Destination Insurance: Talent situation ‘a lot better than it was’, yet education lags behind

The UK insurance industry has made progress on talent outreach in recent years, although education and engagement remain weaknesses.

That was the consensus among delegates at Destination Insurance’s keynote session ‘Leadership in 2026’, which took place on 15 January 2026.

During the session, it was noted that there had been growing collaboration across trade bodies, insurers and brokers when it comes to talent, alongside more visible initiatives aimed at apprenticeships and early careers.

Caroline Wagstaff, chief executive at London Market Group, said: “I would say it’s a lot better than it was. We’re building on a rising tide, rather than sort of feeling we’re all doomed.

”There is much better cooperation than there has been, say, five years ago when I took this job.”

Interest from new talent is also increasing, according to  Robert Kemp, chief executive of commercial at Aon.  

He said: “What’s great is that the number of applications, the interest of insurance from those who hitherto had no idea what it was is fantastic.”

Education

Despite these gains, education and engagement remain weaknesses. Delegates repeatedly stressed that most young people do not understand insurance beyond transactional interactions such as car cover.

“How many kids actually know what insurance is? And the only time they actually really know about it is when they needed to drive a car,” Carolyn Callan, chief executive of retail at Brown and Brown, said.

“If we talked about insurance early, then people would start to think about that the same way as they think about an accountancy role or a law role.”

The industry was also urged to become more approachable, with Callan adding: “Then you can start to tell the sexy stories about insurance and I think then make it relevant to them.” Examples given included footballers’ legs, pop singers’ voices and space expeditions.

While delegates acknowledged progress in collaboration, talent attraction and early careers, they agreed that education remain essential to ensure long-term growth of the interest into a career in insurance.