Ki and QBE’s partnership; Rokstone’s leadership changes; IUAD’s milestone hit

Friday Round Up

Friday Round-Up: Insurance Post wraps up the major insurance deals, launches, investments and strategic moves of the week.

From Insurance Post this week

Palestine Action targets 15 Allianz offices overnight

Storm Éowyn wind claims to top £500m

Two insurers fall short as Gracechurch hands out service awards

What insurers should do to stop sexual harassment

Ten plead guilty to £320K ‘crash for cash’ fraud


From People this week

Big Interview: Jane Kielty, Aon UK and Ireland

Nigel Walsh leaves Google Cloud

Cliff to succeed Keese as Lloyd’s CFO

Q&A: Risto Rossar, Insly

Tributes paid to insurance industry veteran Douglas Shillito

Diary of an Insurer: Alps’s Julian Tomlinson


Pick of the week

Ki enters partnership with QBE and expands digital follow capacity

Deal value: N/A

Date announced: 30 January

Ki has partnered with QBE as a capacity partner on its algorithmically-powered Lloyd’s digital follow platform.

The partnership with QBE follows Ki’s move to become a standalone Fairfax company earlier this month.

QBE capacity will be available on the Ki platform from 3 February 2025, for business incepting from 1 March 2025, across 11 open market classes of business: cargo; contingency; cyber; D&O; energy midstream; energy upstream, FI; hull; property NA; property WW; and US PI

Partner capacity is being introduced to the contingency class for the first time at Ki.

The launch of the QBE capacity will coincide with Ki growing its overall open market follow capacity with its current partners. 

Mark Allan, CEO of Ki, said: “Offering brokers capacity from five syndicates is another positive step in Ki’s continued commitment to the London market and our mission to drive innovation and digitisation within the insurance industry.”

Jason Harris, CEO at QBE International, said: “Digital follow is driving positive outcomes for the market, brokers and insureds by providing faster access to high-quality capacity and more certainty of placement, and complements traditional underwriting. 

“We anticipate significant growth taking place over the next decade in this space and, as a market leader, look forward to collaborating with Ki to drive increased digitisation and efficiency throughout the entire risk journey.”


Skipton partners with Uinsure to deliver home insurance solutions

Deal value: N/A

Date announced: 30 January

Skipton Building Society has announced a partnership with Uinsure, to provide home insurance to its members.

Skipton becomes the latest building society to collaborate with the insurtech.

This partnership enables Skipton members to use Uinsure’s insurance platform, which automatically generates quotes from a panel of UK insurers.

Lauren Bagley, chief distribution officer at Uinsure, added: “Skipton Building Society has a proud heritage of serving its members with integrity and care and we share their commitment to creating a positive impact on customers’ lives through technology that simplifies some of life’s essential tasks – like arranging insurance.

“This partnership is the latest example of the trust that leading financial brands have placed in our team, and we’re excited to support Skipton in delivering on its promise of exceptional value for its members.”


Tokio Marine partners with Optalitix on pricing and underwriting process

Deal value: N/A

Date announced: 28 January

Optalitix has partnered with Tokio Marine HCC International to enhance its London Market underwriting and pricing systems.

The partnership will see all of TMHCCI’s pricing models for its London Market division transition to the Optalitix underwriting platform over the next two years. 

The phased implementation is set to begin within months, significantly improving the speed and accuracy of quotes while enabling seamless deployment of complex pricing models.

The collaboration enables the London Market division of TMHCCI to streamline its underwriting process, enhance pricing sophistication, and optimise risk insights, all while preserving underwriters’ expert decision-making capabilities. In addition, the ability to track quotes centrally improves the company’s ability to manage its growing portfolio.

Richard Dixon, head of London Market pricing at TMHCCI, said: “Optalitix has impressed us with their professionalism and the flexibility of their platform. This partnership marks an exciting step forward as we digitise our pricing models to meet the needs of an evolving market.”

Alex Gurr, head of business development at Optalitix, said: “We are thrilled to partner with the London Market division of TMHCCI to drive digital transformation in their pricing systems. By improving the experience for underwriters and enhancing pricing precision, we are setting a new data-driven pricing solution standard.

“This collaboration underscores Optalitix’s credentials as a trusted partner in the London Market, paving the way for expanded offerings and new innovations tailored to the London Market’s complex needs.”


Allianz Partners makes three appointments to accelerate transformation

Deal value: N/A

Date announced: 29 January

Allianz Partners has announced three strategic appointments in its leadership team, supporting the company’s growth ambitions.

Effective 1 January, Laurent Floquet has taken over the role of chief operating officer at Allianz Partners. Since 2022, Floquet has served as a member of the board and chief officer for mobility and assistance. He succeeds Lars Rogge, after his contract expired at the end of 2024.

Floquet was succeeded as chief officer for mobility and assistance by Beatriz Corti, board member and chief transformation officer. With close to 20 years within the Allianz Group including leadership roles at Allianz Seguros and Allianz SE, Corti joined Allianz Partners in late 2022 to lead the company’s transformation initiatives.

On 1 March, Clara Silvestri will join Allianz Partners as chief transformation officer, filling the vacancy left by Corti. 

Silvestri joins from Microsoft, where she served as chief financial officer for Western Europe, overseeing a portfolio of 12 countries. With more than 25 years of senior leadership and extensive finance experience, she has held key roles at PwC, Oracle and General Electric before joining Microsoft in 2017. 

Tomas Kunzmann, CEO of Allianz Partners, commented: “We are thrilled to announce these three strategic changes to our senior leadership team at Allianz Partners. I am confident that Laurent, Beatriz and Clara will bring immense value to their new roles as we navigate the next phase of growth and innovation at Allianz Partners.”


And finally …

  • Premium Credit has named Andrea Wells as head of regions and networks, reporting directly to Owen Thomas, chief sales officer.
  • Rokstone has announced a number of senior leadership changes. Ian Anson, previously MD of Rokstone, has been promoted to global CEO, while the incumbent CEO, James Potter, moves to chairman.
  • Insurance United Against Dementia has reached its initial £10m fundraising target, set when the campaign launched in 2017.
  • Chubb has appointed Andy Houston as its new UK head of commercial insurance, effective February 2025.
  • Hiscox has appointed Lynne Biggar and June Yee Felix as independent non-executive directors on the board, effective immediately and subject to regulatory approval.
  • Howden has consolidated multiple Birmingham offices into one central hub, creating a centre of excellence for more than 120 expert insurance advisers.
  • Arch Insurance International has promoted Michael O’Neill to onshore power and renewables underwriting manager, effective immediately, as part of the company’s expansion of its open market renewable energy property business. 
  • Arch has also launched a charity partnership with Magic Breakfast and the National Literacy Trust to help tackle growing educational inequality in the UK.
  • The Managing General Agents’ Association has appointed a new Next Gen Committee chair: Jack Harding, senior underwriter at Miramar Underwriting.
  • Admiral has joined the Financial Services Skills Commission.

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