Technical expertise

Underwriting

The insurance industry within the Lloyd’s market operates in a dynamic environment where highly specialised skills and expertise are essential and pivotal. The LMA Underwriting team works to support these skills, fostering underwriting excellence in the Lloyd’s marketplace.

The team interacts with Lloyd’s and many other stakeholders, both in London and internationally, representing our members’ interests across the entire underwriting spectrum. Our core function ranges from crafting model wordings to conducting research and analysis in complex areas of risk. The role of our wordings experts and technicians stands as a critical pillar for ensuring precision and accuracy in underwriting and policy creation.

2024 areas of focus include supporting the market in addressing issues arising from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas conflict and navigating the ever-changing landscape of cyber risks. In addition, across the market, we are actively involved in implementing sustainable underwriting strategies, developing products to support the transition to net zero, product simplification and the impact on underwriting of the Future at Lloyd’s strategy.

Our committees, led by experienced individuals, cover multiple classes of business, uniting hundreds of specialists in the pursuit of underwriting excellence. The team also publishes thought leadership material, sharing insight derived from our own expertise and market and class knowledge.

Technical expertise is a top priority, and we work closely with the LMA Academy to provide first-class technical education for underwriters at every stage of their career in the Lloyd’s market. We offer a market-leading range of courses delivered by industry professionals.

Elizabeth Jenkin
Underwriting Director

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Claims

The LMA Claims team prides itself in providing strategic leadership and trusted expertise to our member community, promoting excellence in claims handling.

Key to our success is the ability to facilitate and unite our community with the market and wider ecosystem. We promote regular interaction with Lloyd’s, fellow industry organisations, and service providers, ensuring we represent our members effectively. We are committed to exploring strategic and topical matters and advancing opportunities in areas where a coordinated approach is most effective.

Released in the summer of 2023, the LMA claims vision and strategy outlined challenges and opportunities across four strategic areas – Customer, Talent, Data and Digital. Market engagement validated these focus areas and, during 2023, helped inform a plan of strategic initiatives.

The next iteration of our strategy, due to be published in April 2024, will provide details on initiatives that will be progressed during 2024/25. Starting with a focus on talent attraction and customer feedback, followed by further research and initiatives unlocking opportunities through claims data and embracing emerging digital and technology solutions.

A data-driven digital marketplace is a foundational feature of the LMA claims strategy. In 2024, we will continue to advocate for claims handling advancements through technology solutions and will support our members with the adoption of Blueprint Two ICOS and Digital Processing Services, engaging with Velonetic to ensure ongoing input and subject matter expertise.

We will advance the goals of the LMA Claims Committee by actively collaborating with the LMA network of Claims Sector Groups and other associations, collectively addressing shared challenges and seeking out impactful improvement opportunities.

Janine Powell
Claims Director

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Operations

The LMA Market Operations team is focused on supporting and influencing both ‘run’ and ‘change’ agendas impacting LMA members and the wider London market. The team plays an active role in the governance and performance management of central technology and business process services provided by Velonetic, LIMOSS, PPL and Lloyd’s. Additionally, they engage in related change projects to represent the best interests of managing agents and ensure the quality of the end delivery. This often requires close collaboration with other London market associations and Lloyd’s. The team works closely with the LMA Claims and Underwriting teams when the situation requires.

Focus areas for 2024 will include influencing the progression and implementation of Blueprint Two developments, particularly new Digital Processing Services (DPS) to be supplied by Velonetic. Our focus is on thorough testing and market acceptance, market readiness to implement, including new outsourced services contracts, and the planning to deliver a ‘safe’ and resilient cutover to DPS.

We will also continue to press for the advancement of improvements to the delegated authority operating model. Our aim is to build a new Computable Binding Authority Agreement (BAA) solution ready for adoption in the first half of 2025 and facilitate extensions to the Velonetic DPS offering for delegated authority business. We will be strong advocates for the adoption of central processing, built on the utilisation (and evolution) of ACORD standards for the exchange of Core Data Record, Accounting and Settlement, and Claim Notification data. This adoption is key to increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of market-wide data processing.

The team will continue to engage LMA members through formal committee structures such as the Operations, Delegated Authority, CISO and Operational Resilience committees, as well as the Technology group, informal forum meetings and one-to-one interactions.

Rob Myers
Operations Director

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Finance & Risk

We support our members across various areas: finance, actuarial, exposure management, risk, sustainability, audit, tax and investment.

In 2024, we are committed to delivering the changes designed in 2023 to key aspects of market reporting. These are the Technical Provisions Data, the key report for reserving oversight and the QMA, the core quarterly financial statement return. Through the Reporting Project Steering Committee, we aim to ensure that both these aspects result in meaningful efficiency gains for managing agents.

As well as contributing to the Reporting Rationalisation Project, the actuarial community’s priorities for 2024 include designing and launching a reserve benchmarking tool with Lloyd’s and developing the climate key risk indicator promised in the roadmap consultation for insuring the transition. The Exposure Management Group will continue working with the Prudential Regulation Authority to define how and when the proposed Dynamic General Insurance Stress Test (DyGIST) can be performed in the market in 2025.

Both the Chief Risk Officers (CROs) and Finance committees will be focused in 2024 on supporting the successful implementation of phase one of Blueprint Two. The market-wide cutover on 01 July 2024 inevitably presents risks, and we will work with CROs to ensure our members have clear guidance on the testing, assurance and Board governance procedures required for a successful implementation. The Finance Next Gen group is already actively working on resolving obstacles to enable wider adoption of the Vitesse faster claims payment solution for delegated business in 2024.

The Sustainability groups have several projects due to be delivered in 2024. Through the Climate Risk Working Group we are developing a transition risk heat map and the Sustainability Committee is collaborating with Lloyd’s to ensure the three-year roadmap opens up opportunities for our members to innovate to insure the transition. 2024 will also see collaboration with Moody’s to develop an open-source ESG data standard and with Lloyd’s in Europe to understand how to meet upcoming sustainability disclosures without unnecessary burden on the market.

Paul Davenport
Finance & Risk Director

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Legal & Regulatory

A significant portion of the work undertaken by our members and the LMA is influenced by legal and regulatory requirements. Consequently, we actively support our members and the broader market in understanding and dealing with emerging issues and ongoing requirements. The Legal and Regulatory team plays an important role in collaborating with other LMA teams to integrate these requirements into their areas of work. As well as leading our legal and regulatory committees, we participate in the main underwriting, sustainability, delegated, claims and wording committees. 

We will continue to embed the legal trainee initiative, focusing on those specialising in wordings. We currently have five trainees undergoing our programme. Our goal is to establish a lasting programme that brings benefits to the entire market. Notably, last year’s trainees received placement opportunities from some of our key members in the market, and we expect them to qualify this year. 

Our team serves as a crucial liaison between regulators, Lloyd’s and our members, providing formal market feedback on policy and supervisory developments. In 2023, there was significant work and progress in discussions with the FCA regarding the Consumer Duty and regulatory burden affecting the Lloyd’s market. 

In 2023, we responded to 23 consultations that have implications for the Lloyd’s market. Additionally, we maintain close collaboration with other insurance industry bodies and organisations such as the IUA, ABI, LMG and the British Insurance Law Association. Our primary committees, namely the Regulatory and Legal committees, are instrumental in overseeing our activities, supported by working groups focused on financial crime, prudential, conduct and international matters. We continue to organise diverse forums covering areas such as conduct, law, compliance, governance and data protection.

In 2024, our initiatives will encompass the ongoing development of our Next Generation committees, which are dedicated to legal and regulatory matters.

We will maintain focus on Lloyd’s Europe, addressing evolving challenges to its business model arising from the imminent IDD consultation and EIOPA’s position on third-country branches. We also intend to widen our engagement with global industry and regulatory bodies to represent the interests of our members internationally.

We anticipate significant ongoing work arising from wordings and sanctions issues. Our commitment remains to improve liaison with Lloyd’s, the FCA and PRA with the aim of bringing to their attention the impact of policies on our members. Finally, we will continue to focus on the Consumer Duty and reducing unnecessary regulatory burden on our members.

Arabella Ramage
Legal Director

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HR and Academy

We work closely with HR Directors and Heads of Talent in the market, in support of diversity and inclusion initiatives, talent management, technical training programmes and market communications. We have collaborated with experts on topics, ranging from workplace behaviours and culture to the impact of artificial intelligence on HR and workforce management. We have also supported the London Market Group with its early talent campaign and website, London Insurance Life, aimed at attracting emerging talent to pursue a career in risk and insurance.

The year ahead will see us commence the implementation of our new three-year Academy strategy designed to bolster the market's technical expertise and diversify its talent pool. This will involve implementing technical training at different stages of career progression, including newcomers to the Lloyd's market from an early talent perspective, as well as experienced hires new to the Lloyd's market. In addition, we will enhance our advanced-level offerings for existing practitioners.

To attract potential hires to the LMA, we will launch our 'Life at the LMA' proposition. This initiative aims to showcase the diverse and impactful work offered by the LMA, highlighting the benefits of working with us.

Many thousands of our members engage with the LMA through diverse channels. This engagement occurs via our LMA Academy programmes, participation in high-level policy and technical committees, attendance at presentations and workshops, and distribution of market bulletins and newsletters. The way in which we interact with the market and our members is pivotal in expanding our influence and impact. Member engagement remains a top priority in 2024, with plans to implement a new strategy. This strategy aims to proactively and efficiently communicate, interact and engage widely across the Lloyd's marketplace, ultimately supporting the success of our members and the market.

Fiona Temple
People, Culture and Academy Director

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