High five: Catch up on the biggest exclusive stories this week

Starting off the week, Chris Jones, the new chief executive at the International Underwriting Association (IUA), spoke to our recently announced Biba Journalist of the Year, Katie Scott, as he laid out a three-pillar plan to futureproof the trade body. 

• Chris Jones: New IUA boss seeks to put trade body ‘on the front foot’ with three-pillar plan

Then, Willis said it was doubling down on its identity as a specialist broker. Speaking to Yiannis Kotoulas, head of specialties Alastair Swift said the firm’s recent rebrand under the historic ‘Willis’ name reflects its desire to lead in “chosen fields” like marine, aviation and natural resources.

• Alastair Swift: Willis cementing ‘deep specialty expertise’ as a ‘true differentiator’

After that, ERS managing director Martin Hall outlined to Harry McNeil how the firm is targeting its next £100m in gross written premium (GWP) by leaning into future mobility trends, including embedded cover for e-scooters, semi-autonomous vehicle trials and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered underwriting. 

• ERS targets next £100m GWP through mobility, AI, and cultural continuity

Next, Dual UK’s chief personal lines officer and KGM managing director Ciaran Astin revealed to McNeil that KGM plans to double in size over the medium-term, with support from its Zurich capacity and parent Howden’s backing. 

• Ciaran Astin: Howden-owned KGM to ‘double in size’ as part of Dual UK growth push

Finally, Simon Bloomfield, head of Imarket at Polaris UK, provided detailed insight into Insurance Times’ latest Five Star Rating Report: eTrading. 

• eTrading simplicity will drive the next wave of digital growth – Polaris UK