The Best Policy

In a special edition of The Best Policy podcast, we talk to Mark Randall, CEO of Mark Randall Consultancy, performance and resilience coach, and organisational mindfulness specialist. 

Throughout today's episode, we discuss this year's major mental health events that have been triggered by the impact of Covid-19 in an industry so used to face-to-face interaction. 

Our guest shares strategies for improving the mental health culture within the workplace, simple techniques that help us manage stress, and how we can support our colleagues remotely.

In today's episode of The Best Policy podcast, we are joined by president and CEO of Allied World, Lou Iglesias.

In our exclusive interview, we discuss the challenges of Covid-19 and the economic downturn, hard market conditions, the impact of new capital and profitable growth opportunities in (re)insurance. 

We start by asking our guest how the carrier is helping customers overcome challenges faced as a result of the pandemic and how it ensures operations continue to function. 

We discuss the main drivers for price increases in a hard market, lower for longer interest rates, and how much the latter drives sustainability in terms of longevity of current market conditions. 

We also talk about areas of claims from the second Covid-19 wave, opportunities for profitable growth in current market conditions and the level of flexibility and responsiveness Allied World has as part of Fairfax.

The chief executive shares his thoughts on the need for capacity in the marketplace and the impact of emerging start-ups and scale-ups on market dynamics.

Finally, we look at capital formation in Bermuda, reinsurance pricing and the retro market, as well as opportunities to expand.

In our latest edition of The Best Policy podcast, we are joined by Nick Frankland, UK CEO of Aon's Reinsurance Solutions business.

In today's episode, we discuss Lloyd's trade capital, the impact of Covid-19 and the current working environment, the tight retro market, start-ups and scale-ups, and the best ways to attract capital support for new entrants into the marketplace.

We look at the role of alternative capital at Lloyd's and the evolution of the portfolio of business across the short to medium term at Lloyd’s.

The executive also talks about MGAs in a hardening market, Covid-19 as a catalyst for tech and innovation, and how critical reducing costs to the end-customer is. 

And we touch upon the future of Aon's Reinsurance Solutions business in the UK, what the combination with Willis Towers Watson means for the company's capabilities, as well as growth opportunities for the reinsurance industry as a whole.

Finally, our guest shares his expectations for the upcoming 1.1 renewals.

In the second instalment of our podcast interview with Markel's Co-CEO Richie Whitt, we discuss Covid-19 losses, capital raising and what low interest rates mean for return expectations.

Richie talks about Covid-19 from a company perspective and shares his thoughts on the potential impact of a second wave on the business.

We also discuss the overall insurability of pandemic as an exposure from an industry perspective and what role the latter should play in any solution. 

Following the significant amount of capital raises and start-ups beginning to emerge in the sector, our guest explains why he expects capital inflow will not temper hardening in the areas that Markel operates at upcoming renewals.

Finally, we look at return expectations in a low interest rate environment and the pandemic as catalyst for technological revolution in the industry.

Part I covers market conditions, capital allocation, fundraising in the ILS space and the fronting solutions business at State National.

In our latest edition of The Best Policy as part of #REinsuranceMonth, we are joined by Richie Whitt, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Markel Corporation.

In the first half of our interview, we discuss market conditions across the broad platform that Whitt oversees and how Markel makes capital allocation decisions to address opportunities in an improving market environment. 

We start by looking at the E&S market and how it compares to previous cycles, the chief executive's expectations for the upcoming renewal across property, casualty and specialty, and potential opportunities on the retro side.

We also talk about fundraising in the ILS space and the fronting solutions business at State National.

Finally, Whitt shares how capital allocation decisions are made across insurance, reinsurance and retro.

Part II will air later this week and will cover capital raising, low interest rates and the Covid-19 pandemic as a catalyst for change in the industry.

In today's instalment of The Best Policy during #REinsuranceMonth, we are joined by Steve Arora, chief executive officer of Axis Re.

We start by asking our guest what are the major themes that have arisen during his discussions in the virtual conference world ahead of the 2021 reinsurance renewals, and whether any surprises have come up.

Regarding the property catastrophe market, Steve shares his thoughts on what changes are needed and why the industry needs to see improvements around the world rather than just in specific geographies.

There is also discussion on the casualty market, in particular how much of a concern social inflation is and whether the continued improvements in the underlying business are sufficient to help improve the profitability of reinsurers’ quota share portfolios.

We also hear Steve’s thoughts on the specialty reinsurance sectors, and how much of an impact the expected tightening in the retro market in 2021 will have on Axis Re.

Finally, we explore what areas of opportunity Steve and his colleagues see on the horizon, and whether there are any specific areas of the market that have caught their interest.

In today's edition of The Best Policy as part of #REinsuranceMonth, we are joined by Christian Mumenthaler, Group Chief Executive Officer of Swiss Re.

We start by asking our guest what the key fundamentals that underpin his strategy for Swiss Re are and how the reinsurer has differentiated its response to Covid-19 and its commitment to clients. 

As 2020 is shaping up to be a big year for notable losses, Christian shares measures to maintain resiliency, lessons to be learnt for the future, and his expectations for the upcoming 2021 reinsurance renewals.

We also look at the surge in cyber attacks, how Swiss Re is improving its understanding about the risk and how solutions have evolved in this class, as well as how to handle systemic risks more generally.

Finally, we explore what the next crisis could look like, how businesses can ensure they are prepared to meet it, and whether the reinsurance sector needs to innovate more and provide more comprehensive solutions.

Don't miss our latest exclusive podcast episode, as the chief executive shares his expectations for the market and Swiss Re for the rest of 2020 and 2021.

In the second instalment of our interview with Andy Marcell, chief executive of Reinsurance Solutions at Aon, we discuss casualty reinsurance, buying strategies in a challenging marketplace, potential shifts in demand and structure, and the upcoming Willis transaction.

We start by addressing concerns about casualty reserves on recent accident years and whether that is leading to demand for additional reinsurance protection. 

Next, we talk about the buying strategy coming up to renewal and how clients can differentiate themselves to get a better outcome. Andy shares whether he sees a meaningful shift in the kind of reinsurance structures that clients are looking to buy.

We also discuss how reinsurance can help support opportunities for insurers to grow in the E&S market, and how the use of data and analytics can drive that process. 

Finally, we ask our guest about the pending Willis transaction and retaining talent.

Part I can be found here and covers market dynamics, the experience gap, the impact of Covid-19 uncertainty and reinsurance capital. 

In our latest edition of The Best Policy as part of #REinsuranceMonth, we are joined by Andy Marcell, Chief Executive Officer, Reinsurance Solutions at Aon.

In the first half of our interview, we start by looking at the challenges of conducting negotiations and trading without face-to-face interaction, and how Aon is adapting to operating in this environment. 

We talk about the experience gap and the impact of Covid-19 uncertainty, as well as cat reinsurance and whether European buyers should be prepared to pay higher rates because of losses in other parts of the world.

Next, we discuss whether the view of risk and the cost of capital for reinsurers has changed, the market dynamics that will shape the key 1.1 reinsurance renewals, and whether capital raising will temper hardening pressures.

Finally, we ask our guest whether the retro product needs to evolve, particularly in areas that have been affected by trapped collateral issues over the last couple of years.

Part II will air later this week and will cover casualty reinsurance, buying strategies in a tough market, demand and structural changes, and the pending Willis transaction. 

In today's edition of The Best Policy podcast as part of #REinsuranceMonth, we are joined by Jean-Jacques Henchoz, Chief Executive Officer of Hannover Re.

Throughout today's episode, we discuss key industry trends which will help shape the next few months and the important 1.1 renewal.

Our guest shares his view on the true impact of Covid-19 on demand for reinsurance and the consequences of industry underwriting loss for capacity, appetite and pricing.

We explore attractive opportunities to grow as a reinsurer considering hard market conditions and the long term implications of the growing divergence between jurisdictions, as pandemic-related BI claims continue to be examined by courts globally.

Jean-Jacques talks about the major shift in market dynamics and the balance between intermediaries and insurers, his key priorities in managing pandemic risk from a company, shareholder and customer point of view, as well as recovery management. 

Finally, we ask our guest what the answer to pandemic cover is and whether the (re)insurance industry will change from an operational perspective, how the market can ensure that clients have access to long term risk transfer solutions, as well as the impact of investor appetite in the ILS market on the capital retro strategy.

Don't miss our exclusive podcast episode with Jean-Jacques Henchoz, as the chief executive shares his expectations for the market and Hannover Re for the rest of 2020 and 2021.