Close quarter
Concise and thought-provoking interviews with senior market experts, each articulating their thoughts on critical technical subjects within the industry
Watch our latest Close Quarter interview
Swiss Re’s Lohbeck: Specialty classes must look to ESG and infrastructure opportunity
Government-sanctioned ESG and infrastructure projects in both Europe and the US offer specialty lines carriers a unique opportunity to grow their premium base while also demonstrating their value to policymakers, Swiss Re’s head of global specialty Anne Lohbeck has said.
A selection of Close Quarter interviews and in‑depth coverage:
Swiss Re’s Lohbeck: Specialty classes must look to ESG and infrastructure opportunity
Government-sanctioned ESG and infrastructure projects in both Europe and the US offer specialty lines carriers a unique opportunity to grow their premium base while also demonstrating their value to policymakers, Swiss Re’s head of global specialty Anne Lohbeck has said.
Swiss Re’s Baertschi: Secondary perils to fuel insurance demand
The increasing frequency and severity of losses from secondary perils will lead to greater demand for insurance products, Urs Baertschi, CEO of Reinsurance EMEA at Swiss Re, has said.
Corvus’ Tadikonda: Cyber industry must respond quicker to threat actors
The dynamism of cyber threat actors has highlighted the increasing requirement for the insurance industry to respond quickly to new information coming in, Lori Bailey and Madhu Tadikonda of Corvus have said on the latest episode of Close Quarter.
Close Quarter with Swiss Re’s Nikhil da Victoria Lobo
Swiss Re recently released a report – Women as Insurance Decision Makers – which highlighted that women hold significant financial power as household breadwinners and business owners globally.
Swiss Re’s Gonzalez: More to come from insurtech despite “unprecedented” advances
The insurtech industry has made “unprecedented” advances in recent years as evidenced by the capital raised and the innovations launched but the sector still remains some way from fully realising its potential, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions’ Ivan Gonzalez has told The Insurer TV.
Kunreuther: Climate change “uninsurable” if left to the private sector alone
Catastrophic risks associated with climate change will remain largely uninsurable unless the private (re)insurance market forges long-term partnerships with the public sector, according to Wharton School professor Howard Kunreuther.
Close Quarter with Swiss Re’s Beat Kramer Mölbert
Welcome to a new edition of Close Quarter, in which we speak with Beat Kramer Mölbert, managing director – Property Treaty Underwriting EMEA at Swiss Re.
Close Quarter with eReinsure’s Igor Best-Devereux
Welcome to another edition of Close Quarter, in which we speak to Igor Best-Devereux, founder and CEO of eReinsure – the 20-year-old insurtech that supports engagement between carriers, brokers and reinsurers, and has completed almost one million transactions.
Close Quarter with Aon’s Adam Podlaha
Welcome to our latest edition of Close Quarter on The Insurer TV, in which we speak with Adam Podlaha, head of Impact Forecasting at Aon.
Close Quarter with Aon’s Graeme Rayner
In this episode we invite Graeme Rayner, CEO of Alternative Distribution at Aon, to talk about one of the fastest growing sectors in the industry – the MGA space.
Close Quarter with Swiss Re’s Paul Murray
Welcome to the latest episode of Close Quarter from The Insurer TV, in which we speak with Paul Murray, head of life & health (L&H) products at Swiss Re.
Close Quarter with Aon’s Catherine Mulligan and James Trainor
Welcome to our latest edition of Close Quarter with Catherine Mulligan, global head of cyber at Aon’s Reinsurance Solutions, and James Trainor, senior vice president within Aon’s Cyber Solutions.
Close Quarter with Swiss Re’s Tamara Soyka
Welcome to our latest edition of Close Quarter on The Insurer TV, in which we speak with Tamara Soyka, head of Cat Perils EMEA at Swiss Re.
ABIR’s Huff on G7 tax deal: Jurisdictions must be able to “chart their own path”
John Huff, president and CEO of the Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers (ABIR), has told The Insurer TV that the G7 tax agreement must respect the concept of sovereignty, with the executive also stressing the importance of maintaining the use of deferred tax accounting for the industry.
Close Quarter with ABIR’s John Huff
Welcome to our latest episode of Close Quarter with John Huff, president and chief executive officer of the Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers (ABIR), where he directs the worldwide public policy initiatives.
Close Quarter with Swiss Re's Frank Reichelt
Welcome to a new edition of Close Quarter with Frank Reichelt, head of Northern, Central and Eastern Europe at Swiss Re since 2018.
UK climate stress test a sign of increasing scrutiny of insurer climate risk
The Bank of England’s climate stress test is a sign that central banks and international regulators are looking to “ramp up” oversight of insurer climate risk, according to Guy Carpenter’s managing director of catastrophe advisory Jessica Turner.
Russell Group’s Basi: underwriters need to get a handle on port accumulations
With as much as 55 percent of global trade now transiting through just 50 ports each year, the (re)insurance industry needs to get a better handle on the exposures that are accumulating at these transportation hubs, Russell Group’s Suki Basi has urged.
Close Quarter with Russell Group’s Suki Basi
Welcome to the latest edition of Close Quarter with Suki Basi, founder and managing director at Russell Group.
(Re)insurers can help educate on climate and change behaviours
(Re)insurers have the opportunity to be a positive force in changing the current path towards catastrophic climate change impacts, according to Swiss Re’s head of Western and Southern Europe Nikhil da Victoria Lobo.
Close Quarter with Swiss Re’s Nikhil da Victoria Lobo
Welcome to the latest episode of Close Quarter with Nikhil da Victoria Lobo, head of Western and Southern Europe (WSE) at Swiss Re.
Aon’s Nguyen: Covid showed casualty risk “is alive and well”
Despite benefiting from a Covid-related slowdown in courts in 2020, casualty insurers are facing a myriad of challenges that show that “risk is alive and well”, believes Amanda Nguyen, senior managing director at Aon’s Reinsurance Solutions.
Aon’s Nguyen: Casualty market has been too basic for too long
The casualty market needs to become more creative, according to Amanda Nguyen, senior managing director at Aon’s Reinsurance Solutions, with a new collaboration between the broking giant and Praedicat aimed at increasing the size of the market.
Close Quarter with Aon’s Amanda Nguyen
Welcome to the latest episode of Close Quarter with Amanda Nguyen, senior managing director at Aon’s Reinsurance Solutions, who joined the corporation in 2001.
HSCM’s Jones: Public insurtechs already “bigger than Bermuda”
The value of the insurtechs that have already gone public easily outstrips that of public Bermuda (re)insurers, but leaders at insurtechs should think carefully about whether – and when – they want to list, according to Hudson Structured Capital Management (HSCM)’s Adrian Jones.
HSCM’s Jones: SPAC interest in insurtechs to surge in 2021
The focus on insurtechs from special purpose acquisition companies is likely to increase but investors are not yet distinguishing between insurance combinations and other SPAC acquisitions, according to Hudson Structured Capital Management’s Adrian Jones.
Close Quarter with Adrian Jones of HSCM
In the latest edition of Close Quarter, we speak to Adrian Jones, managing director and partner in insurtech venture investing group Hudson Structured Capital Management (HSCM) on the trends set to define the insurtech space in 2021.
More video interviews
Pool Re: UK unlikely to see another uncapped Gov guarantee
An uncapped guarantee in a state-backed public-private partnership – similar to that currently possessed by Pool Re – is unlikely to be replicated in the UK in the future, Julian Enoizi has told The Insurer.
Enoizi: Pool Re must retain “independence of thought” as a government body
Pool Re CEO Julian Enoizi said it was critical the UK terrorism backstop retained the ability to “act innovatively and creatively” as it transitioned into a government body, but admitted he had not expected and did not welcome the decision to reclassify the reinsurer.
Mosaic not a Covid reaction but pandemic will provide tailwinds: Blaser
Newly launched specialty start-up Mosaic “wasn’t a Covid marketplace reaction on any level”, the insurer’s CEO Mitch Blaser has insisted, but the pandemic has provided a tailwind “we didn’t really plan on or expect”, he told The Insurer TV.
“Heightened volatility and prolonged uncertainty” to drive reinsurance demand in 2021 – Guy Carpenter’s David Priebe
Covid-19, climate change, cyber security and demographic changes are all contributing to heightened volatility across the risk landscape, which is driving prolonged periods of uncertainty and demand for reinsurance.
Catlin warns industry is failing to acknowledge scale of losses in TV interview
Stephen Catlin has played down the impact of new capital on reinsurance renewal rate momentum, warning that the market is still only “at the beginning of a state of change”.
The FCA Supreme Court verdict: what does it mean for reinsurers?
The Covid-19 BI disputes pendulum will now swing from insurers to the reinsurance market, following today’s FCA Supreme Court judgement which largely sided with policyholder arguments at the expense of the industry.
Case on Aon-WTW: “Together we will be stronger for colleagues and clients”
Aon CEO Greg Case reiterated his confidence that the broker’s merger with Willis Towers Watson will complete during the first half of 2021 and said the combined entity will be better placed to meet the unprecedented demand from clients for new solutions.
Aon’s Case: Industry response to pandemic has “not been enough” in call for greater innovation
Covid-19 has transformed the corporate agenda by raising board awareness of long-tail and systemic risks but the onus is now on the insurance industry to collectively rise to the challenge of meeting its client needs, according to Aon CEO Greg Case.
BHSI targets middle market and SME growth through programs and MGAs
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) has set its sights on the middle market and SME segments with the carrier seeing plenty of opportunities to form partnerships with programs and MGAs, president and CEO Peter Eastwood has told The Insurer TV.
Vantage eyes late Q1 start for insurance business following “active” 1.1 renewal
After a “very active” 1 January reinsurance renewal, Vantage Risk is now targeting a “late first quarter, early second quarter” start date to begin writing insurance business, CEO Greg Hendrick has told The Insurer TV.
Lloyd’s Carnegie-Brown: Product simplification and labelling critical to avoid repeat of BI disputes
Lloyd’s chairman Bruce Carnegie-Brown has called for product simplification and some standardisation of wordings as the industry seeks to avoid a repeat of the business interruption disputes that overshadowed its response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Carnegie-Brown: “Absolutely confident” Lloyd’s underwriting room will be here in 2030
Bruce Carnegie-Brown said he is confident the Lloyd’s underwriting room will still be here in 10 years’ time, but has acknowledged the need to rethink the purpose of the room to better meet the needs of market participants.
New capital will not materially impact E&S pricing in short term: AmWINS CEO
Capital raised by start-ups and incumbents is unlikely to change hard E&S market dynamics in the short-term, according to Scott Purviance, CEO of wholesale giant AmWINS.
