Insurance Times rounds up the top five stories making headlines across the market from 1 December to 5 December 2025.
Among the most-read stories this week was coverage of the Insurance Times Awards 2025, which saw more than one thousand UK general insurance professionals gather on Park Lane to celebrate standout performance across broking, claims, underwriting, fraud mitigation, sustainability and technology.
Hosted at London’s Grosvenor House on 3 December, the annual ceremony showcased leading firms across more than thirty categories.
Hosted by comedian Tom Allen and featuring a live performance from Björn Again, the ceremony delivered one of the sector’s most anticipated evenings of the year.
Allianz confirmed this week that it was in talks to reduce its workforce by 1,500 to 1,800 roles in its travel insurance division over the next 12 to 18 months.
The cuts are expected to affect call centre roles most significantly as the insurer accelerates its use of AI and digital tools across operations. Allianz Partners told Insurance Times that it was “actively evaluating” how technological change would reshape roles across the business.
Aviva confirmed that 62 roles would be removed following its decision to close down Direct Line Group’s By Miles business.
It said reductions would be phased throughout 2026 to ensure customers continued to be served until the end of their policies.
By Miles was acquired by DLG in April 2023 and had sold more than one hundred thousand policies. Aviva stated that the job losses formed part of wider cost saving plans linked to its acquisition of DLG earlier this year.
Arrowhead Intermediaries appointed Steven Beard as its new international chief executive, with the former Ardonagh and Charles Taylor leader due to join the firm in February 2026.
Beard, who previously served as chief operating officer at Ardonagh Group and group president at Charles Taylor, will oversee Arrowhead’s global specialty MGA Nexus and specialty broker Bridge Specialty International.
US-based insurance group Asurion agreed to acquire Domestic and General.
Asurion, headquartered in Nashville and specialising in device and appliance protection, said the acquisition would provide customers with a single provider across every device and appliance category.
The deal is expected to be completed in mid-2026 subject to regulatory approvals. Terms were not disclosed.
Hosted by comedian and actor Tom Allen, 34 Gold, 23 Silver and 22 Bronze awards were handed out across an amazing 34 categories recognising brilliance and innovation right across the breadth of UK general insurance.
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