HDI Global to grow UK specialty business as some lines may be ‘a little underweight’

HDI Global will look to grow its UK specialty business following the launch of a new strategy, with there some lines where it “may be a little underweight”.

That was according to HDI Global’s interim UK and Ireland chief executive Simon Hunt, who was speaking to Insurance Times following the launch of the insurer’s Xcelerate29 strategy.

The new global corporate strategy provides the framework for the period 2026 to 2029 and will see HDI Global focus on profitability and drive international expansion as it looks to strengthen its role as a corporate and specialty insurer.

The business is focused on expansion in North America, the Middle East and Asia. In terms of the UK, however, Hunt said the insurer wants to “look for growth opportunities that make sense”.

He said: “As part of Xcelerate29, we do have this international expansion and there is a lot of targets around North America and the Middle East.

“But then specifically for the UK, we want to make sure we are looking for growth opportunities that make sense and that we believe deliver in the long run.

“We will continue to look to grow our specialist business where we see opportunities that exist. There [are] some lines where we may be a little bit underweight and then energy is going to be a big area of growth for us moving forward.”

Use of AI

As part of the strategy, HDI Global will also continuously advance its claims management.

The focus lies on outstanding claims expertise, smart processes and data‑driven propositions to provide clients with enhanced support in the event of a loss.

The insurer believes the targeted use of artificial intelligence (AI) will further strengthen claims processes, as well as underwriting.

Hunt said: “AI is something we need to use – it is going to be used in a targeted way [and] we know it needs to be used to drive our digital transformation.

“The main purpose for us to use AI is to enable our employees to focus on the important value-added tasks.

“It’s very clear that we want a human in the loop. There’s a focus on humans and we’re using AI as the copilot.

“We want people to be making the final decisions and it allows people to focus on the value-added tasks and use that time to ensure we are building strong partnerships and tailor our solutions for our clients and brokers.”

Embracing talent

In turn, HDI Global said it wants to “establish its position as one of the top global employers in financial services”.

“Success is driven by people. We will only achieve our ambitious goals if we systematically empower our employees,” said Dr Edgar Puls, chief executive at HDI Global.

“That’s why we invest in development, modern working conditions, international career paths and a culture that encourages and recognises innovation and performance.”

Hunt added: “We want to be a forward-thinking organisation, one that is fostering learning, collaboration and performance.

“We want to be one of the workplaces of choice, so effectively a top employer in the insurance industry.

“We have market leading expertise and we also offer great international career pathways.”