For the first day of advent, Insurance Times Technology Champion of the Year and chief executive of Innovative Risk Labs, Ed Gaze highlights some London market-based positivity

Starting today for the festive period and continuing every day until Christmas Eve, Insurance Times speaks to a selection of industry personalities about what they’d like to find under the tree for 2024.  

Ed Gaze_Christmas tree

Ed Gaze

What was your insurance industry highlight of 2023?

Well, other than me winning the Insurance Times Tech Champ award, which surely is the biggest industry news of the year (no?), I was stoked to see Lloyd’s knocking it out of the park with their H1 2023 results.

When I joined in 2018, there was such negativity about the market, particularly due to the decile 10 activities, but it appears to be doing very well indeed!

What is your Christmas message for your insurance colleagues?

To my dear insurance friends. It’s that time of year when you begin to consider your New Year’s resolutions. Let me help you with one.

Repeat after me:

”In 2024 I shall endeavour to reply to [that insurtech we’ve been talking to] and I’ll give them honest and timely feedback. I won’t lead them on, I’ll give them a quick “no” when necessary. Where it does fit with us, I’ll push forward to help them succeed.”

What do you hope to find under the industry’s Christmas tree for 2024?

I think 2023 has been a bad year for insurance in the mainstream press and it’s been an annus horribilis for insurtech scaleups, that’s for sure.

It would be amazing to see more stories about how the industry has successfully helped people and businesses in their times of need and for more talk of the insurtech successes than failures and frauds.

While we’re on the topic of wishes, perhaps we could get a bit more softening of rates while we’re at it? Please?

 

Insurance Times Fantasy Football