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How healthy is the UK broker landscape really? Ahead of BIBA 2026, leaders from Qclaims, Victor Insurance, Virtue, CGI, and First Underwriting debate the shifting shape of the broking sector. From AI-powered innovation to the resurgence of entrepreneurial ARs, discover where new value is being created and why service, not just price, is back in vogue. With consolidation slowing and MGAs finding their agile edge, this conversation is packed with actionable insights for insurers, brokers, and anyone invested in the future of distribution. Can community, smarter tech, and a focus on relationships keep the MGA sector ahead? Find out inside.
Key Quotes:
“We’re there to listen as much as we’re there to talk and to sell our products. We want to hear where brokers are struggling in the market, where we can help them out, where there’s gaps… we’re not just building things for the sake of building things. We want to build products that actually make brokers’ lives easier.”
“What I do like about being at BIBA is you can really talk to people about what’s working well, what has worked, where are the struggles… and that allows us to shape our solutions to get the best out of the technology that’s on the table today.”
“The really interesting thing is to have so many conversations in such a short space of time… and having 75% of your customers and suppliers in the same postcode for three days is genuinely unique.”
“The broking community is so dynamic in the UK, and it’s always changing shape… we’ve seen huge amounts of consolidation, but in the last 18 months the AR community just seems to be exploding again… it’s constantly reinventing itself.”
“Yes, we are in a soft market, and yes, everyone is after the best possible competitive rate. But we find that where we win and we keep our brokers is by service… they know they can pick up the phone and speak to an underwriter who can make a decision.”
Resources:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/cgi/
https://www.virtuunderwriting.co.uk/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/virtusolutions/
https://qlaims.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/qlaims-limited/
https://www.firstuw.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/first-underwriting-limited/
https://www.victorinsurance.com/uk/home.html
https://www.linkedin.com/company/victoruk/
About the Guests:
Daren Rudd - Head of Business and Technology Consulting |UK Insurance | Vice President – Consulting Expert
Daren is a Vice-President in CGI’s UK Insurance business, leading a consulting team working with clients to shape digital strategy, modernise business models, and apply emerging technologies to deliver measurable outcomes.
With over 30 years’ experience in the London and General Insurance markets, Daren brings deep industry expertise alongside more than a decade in InsurTech, consulting and technolgytechnology delivery. He applies a pragmatic approach in the use of technology to make a difference for the business, focusing on a lean rapid approach to transformation and focused on the value it creates for people.
Daren is passionate about approaching complex challenges differently and believes that traditional transformation does not meet the needs of modern business. He partners with senior business and technology leaders to bridge the gap between innovation and reality, to ensure solutions are focus on real value not technology hype.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/daren-rudd/
Emily Gough - Property Owner Department Lead at Virtu Underwriting
Emily Gough is an accomplished insurance professional with extensive experience across property and commercial underwriting. She currently serves as the Property Owner Department Lead at Virtu Underwriting, a position she has held since September 2023. In this role, Emily leads departmental strategy, oversees underwriting frameworks, and ensures the delivery of competitive, profitable, and customer-focused solutions for brokers and their clients.
Before joining Virtu, Emily spent more than a decade developing deep technical and operational expertise. Her leadership has consistently centred on a strong blend of technical knowledge and practical leadership to the property insurance sector.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-gough-acii-3a8a7687/
Liz Latter - CEO Qlaims
Liz is a commercially driven insurance leader and CEO of Qlaims, a fast-growing specialist MGA providing Loss Recovery Insurance. With experience across brokers, software providers, and insurers, including leadership roles in start‑ups and mature organisations, she champions using technology to elevate, not replace, the empathy and clarity people need during challenging claims moments.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-latter-70180b11/
Simon Taylor - Commercial Director, First Underwriting
Simon Taylor is Commercial Director at First Underwriting – one of the UK’s leading specialist and scheme insurance MGAs. With over 30 years of experience, he’s held a wide range of senior leadership roles in the UK general insurance market with a track record of building businesses and profitable business growth. As Commercial Director at First Underwriting, he’s focused on enhancing and evolving its distribution and insurance solutions – further strengthening the organisation’s commitment to helping broker partners succeed. His favourite insurance story is being served a £4,500 bottle of wine by mistake several years back at a BIBA conference!
https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-taylor-ab309b1b/
Susan Diemer - Head of Sales and Distribution at Victor Insurance
Susan Diemer is the Head of Sales and Distribution at Victor UK responsible for leading the UK sales team and developing the sales strategy for Victor in the UK. Susan has 25 years of experience in the industry; starting as a graduate at AXA, then working in strategy and proposition development positions at NIG, and most recently as Head of Strategic Partners at Markel. Through her time in insurance she has found her passion in developing good customer outcomes for brokers and end customers alike and loves being in front of brokers, supporting their growth. She is a Chartered Insurer with an Advanced Diploma from the Chartered Insurance Institute and holds a MA in Management Studies from St. Andrews University.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/suz-diemer-acii-ma-32b4911b/
