The Voice of Insurance Ep316 Waleed Jabsheh CEO IGI: Don't tie your hands
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Sep 14, 2026 Waleed Jabsheh, CEO of global insurer and reinsurer IGI, discusses challenging industry orthodoxy while building a diversified $700 million business. He explores navigating a softening market, disciplined growth, specialty opportunities, political violence, reinsurance expansion, US and India plans, and why flexible portfolios matter. Jabsheh also shares IGI’s measured approach to M&A, MGAs, AI, and preserving family culture as a public company.
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Losses Can Create Selective Opportunities
- IGI still sees attractive pricing in reinsurance, marine, contingency, construction engineering, and political violence.
- Political violence illustrates the trade-off: severe Middle Eastern losses can create opportunity when disciplined underwriters remain committed.
IGI Keeps M&A As An Option
- As organic growth becomes harder, industry capital is likely to push M&A activity higher.
- IGI prefers building businesses organically for control, but keeps acquisitions available when an opportunity is genuinely complementary.
IGI Follows Pricing Across The Cycle
- IGI shifted emphasis from long-tail business to short-tail lines and then reinsurance as each segment offered better pricing.
- Its India Gift City operation continues this approach by concentrating initially on specialty reinsurance.