The Voice of Insurance

Richard Brindle, CEO and Chairman of The Fidelis Partnership, and Richard Coulson, its Strategic Partnerships President, discuss insurance’s Darwinian reinsurance market. They explore why Fidelis refuses broker facilities, how diversification strengthens relationships, and the firm’s rocket-fuel expansion across high-growth markets. The conversation also covers local presence, technology versus underwriting judgment, and ESG dilemmas including forced labor and live animal exports.

Jack Kuhn, President of Westfield Specialty, is a four-decade insurance veteran and renowned underwriter. He discusses building Westfield’s global platform, navigating market cycles without chasing growth, and balancing casualty with short-tail exposure. The conversation explores digital trading, smart follow underwriting, delegated distribution, alternative capital, geopolitical uncertainty, and AI’s emerging liability and systemic risks.

James Slaughter, Apollo’s Executive Chair of Underwriting, draws on deep experience in insurance, reinsurance, and emerging risks. He explores why reinsurance is getting cheaper as the world grows riskier, the pressure of abundant capital, and whether demand can absorb excess supply. Topics include AI, cyber, renewables, data centers, casualty uncertainty, market discipline, and the outlook for the 2027 renewal.

Jason Keen, CEO of Global Wholesale and Specialty at Everest Insurance, brings deep Lloyd’s, property underwriting and facultative reinsurance experience. He explores shifting specialty markets, data-centre risks, political violence and disciplined portfolio growth. The conversation also dives into digital underwriting, fast follow models, AI’s impact on insurance and why explicit AI coverage matters.

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.

Clemens Jungsthöfel, the calm and pragmatic CEO of Hannover Re, discusses a rapidly shifting reinsurance landscape shaped by geopolitics, climate change, inflation and competition. He explores disciplined growth, retrocession, emerging markets, cyber and casualty risks, plus AI’s evolving impact on underwriting, liability and accumulation. Human judgment and trusted relationships remain central.

Chris Mullan, Head of Data & AI at CFC, an actuarial-turned-data scientist building AI underwriting agents. George Beattie, Head of Innovation at CFC, rethinking specialty insurance with tech. They discuss agentic AI in live underwriting, massive speed and productivity gains, redesigning insurance products and distribution, governance and risks, and why AI exclusions may not work.

Mikir Shah, a Kenyan-trained actuary and former investment banker who leads Africa Specialty Risks, discusses bringing corporate specialty insurance to developing markets. He talks about founding ASR, its co-insurance model and rapid growth. He covers localised underwriting, cloud tech and AI-driven automated platforms. He explains strategic use of Lloyd’s and partners and the aim to enable infrastructure and economic development.

Clyde Bernstein, Placement Technology & Trading Analytics Leader at Aon and veteran broker, talks about Aon’s Digital Placement Exchange and Broker Copilot. He explains automating placements to connect brokers with global capital faster. They explore how greater liquidity, faster trading and data-driven allocation could reshape broking, underwriting dynamics and claims integration.

Clive Washbourn, veteran marine and specialty underwriter now leading Navium, and Richard Brindle, global specialty insurer and philanthropist, discuss what makes great underwriting. They talk about underwriting craft, working together across portfolios, using AI to automate tasks, handling major losses and consortium strategies, and the balance of bravery and discipline in risk selection.