While we take a seasonal break over the summer, we're excited to bring you a special series of Greatest Hits episodes! These episodes highlight the most impactful discussions from past seasons of Making Risk Flow; offering both new listeners a chance to catch up on the essential conversations that have shaped our industry, and long-time followers an opportunity to revisit the insights that continue to resonate today. We hope you enjoy revisiting these highlights, and we look forward to bringi...

While we take a seasonal break over the summer, we're excited to bring you a special series of Greatest Hits episodes! These episodes highlight the most impactful discussions from past seasons of Making Risk Flow; offering both new listeners a chance to catch up on the essential conversations that have shaped our industry, and long-time followers an opportunity to revisit the insights that continue to resonate today. We hope you enjoy revisiting these highlights, and we look forward to bringi...

In the final episode of Season 5 of Making Risk Flow, host Juan de Castro sits down with James Platt, Co-Founder and Operating Partner of Trimstone Partners, a boutique strategy consulting business focused on supporting major strategic change in the insurance, asset and wealth management industries. James has an illustrious career in operational transformation and technology innovation, having played pivotal roles as a consultant and partner at Boston Consulting Group and as the CEO of Digita...

In this episode of Making Risk Flow, Juan de Castro speaks with Bob Gadaleta, Executive Vice President at Twin Maples Speciality, a new division of Starr Insurance designed to focus on serving mid-market businesses through wholesale brokers in the US. Bob joined Starr to assume this newly created position, bringing over 29 years of insurance industry experience in underwriting and field sales leadership, including stints at Hiscox and AIG.Over the course of their conversation, Juan and Bob di...

In this episode of Making Risk Flow, host Juan de Castro speaks with Stephane Flaquet, the Group Chief Operations and Technology Officer at Hiscox. Stephane is a financial services professional with broad experience in all aspects of operations, technology, and change management. Stephane’s love for the industry spawns from the social purpose of insurance, and the responsibility of protecting clients' assets, as well as the industry's ability to be a great place to combine people and technolo...

In this milestone 50th episode of Making Risk Flow, host Juan de Castro is joined by Bob James, the Chief Operating Officer of Lloyds. Bob is a seasoned senior insurance executive who has left an indelible mark on the insurance industry. He’s held C-suite positions in leading U.S. and International insurers, and is member of the Board of Trustees for The Institutes, a leading provider of insurance education.During the course of their conversation, Juan and Bob delve into the evolving nature o...

In the latest episode of Making Risk Flow, host Juan de Castro speaks with Emmanuel Clarke. Emmanuel wears many hats, including serving as Chairman of the Board at the BMS Group and Compre Group, and as a Senior Advisor at McKinsey & Company. Industry insiders speak of Emmanuel as a living legend in the insurance sector. With over 30 years of experience in the industry and multiple enterprise leadership roles, Emmanuel is a performance-driven, strategic, and execution-focused leader with ...

In this episode of Making Risk Flow, host Juan de Castro is joined by Arslan Hannani, a Vice President at Travelers, to discuss the role culture plays in driving innovation in the insurance industry. With Travelers being a 165-year-old global insurance company, Arslan firmly understands the importance of evolving in the space. Together, the pair discuss how the innovation team works closely with business units to achieve growth, ways to get over the challenging innovation hurdles of capacity ...

In this episode of Making Risk Flow, host Juan de Castro is joined by both Tony Buckle, former Chief Underwriting Officer of Allianz Global Corporate, and John Carolin, former CEO of B3i. Tony and John now work for UWX, a company set about reimagining underwriting. During their discussion, the trio talk through effective ways to navigate a soft market in the insurance industry. They highlight that, during the ‘fog of war’, a soft market is not something that just happens, rather, it is...

In this episode of Making Risk Flow, Juan de Castro speaks with Bill Bloom, a board member at Aviva Canada, Bamboo Insurance, and Foundation Risk Partners. Over his 28-year career, Bill has led the strategic direction at global insurers and consultancies, including Accenture, The Hartford, and Aviva. He has also played a leading role in integrating technology, data, and analytics in insurance operations and claims management. During the course of their fascinating discussion, Juan and Bill...

This time on Making Risk Flow, host Juan de Castro is joined by Clive Buesnel, Managing Partner, International at Insurance Advisory Partners. Clive is a seasoned insurance industry expert, having held prestigious roles at Deloitte, Jubilee General Insurance Company and Tysers. Clive shares his extensive experience and deep knowledge of the insurance industry, discussing topics such as data, technology, and the future of the industry. Together, Juan and Clive talk through how data and...

In this episode of Making Risk Flow, Juan de Castro speaks with Neil Galjaard, Divisional Managing Director of Markel UK, a global specialty insurance provider. Neil has over 30 years of experience in the insurance industry and has held leadership roles at companies like Lloyds, Virgin Money, and Towergate Insurance. Neil joined Markel in 2016 to lead the UK retail business across insurance, tax, and legal capabilities, whilst working closely with brokers, accountants, and lawyers. During...

In the latest episode of the Making Risk Flow podcast, host Juan de Castro interviews Sufen Lim, Senior Vice President at Tokio Marine Group. With over a decade of experience spanning investment banking to her current role, Sufen offers a unique perspective on the industry's evolution and Tokio Marine Group's strategic vision. Sufen joins Juan to share the cultural nuances crucial for thriving in the insurance sector and the group's commitment to driving product innovation and operational...

In this episode of the Making Risk Flow podcast, Cytora’s Juan de Castro is joined by James Anderson, Partner at EY, to delve into historical and current challenges around the soft and hard market cycle. James, an experienced actuary turned consultant, shares valuable insights on the use of analytics and technology to drive business improvement. Together, Juan and James discuss the challenges and changes facing the insurance market and the importance of preparing businesses by developing...

In this episode of Making Risk Flow, host Juan de Castro interviews Jacob Palmer, Partner at Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Jacob has over 13 years of industry experience in consulting, risk management, and insurance. In his role at BCG, he advises global insurers on everything from growth acceleration to the adoption of new technologies. Together, Juan and Jacob discuss a myriad of topics including why GenAI is a high priority for insurers, the ingredients for a successful GenAI strategy,...

It's a new year and a new season of the Making Risk Flow podcast. This time, host Juan de Castro sits down with Andrew Horton, the Group CEO of QBE Insurance. Located in 26 countries, QBE Insurance is one of the world's top 20 insurance and reinsurance companies. During the course of their conversation, Juan and Andrew discuss QBE’s approach to consistency in an ever-evolving market, the important role innovation and culture plays in insurance, and why the game-changer that is AI is on...

In this episode of Making Risk Flow Juan is joined by Simon Cooper-Williams (Director of Portfolio Development Solutions at Markel International) and Jamie Wilson (Head of Pricing and Innovation at Hyperexponential). Together they discuss how the role of actuaries has evolved over the years, and how they work together with underwriters to achieve more dynamic and informed pricing decisions. To discover more about digital risk processing, click here. Our previous guests include: Bronek...

In this episode of Making Risk Flow, host Juan de Castro is accompanied by Nigel Walsh, the Managing Director of Insurance at Google, to delve into the exciting role of technology in the insurance industry. Juan and Nigel explore the potential for technology, particularly artificial intelligence, to revolutionise underwriting workflows and decision-making, whilst also highlighting the importance of reducing costs and streamlining processes. The conversation also covers the need for...

With the exciting news of PPL's Next Gen release, here's an episode from the Making Risk Flow vault. In the episode, host Juan de Castro is joined by Bronek Masojada, the former CEO of Hiscox and former Chairman of Placing Platform Limited (PPL). Their conversation ranges from discussing Bronek’s time at Hiscox and his reflections on the challenges he faced, to talking about how PPL works, how it is being received by the market, and its successes. To discover out more about digital risk...

In this episode of Making Risk Flow, host Juan de Castro interviews Meghan Hannes, the Head of US Underwriting Management, Cyber Risks at Beazley. As a highly accomplished executive leader, Meghan has demonstrated success in portfolio management, actuarial and data science, and cyber risk management services. During the course of the discussion, Juan and Meghan cover the dynamic cyber insurance market, the evolving role of underwriters, and the role of risk controls and loss behaviour in...

In this podcast episode, Juan de Castro interviews Jeffrey Hayman, a CEO, Chairman, board member, and entrepreneur in the global insurance industry. Hayman has an impressive track record in executive roles at carriers like AIG and, more recently, in non-executive roles, including his current position as Chairman of the Board at R&Q Insurance Holdings Ltd.  They discuss various topics, including the state of the market, the board-level conversations about AI adoption,  and the use of...

In this episode of Making Risk Flow, host Juan de Castro sits down with three friends in the underwriting and insurance space to discuss the importance of underwriters in the insurance industry and how technology can improve their efficiency and effectiveness. They mention the need to digitise data, automate processes, and provide decision support to underwriters. The importance of a customer-centric approach and the role of external data in understanding and evaluating risks is also on the...

In this episode of Making Risk Flow, host Juan de Castro sits down with Bryan Falchuk, the President and CEO of Property & Liability Resource Bureau, and David Gritz, the Co-Founder and Managing Director of InsurTechNY. Drawing upon research gathered from the Insurance Collaboration Index, the trio discuss the impact collaboration can have in the insurance industry. Juan, Bryan and David also cover key lessons for nurturing successful partnerships, why it’s important to maintain a...

Making Risk Flow is back for it's fourth season! In the first episode of the new series, host Juan de Castro is joined by his good friend and Deputy CUO and Head of Third Party at Inigo Insurance, Craig Knightley. During their conversation, the pair discuss just how data analytics and insights can play a pivotal role in gaining a competitive advantage in insurance and ensure underwriters are more accurate in risk selection. Plus, Craig outlines the five pillars of Indigo's strategy: great...