hardcastle,
CEO and Co-Founder at INSTANDA
Quickfire
Questions
with Tim Hardcastle
QHow can insurers leverage
digitalisation and insurtech
services to gain competitive
advantage in their own business?
ATechnology is the driver of
innovation, shaping the future
of all industries. In the insurance
industry, the role of data is central to
innovation, and insurtech continues
to have a transformative impact upon
processes, as well as the customer
journey and experience. Data is the very
DNA of all insurtechs; enabling insurers
to create new products for the younger
market, as well as agile products that
they can update in real-time.
Platforms are enabling insurers to
adjust to the market in a way that
doesn’t require expensive back-office
systems and complexity. Empowered
by technology, insurers will be able to
offer diversified products that meet
the demands of the next generation of
consumers. It will permit a subscription/
micro insurance model that can deliver
insurance at a non-annualised price.
With platforms, insurers can embrace
new technology, using tools and AI to
help with pricing and claims.
With agile technology, insurers can
improve products and services whilst
targeting a new market of consumers
in a different way, with different
solutions. INSTANDA is working closely
with MGAs and insurance companies
to create new insurance products for
customers.
QWhat competitive advantage
might insurtech achieve in the
health insurance arena?
ADespite the digital
transformations within the P&I
insurance industry, the life and
health sector remains significantly
behind. While the average young adult
is subscribing to streaming services
and tracking their heart rate on their
watches, the UK life and health market
is still selling insurance to consumers as
though they are in a Blockbuster store.
Metaphors aside, the life and health
insurance market around the world is
not well-served. In its current form, the
industry is out of date and dangerously
unfit for the future. If things continue in
this way, and if the same issues persist,
then life and health will be anything but
healthy.
From heart rates, step counts and blood
pressure, technology has altered the
way businesses capture data. Insurers
around the globe are beginning to take
this data and use it to tailor individual
products with variable pricing, updating
prices on a weekly or monthly basis.
This is a notion familiar within the car
and home insurance industry, and
there’s no reason why the health and life
sector can’t follow suit. Insurers are also
adapting to a younger market who are
accustomed to buying their products
on e-commerce websites such as
Amazon, or social media marketplaces
like Facebook or TikTok. Accessible
products are easing the buying process
and modernising services to customers.
Whilst these examples demonstrate
exciting opportunities ahead, there are
still significant hurdles to overcome.
Firstly, most insurers are currently
focusing on products which target a
specific audience, hindering product
diversification. Secondly, it’s proving
difficult for providers to establish an
exciting and easy journey, given the
current distribution model through
companies and brokers. This presents
an opportunity for insurers to address
and leverage the broker and company
market better, and target customers
directly.
78 | MODERN INSURANCE

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