Soar to winners | Soar to methodology
Generational superstars
Insurance coverage Enterprise has compiled the 2025 International 100, that includes excellent professionals from throughout six completely different markets: the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Asia-Pacific and the UK.
All of these featured have had a definitive affect on the trade and brought their respective corporations to new heights.
2024 sparked a restoration in world complete insurance coverage premiums, which rose by 4.6%, in comparison with the 1.6% common between 2019 and 2023.
Swiss Re Institute expects development “to be primarily pushed by the life sector, though saving enterprise development will average as rates of interest decline. Non-life insurance coverage will develop extra slowly than in recent times because the enhance from the arduous market tapers down. Life and non-life (together with well being) premiums accounted for 43% and 57% of complete premium in 2024, and we anticipate this combine to remain largely the identical over the subsequent decade.”
Deloitte’s 2025 world insurance coverage outlook states, “At a world stage, estimates recommend that insurers’ return on fairness may enhance to about 10% in 2024 and 10.7% in 2025. Insurance coverage premiums are estimated to develop by 3.3% in 2024, with superior markets contributing 75% of the enlargement in premium volumes.”
International industrial insurance coverage charges fell by 2% within the fourth quarter of 2024, marking the second consecutive quarterly decline after seven years of charge will increase, in response to the International Insurance coverage Market Index launched by world brokerage Marsh.
Marsh attributed the decline to growing competitors within the industrial property insurance coverage market, stabilisation in monetary strains, moderation of casualty charge will increase, and additional reductions in cyber insurance coverage pricing. The development first emerged within the first quarter of 2021 and has continued to form world insurance coverage pricing.
Regional tendencies assorted, with the Pacific area experiencing the most important year-on-year composite charge lower of 8% within the fourth quarter. The UK noticed a 5% decline, whereas charges in Asia fell by 3%, and each Europe and Canada recorded a 2% lower.
As well as, the insurance coverage safety hole for pure catastrophes is estimated to achieve 60% as 2024 turns into the primary 12 months to surpass 1.5° Celsius, in response to WTW’s Pure Disaster Overview for the second half of 2024.
Pure catastrophes continued to put vital strain on world insurance coverage markets in 2024, with world insured losses exceeding US$140 billion, marking the fifth consecutive 12 months that insured damages topped US$100 billion. Complete financial damages from these occasions exceeded US$350 billion, underscoring the shortage of resilience to climate-related dangers.
Insurance coverage Enterprise spoke to 5 members of the celebrated International 100 to achieve an perception into their roles and the affect they’ve made on the worldwide insurance coverage trade.
A real specialist who offers with essentially the most advanced residence buildings with defects throughout Australia. Her expertise stand out in a market the place the supply of insurance coverage may be very small.
“Because the market chief, we intention present help the place we will. Managing and securing strata protection for buildings with defects might be very tough and we all know that the sector wants that stage of help. I am in a extremely nice place the place I’m empowered to search out options,” she says.
Burke has constructed up her data over the previous 13 years since becoming a member of CHU with none data of the strata sector. Stints as an underwriting supervisor enabled her to hone her technical expertise as colleagues escalated issues relating to defects.
What marks Burke out is that she not often declines a danger.
She says, “Our aim is to supply an answer the place doable. If it is come to some extent the place we have now declined, we take our time to clarify it to the dealer to allow them to share it with the insured.”
“I’m very proud to be recognised. I hope to indicate different ladies, particularly queer ladies, that you may be a pacesetter on this house”
Claire BurkeCHU Underwriting Businesses
CHU and Burke are open to reviewing the case if new particulars are supplied and remedial work is carried out or scheduled.
“It has occurred plenty of occasions during the last 12 months, the place we have accepted a previously-declined renewal after being supplied ample info,” says Burke.
As a famend material professional, Burke educates not solely colleagues however the wider trade. Her webinars on constructing defects in strata have obtained 1000’s of viewers on-line.
“Schooling is such an enormous a part of what we will present, and I’m actually obsessed with educating our underwriters on this house and our purchasers, brokers and the strata managers we take care of,” she says.
In 2025, Burke plans to step up her training efforts.
“I like sharing data,” she explains. “Particularly one on one coaching at work, sitting with an underwriter and dealing by an account, to allow them to perceive the selections I am making.”
One other facet to Burke’s advocacy is supporting and inspiring the LGBTQIA group inside the insurance coverage trade by posting on CHU’s intranet round celebrations and occasions to lift consciousness. She encourages anybody to come back to her with considerations.
“They will come discuss to me if they’re battling something or individuals inside the enterprise would possibly see my posts after which unfold that out into the broader group,” she says.
Main by instance is a matter of satisfaction for Burke.
“I need to be a voice for individuals the place they may not really feel they could be a voice or have a voice.”
Jodie Kaufman Davis – H.W. Kaufman Group
Co-president
In October 2024, she took on the function of co-president and is concentrated on H.W. Kaufman Group’s community of corporations exterior of North America, because the group has over 60 places of work worldwide.
Her work includes bringing the worldwide govt workforce collectively in London for a summit.
She says, “We’ve got great alternative to actually take a look at the portfolio that we have now world wide and determine how we will do extra collectively. Any one in all our components independently that’s stronger will positively affect the opposite components.”
H.W. Kaufman is a third-generation family-owned and operated enterprise, the place father Alan is chairman and CEO. Different members of the manager workforce are from exterior the household, however they kind a robust collective.
Kaufman Davis says, “The chance to spend time collectively, each formally at conferences and informally at social occasions, actually makes a constructive affect. The extra time we will spend collectively is healthier for our enterprise and that worth has been ringing true at Kaufman for 55 years.”
As a result of communication and relationship constructing are important to the agency, she focuses on strengthening hyperlinks.
“I’m actually wanting ahead to constructing out our expertise, know-how and infrastructure, and strengthening our worldwide operations, in order that our North American enterprise can higher make the most of and entry our worldwide companies,” she says.
Difficult the established order is the norm for Kaufman Davis. She seeks out alternatives and appears to leverage the place doable to drive the agency ahead.
“We function an open-door enterprise; anybody can name me and I meet our interns usually all through the summer season. I spend numerous time constructing relationships in any respect ranges to maintain my fingers on the heart beat and perceive what’s occurring”
Jodie Kaufman DavisH.W. Kaufman Group
“My father has been a real visionary within the trade and creating this world platform and it’s for a motive, it’s meant to be related, “she explains. “I’m all the time excited about how I can deliver extra individuals collectively and higher join groups. It’s all finally to provide higher outcomes each for our group and purchasers.”
Beforehand an M&A lawyer, Kaufman Davis made the shift to insurance coverage and encourages extra to comply with in her footsteps as a result of range and choices throughout the trade.
A part of these efforts is mentoring youthful professionals and enabling them to develop.
“I like to deliver individuals into the fold and in our enterprise. We’ve got the Kaufman Institute, which is our coaching and growth arm. I take part in creating a number of the content material and be taught lots from suggestions,” she says.
Kaufman Davis depends on worker perception through surveys from the agency’s associates in addition to an annual worker engagement survey.
“By that, we’re in a position to see what alternatives people are enthusiastic about and completely different wants that our associates have. I welcome suggestions. I’m going to numerous our occasions and discuss to individuals and listen to from them.”
Kaufman can also be a strong champion of DEI throughout the corporate. That is partly pushed by the insurance coverage trade not having sufficient expertise to fulfill demand. She helps being inventive and attracting people from completely different teams.
“The extra we get on the market and the extra various we’re in our efforts and the larger community we construct, the higher expertise that we’re going to deliver into the trade and into the group,” she says. “It’s going to provide higher outcomes and extra alternatives.”
And reacting to being a part of the International 100 in 2025, she provides, “I’m all the time honoured to be acknowledged by an trade that I like and for which I’ve nice ardour, which has supplied me with great alternative and to which I intend to proceed giving again.”
Working on the trade’s forefront, Honey Insurance coverage is leveraging tech to redefine the client expertise. Certainly one of its options is wise residence sensors.
“They notify householders about issues that go improper, for instance it may very well be a leak whereas in any other case they would not even learn about it,” explains Angelo Azar, chief working officer. “It is implicitly constructing on our engagement with them as a result of they see Honey Insurance coverage has notified them of one thing that may very well be going improper of their residence. That helps to construct a relationship.”
The agency is now 4 years outdated however has managed to seize simply over 1% of the market and over $165 million in GWP.
Azar says, “It’s nonetheless nicely shy of our ambitions to get to five% market share and be in a minimum of one in 20 Australian properties.”
The problem for the COO is as Honey Insurance coverage has grown its buyer base, it has additionally elevated the workforce. Instilling the identical mindset and values are key to Azar in sustaining the agency’s customer-first mindset and concentrate on making interactions extra environment friendly.
“Once you’re 10 individuals, you’re wedded to the plan and it appears like a startup, however we’re about 170 now. It’s about making certain as an govt workforce, we proceed to have the velocity of a startup, however the rigour of a mature group and what I imply is that as you develop you have to be much less liable to errors, however nonetheless have the flexibility to check, be taught and fail rapidly,” he says.
As a part of this strategy of trial and error, there’s a weekly Tuesday assembly the place the executives current their key strategic priorities and any pivots.
“With AI, you may both select to be pals with it or you may select to be enemies, however I feel the latter is to your individual downfall”
Angelo AzarHoney Insurance coverage
As a result of concentrate on rising and refining their course of, Honey Insurance coverage doesn’t get distracted.
“For those who’re wanting sideways, then you definately’re not wanting forward. We are able to both waste time wanting left and proper or concentrate on what initiatives and advantages we will deliver to the Australian group and our clients,” says Azar.
Honey Insurance coverage has adopted AI to enhance their effectiveness and are engaged on a program involving it round digitization. The concept is when clients interact with the agency, it’s a seamless and nice expertise.
He says, “Typically, you interact with organizations and it’s fairly awkward due to the time spent making an attempt to work out who you might be and all that type of stuff. We wish to have the ability to make it so that you just’re readily recognized and use AI-supported instruments to have the ability to higher reply to queries. It makes for a extra fluid and dynamic dialog.”
Bettering and studying may be very a lot the corporate’s inner ethos.
“It isn’t about spraying the gun in every single place and hoping one thing sticks. We wish to have the ability to use knowledge to make the client expertise higher and enhance danger choice,” Azar says.
Honey Insurance coverage’s blueprint requires self-discipline over motivation to keep up its development trajectory.
“It isn’t nearly motivation as typically individuals fall into that entice, which suggests you typically swap off. Self-discipline means you realize what the aim is, and also you pursue the aim no matter what’s thrown your means,” Azar explains.
That is underlined by his drive to maintain on succeeding.
“It’s not about saying we’re doing nice and stopping. It’s about what number of extra clients we may help and produce into our surroundings.”
As a part of one of many largest wholesale intermediaries in the US, Ben Beazley has dealt adeptly with altering circumstances – the swap from one of many hardest markets in years adopted by the 2024 correction – as a result of his ardour for the trade.
“The market is a transition market the place underwriting corporations are selecting to do various things with completely different appetites as they understand there’s cash to be made, and there most likely is extra money to be made right now than there was in 20 years,” says the veteran skilled.
The inflow of capital requires revolutionary concepts, which Beazley can present as a result of his expertise. He says, “It requires individuals to suppose exterior the field and to be turning over each stone for the insured. It’s a difficult time to be sure to’re doing one of the best job for the insurer.”
One think about why this sort of pondering is required is the upper prevalence of local weather occasions, which over the previous 12 months included Hurricane Helene, snowfall in New Orleans, and the California wildfires.
Beazley feedback, “It’s a extremely fascinating time within the trade and nothing that I’ve ever skilled in my 40 years up till this level.”
“Discovering options to an account that in any other case appears very daunting is what places me on a excessive, fairly frankly”
Ben BeazleyJencap Group
A part of his function has been to help and lead extra junior colleagues by the altering market. Younger brokers had been used to an uptick pricing and rise in commissions.
“In a gentle market, you’ve obtained to get means out forward of the accounts and inform your purchasers there’s numerous choices on the desk,” says Beazley. “There may be much more mentoring that should go on, and that’s one thing which the trade has obtained away from during the last 10 years or so.”
Jencap’s new workplace has helped, as workers is selecting to work extra from the workplace, which permits him to be in direct contact to share data. Beazley’s mentoring model is about difficult the person to volunteer an answer or technique for an account after which suggesting different ways in which they could take a look at it.
He provides, “I positively introduce them to completely different markets and relationships that I’ve developed through the years, as that is very a lot now a world insurance coverage market with London, Bermuda, and there’s capital popping out of locations just like the Center East and different locations on the earth, too.”
Driving Jencap’s property division ahead is Beazley’s remit. He’s doing it efficiently however feels there may be extra to come back.
“I obtained a few giant purchasers and need to see them proceed to develop, however there may be numerous capability, numerous alternative, and I’m trying to reap the benefits of that.”
And he continues, “Jencap is an rising wholesale dealer and we’ve obtained numerous runway, I name us ‘brokers with out borders’ as a result of we have now a reasonably small manufacturing workforce on the property facet and an incredible quantity of alternative for individuals to additional their profession. The very best factors of my profession have all the time been seeing younger individuals attain objectives that they could have in any other case thought have been unattainable and assembly the objectives they’ve set for themselves.”
Working a world claims administration agency with over 9,000 staff in 70 international locations has been a real take a look at of management during the last 12 months as a result of cyclones in Australia, large flooding in Europe and Canada, storms within the UK, together with a collection of local weather catastrophes in America.
“I feel we as a corporation have completed extraordinarily nicely in actually delivering on our mission and function which is to revive lives, companies and communities,” says Rohit Verma. “We did extraordinarily nicely to be there for our clients and purchasers.”
Operational excellence is a precedence for Verma and one thing he needs to proceed creating in 2025.
“We began a journey of operational excellence as we imagine that due to our world nature, it’s actually necessary to be finest in school,” he says.
Empathy is the trait that Verma disseminates throughout his workforce and workers, with the standpoint that purchasers will get in contact on what is among the worst days of their lives.
“They might have misplaced their residence or a automobile that’s fairly necessary for his or her livelihood and household. God forbid they obtained injured or have misplaced a member of the family,” feedback Verma. “They hope that we will deliver some stage of normalcy again to their life. It’s actually necessary to grasp that it’s not only a declare – it’s a life, a enterprise, an individual, a household. Frankly, that’s the most important driver for me and the workforce.”
“We are going to proceed to ship for policyholders and claimants as a result of on the finish of the day, insurance coverage is the engine that runs the economic system, that enables individuals to take dangers and push the envelope”
Rohit VermaCrawford & Firm
AI is on the forefront of Verma’s ideas, like his fellow CEOs throughout the trade. He has launched it at Crawford however is cautious.
“We’ve got an providing for the market, which is SaaS-based utilizing AI, and we have now a council inside our enterprise completely different AI use circumstances and prioritising these, so we’re positively on it. I might say that we’re within the early levels versus the place we’re utilizing it in our day by day work,” he says.
At the same time as extra tech and AI enters processes, Verma is dedicated to sustaining the empathy and understanding that has enabled Crawford to achieve success.
He explains, “I’ve had this contrarian view that even when the dialogue was that AI goes to get rid of the function of the loss adjuster, I simply don’t suppose that’s the case. Empathy or ‘the human within the loop,’ as it’s referred to as now, goes to stay extraordinarily crucial. We’re what sort of issues AI can try this help the adjuster.”
Sitting on the prime of the agency, Verma is conscious sufficient to measure his personal efficiency.
He does this in relation to 4 stakeholders:
“I attempt my finest to do what I can throughout all 4. The heart beat survey is a strategy to know if staff are feeling challenged, developed, and happy. It’s additionally necessary our model is talked about in a means that it’s one thing the group feels if it wasn’t there, that they might be lacking one thing necessary,” he says.
- Ajay Mistry
Gambit Companions and iCAN - Amanda Whiting
Insurance coverage Council of New Zealand (ICNZ) - Andreas Berger
Swiss Re - Andrew Corridor
Insurance coverage Council of Australia - Anne Marie Elder
AXA XL - Chris Walters
Inszone Insurance coverage Companies - Colette Taylor
Sovereign Insurance coverage - Collin Yap
Specialist Danger Group - Damien Coates
DUAL Asia-Pacific - David Clare
Trisura Group - David Heathfield
AssuredPartners UK and Eire - David Morrow
Chubb New Zealand - Daybreak Miller
Lloyd’s Americas - Despina Buganski
WTW - Dhara Patel
Davies - Dionne Bowers
Canadian Affiliation of Black Insurance coverage Professionals - Duane Hercules
Security Nationwide - Echaunti Swan
iCAN - Edmund Reese
Aon - Fiona Hayes-St Clair
QBE - Graeme Trudgill
British Insurance coverage Brokers’ Affiliation - Greg Smith
Crawford & Firm Canada - Greg Zimmer
Alliant Insurance coverage Companies - Man Cormier
Desjardins - Ilan Serman
Gallagher - Jack Kudale
Cowbell - Jane Kielty
Aon - Jason Storah
Aviva - Jenny Bax
Underwriting Businesses Council - Jerald Tillman
NAAIA - Jeremy Lau
QBE Asia - Jim Blue
Alera Group - Jimmy Higgins
Suncorp New Zealand and ICNZ - Jodie Kaufman Davis
H. W. Kaufman - Jo Sykes
Markel - Justin Delaney
Zurich Australia and New Zealand - Kate Della Mora
CFC Canada - Katrina Shanks
ANZIIF - Ken Norgrove
RSA Insurance coverage and Affiliation of British Insurers - Ken Reigler
At-Bay Insurance coverage - Kenneth Reilly
Sompo Asia Pacific - Kent Chaplin
Delta - Kevin Doyle
Danger Placement Companies - Kristen Valder
Arch Insurance coverage Worldwide - Kristin H. Martin
Utica Insurance coverage - Mandy Younger
NSW State Insurance coverage Regulatory Authority - Marie Eve Paquette
APRIL Canada - Mark Lange
Allianz - Mary Boyd
Hiscox - MaryKate Townsend
Lloyd’s - Matthew Hill
Chartered Insurance coverage Institute - Matthew Wilson
Vacationers Europe - Michael Ferber
Victor Insurance coverage Managers - Mike Arbour
Sedgwick - Mike Bruce
Brown & Brown Europe - Mike Hessling
Gallagher Bassett - Mike Palotay
Tokio Marine HCC Cyber & Skilled Traces Group - Natasha Gale
ARAG Australia - Neil Kessler
CRC Group - Nick Creatura
CNA Canada - Nigel Fitzgerald
Steadfast - Patrick Hennessy
Marsh - Philip Hobbs
Liberty Worldwide - Philippe Meyenhofer
PartnerRe - Ram Kangatharan
Auto & Basic - Rebekah Clement
Lloyd’s - Richard Klipin
Nationwide Insurance coverage Brokers’ Affiliation - Richard Milner
Chaucer - Roy Gori
Manulife - Sabrina Hart
Munich Re Specialty - Sam White
Stella Insurance coverage - Sara Mitchell
AXIS Capital - Sarah Stanford
Aspen UK - Sare Ozkara
Vero - Satpreet Chandra
Marsh NZ - Scott Reichelt
Crawford - Shawn DeSantis
Navacord - Simone Labady
Aioi Nissay Dowa Administration
New Zealand and ICNZ - Sonia Caamano
Howden - Quickly Eager Lee
Canopius - Stephanie Ogden
HDI UK and Eire - Susan Johnson
The Hartford and NAAIA - Takuya Aibe
Howden Japan - Tara Foley
AXA UK and Eire - Taylor Rhodes
Utilized Programs - Thomas Lillelund
Allianz Industrial - Tim Ryan
Lockton - Timothy Sweeney
Liberty Mutual - Timothy Turner
Ryan Specialty - Tony Wheatley
Berkley Insurance coverage Australia - Traci Boland
IBAC Ontario West Insurance coverage Brokers - Tracy Garrad
Aviva Canada - Vishal Kundi
BOXX Insurance coverage
