The Big Question: What is it ‘time to’ prioritise and achieve at the Biba Conference 2026?

With the broking community readying to flood to Manchester for the Biba Conference this May, UKGI industry leaders pinpoint what exactly it is ‘time to’ prioritise and take away from the two day conference this year.

Emma Chapman, conference director, Biba

It’s time to connect with the market.

The industry is alive with collaborative opportunities, so seize them in the exhibition hall as over 200 insurers and service providers are ready to connect with brokers.

It’s also time to innovate for emerging risks – from artificial intelligence (AI) and cyber to motor and geopolitics, the world is changing and it’s important for brokers to keep up to date with developments.

The seminar sessions are the place to go for expert opinion and insightful discussions on what’s affecting the industry.

It’s time to inspire the next generation. The young broker day and the Future Talent student initiative are important features at the event with professional and personal development to help prepare the leaders of tomorrow.

It’s also time to optimise your time. There is simply so much to do at the Biba Conference in two days that knowing where to start can be daunting.

Prioritise what you want to achieve, plan your route around the hall, visit the feature areas and start making meetings.

After all this and before you know it, it’ll be time to take it all back to your business with more contacts, knowledge, ideas, maybe even additional revenue streams in your back pocket following the show.

As a result, you will be in an even better position to deliver fair value for your customers, support and provide your clients with security and protect their businesses which is what our industry does best.

Donna Scully, owner, Carpenters Group

It’s time to prioritise how we make decisions and, just as importantly, who those decisions are for.

Customer‑centric decision‑making must sit at the heart of everything we do.

In a rapidly changing market, success comes from truly understanding our customers’ needs, acting with empathy and designing outcomes that work for real people – not just balance sheets.

It’s also time to actively prioritise inclusion and collaboration.

Diverse voices strengthen leadership. When people feel heard and able to contribute fully, organisations make better decisions and build more resilient cultures.

Collaboration across disciplines and businesses allow us to move further and faster together. We are putting our money where our mouth is and again sponsoring the Women in Insurance Breakfast which is a welcome addition to Biba.

Biba has a vital role to play in helping our sector become a true destination for talent. That means investing in people at every stage of their career, creating clear pathways for progression and building workplaces where individuals can thrive as their authentic selves.

Finally, I think it’s time to think beyond profit and place greater emphasis on purpose and social impact.

Commercial success and social responsibility are not opposing forces – they are connected.

That responsibility must also extend to our environmental impact, making conscious, sustainable choices today to protect the resources and future generations our industry depends on.

By considering the impact our decisions have on communities, society and the future of our profession, we not only do the right thing, but we build trust and long-term sustainability.

Martyn Mathews, managing director, SSP Broker

Brokers are operating in a highly demanding environment.

Along with tighter margins, rising customer expectations, regulatory challenges and increasing competition, there is artificial intelligence (AI) to consider – both the opportunities and the threats.

Brokers need to come away with practical solutions they can apply to their businesses right away to give them an edge over the competition.

From SSP’s perspective, that means broader market access with new schemes designed to support both regional and specialist brokers.

It means a wider choice of add-ons to offer customers and more integrated processes that reduces admin.

And, it means more intelligent use of technology including AI-driven pricing tools aimed at improving conversion, retention and long-term profitability.

Practical solutions won’t just come from exhibitors though.

They will come from chats with old friends and colleagues, new contacts, attending one of the many seminars, listening to the keynote speech and of course, the after-event shindigs.

Ultimately, the Biba Conference is a key opportunity in the calendar for straightforward conversation. Every brokerage faces its own set of challenges and has its own priorities, and those are worth exploring in detail – what’s working, what isn’t and where support would make a genuine difference.

The goal is progress that’s grounded in industry knowledge and sustained by ongoing development – helping brokers adapt to change and, where possible, stay ahead of it.

That’s certainly our priority for brokers at Biba 2026.

Richard Jennings, regional managing director for north east, Yorkshire and agriculture, Brown and Brown Insurance Brokers

I’ve been attending Biba for many years, but Biba 2026 feels particularly significant.

This is because our industry is under more pressure than ever to deliver, not just on price, but on consistency and adding real value for our customers in a rapidly changing risk environment.

From a broking perspective, ‘time to deliver’ is about making the most of the partnerships and insight available to us.

It’s about working more closely with insurers to develop solutions that genuinely meet customer needs, rather than simply responding to market constraints. And, it’s about staying close to the trends shaping our industry, whether that’s capacity, pricing, digital transformation or changing customer expectations.

That’s exactly why Biba continues to matter.

Bringing together around 90,000 insurance professionals in one place creates an opportunity you don’t get anywhere else.

Over the years, I’ve seen countless conversations on stands, in meeting rooms and over coffee, turn into better collaboration, stronger insurer relationships and, ultimately, better outcomes for customers.

The keynote speakers this year perfectly reinforce that message.

Andy Burnham offers a powerful perspective on leadership and regional growth, Ben Stokes embodies delivery under pressure, teamwork and resilience and Davinia McCall speaks with authenticity about adaptability and connection, all qualities our industry needs right now.

For me, Biba 2026 is a clear reminder that this really is time to deliver for our customers, our partners and the future of broking.

Nick Milton, head of sales and distribution for the UK and Europe, Pen Underwriting

It’s ‘time to’ showcase the sheer scale, range and diversity of risk solutions we can provide to help brokers compete, win and retain business in what remains a fiercely competitive market.

Acquisitions and strong organic growth over the last few years have transformed our scope of specialisms, so brokers that have historically sought us out for professional indemnity or property and might not immediately think marine, mid net worth or high-risk casualty.

This year’s Biba Conference presents the perfect platform to challenge preconceptions such as these.

It’s also the ideal time to explore potential new solutions.

Nowhere else in the UKGI calendar brings together such a concentration of business developers and decision makers across brokers, MGAs and insurers.

That means fertile ground for pinpointing opportunities for product adjacency.

In fact, it was Biba that ‘birthed’ a new product for us – sparking the initial conversations with brokers that ultimately combined our expertise in the public sector and professional indemnity to meet a real market need.

With brokers doubling down on their placement strategies and scrutinising every MGA and insurer they do business with, it’s on us to demonstrate our points of difference and product diversity.

This is a market where readiness to respond, flex and find new ways to support one another will pay dividends.

And, Biba 2026 is the time to demonstrate that.

Karen Jackman, managing director, Bravo Networks

Biba is one of the highlights of the insurance calendar and it’s something I look forward to every year.

My priorities for this year are to take time to meet more of our membership to understand how we as a network can support them to achieve their business ambitions.

This will help them remove some of the more complex elements of running a business so they can focus on what they do best, servicing their clients and delivering great outcomes.

We recognise how difficult and time consuming it has become to start a brokerage in the UK so it’s time to help new brokers enter the market and help them thrive as independent firms.

The Biba Conference gives us the perfect opportunity to meet, listen, understand and respond.

This aligns to Biba’s 2025 manifesto Partnering to Deliver Value that outlined the importance of collaboration to achieve the government’s growth mission and address challenges faced by insurance brokers and customers.

It would also be wrong of me not to mention how pleased I am to be taking part in the session entitled ‘Time To: Deliver – the best outcomes in claims’  this year.

The session will explore how the industry can work together to deliver great customer service and how AI can be used to drive efficiencies in the claims process to meet customer expectations and achieve good claims outcomes.