Podcasts

This week, we sat down with Nick Doyle - Head of International Claims for The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. Nick Doyle joined The Hartford in 2018.   He is responsible for the oversight of the International Claims portfolio, a member of the Global Specialty International Senior Leadership Team, Executive Committee and Executive Sponsor of the Culture Council. Nick started his career in London Market Claims at Hardy Syndicate after graduating from university.  His area of expertise focused on Energy and Marine Claims.  Nick has also been an active member of external market committees to enhance the London market claims offering.  Nick is currently a member of the Lloyd's Market Association Head of Claims Committee.​ Nick discusses how he first discovered the insurance industry during a summer at a recruiting agency, sparking an interest in claims that continued after university. Over the past eight years at The Hartford, his focus includes overseeing claims across the London market, select Asia offices and Miami, leading teams and sitting on the executive committee. Following the integration of Navigators with The Hartford, he is energized by the expanded product offerings and geographic reach and remains committed to investing in innovation to strengthen the business and deliver greater value to customers.

Tom Upton joined Markel in July 2015 as a Senior Claims Adjuster in their Marine & Energy team. He began his career on the Lloyd’s Claims Graduate Scheme, before joining Hiscox as a Claims Underwriter in the Marine and Energy team.  After moving to Markel in 2015, he was promoted to Manager of Energy, Cargo, Specie and Terrorism in 2016. In 2017, he transitioned to Manager of the Energy, Liability and Terrorism claims team and in 2022 he was promoted to Head of Claims Performance for Marine and Energy. Tom has global responsibility for all Marine and Energy claims. He is also responsible for the performance of the Marine and Energy claims team and ensuring they are market-leading in their approach to claims. He sits on the Claims Leadership team and champions projects both internally and externally. In this engaging conversation, they explore Tom’s journey into the insurance industry, starting with his early days at Lloyd’s and culminating in his current leadership role at Markel. He shares what he finds most rewarding about leading, particularly the opportunity to develop and grow his team over the past decade. The discussion also touches on the evolving role of artificial intelligence in claims service and its potential impact on the industry’s future. Tom reflects on the qualities that define an exceptional claims handler: empathy, client focus, and a deep appreciation that insurance is a people-centred business.

Next up in our Claims Series Interviews: Barry Jones sits down with Andrew Bart, of Crawford & Company. Andrew Bart is the chief executive officer of Crawford International Operations, which incorporates all operations outside of North America. This includes Loss Adjusting, Third Party Administration (TPA) and Platforms. Andrew is committed to delivering market leading claim solutions in all sectors. He is particularly focused on attracting, training and retaining high grade technical experts, developing digital capabilities and creating a culture of growth. Andrew has 30+ years of claims and loss adjusting experience, and he has spent the last 18 years of his career at Crawford & Company where he has successfully managed teams across multiple geographies and product lines. Andrew describes his entry into the insurance industry as serendipitous. He began his career as a graduate accountant, but within a year of making the switch, he found himself on the ground in Fiji, managing cyclone claims firsthand, an immersive introduction to the world of loss adjusting. He reflects on his role at Crawford & Company and his longstanding relationship with the Crawford family, whose legacy began over 80 years ago with founder Jim Crawford. Starting out as a hands-on loss adjuster, Andrew’s career evolved into leading global teams in what he describes as an incredibly diverse and dynamic position. In conversation with Barry, Andrew shares his thoughts on the insurance industry’s historically slow pace of evolution, noting that artificial intelligence is now rapidly transforming the field of loss adjusting. He also highlights what he sees as Crawford & Company’s greatest strength.

After interviewing over 30 claims professionals, Barry had the pleasure of sitting down with Markus Heiss, one of MDD’s most seasoned forensic accountants, for a candid and insightful conversation. What began as an unexpected start at MDD evolved into a career defined by purpose and a deep passion for claims. Markus shared what continues to drive his interest in the field, explains what forensic accounting is truly about, and offered his perspective on MDD’s future, including our integration with Davies. He also reflected on the one aspect of the claims process he’d change, celebrated key career milestones, and paid tribute to the MDD partners who helped shape his professional path. Markus joined MDD Forensic Accountants in 1993 and he has been a Partner at the firm’s London office since 2002. Markus has provided economic damage quantification assessments for over 1,000 files in more than 30 countries throughout Europe, the Middle East, Far East, Africa, Australasia and North and South America. His professional practice specializes in matters related to business interruption, lost profits, loss of income, stock and property damage losses, construction defects & claims, fidelity and fraud, often as a result of physical damages, machinery breakdown, natural disasters or contractual and legal disputes. He has been engaged on assignments involving retail, wholesale and manufacturing businesses across a wide range of industries including automotive, consumer goods packaging, telecommunications, mining & refining, power generation, chemicals, petrochemicals, onshore and offshore energy, publishing, pulp and paper and steel. Fluent in English, Spanish and German (mother tongue), Markus has provided expert witness testimony both in the UK and Europe.

In this latest instalment of our Claims Interviews series, Barry Jones sits down with Stuart Wright. Stuart is Head of Non-Marine Claims for Ascot Syndicate 1414, overseeing a complex book of insurance and reinsurance claims for all non-marine lines of business. He has over 25 years experience in the London Market, the last 14 years at Ascot. He is a former Chair of the LMA Property Insurance Claims Group (and currently Deputy), and Chair (and founder) of the PICG Conference. In his conversation with Barry, Stuart reflects on his pivotal role at Ascot and what he’d change about claims processing in the London market. Stuart shares his journey, from founding the PICG Conference, his future at Ascot, and the high points that have defined his career.

Up next in our Claims Interviews series is Ian Thompson. With 12 years at Zurich Insurance in EMEA and global executive claims roles and 19 years at RSA in senior strategic and operational positions, Ian brings a 30-year track record of success in transformation, turnaround, innovation, and overcoming complex business challenges. Today, Ian leverages this extensive expertise to advise organizations building their success in the global insurance ecosystem, supporting innovation, growth, transformation, and the delivery of sustainable business results. Barry Jones caught up with Ian for an engaging conversation about his path into the insurance industry and what led him to his current advisory role. Ian reflects on what qualities define a great claims handler and his observations on the future of claims. Ian also discusses the best piece of advice he’s received in his career and provides a glimpse into his aspirations for the future.

We had a great time speaking with Nigel Ward for our Claims Interviews series. Nigel is a technical insurance practitioner with broad experience of managing major insurance losses. He has represented Lloyd's syndicates and both London and international market companies on the Steering Committee of many of the major losses of the new Millennium, including the World Trade Centre, damage to the State of Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina, claims arising from Deepwater Horizon, CAR losses sustained during the construction of the Al Burj Dubai and other global projects. At Marsh, he acted for many of the world’s largest companies, ensuring major losses were project-managed to resolve high-level coverage and quantum issues, often via direct negotiation with insurers, reinsurers, captives and third parties. He joined Aviva in 2018 to provide the best possible service to Aviva clients who suffer major losses on risks worldwide. Barry chats with Nigel about his journey into the insurance industry, life at Aviva, and how his view of leadership has evolved. From learning through mistakes to leading with purpose, Nigel shares insights into his career highs and lows, the challenges of attracting new talent, and plans for the future at Aviva and beyond.

Steve Parry joined Hiscox in July 2023 as the Group Claims Director. He started his career as a claims adjuster with AIG in Manchester before moving to London, where he held several management roles prior to his departure to join Ace in 2006. He held various roles with Ace and Chubb over 14 years, including Claims Director for UK and EMEA, where he oversaw Chubb’s claims operations for UKI, including Lloyd’s Syndicates, claims operations, Europe, Middle East and Africa. In his current role, Steve has responsibility for claims across Hiscox. He works closely with the Hiscox businesses to ensure an aligned strategic approach to service Hiscox customers’ needs. In this episode, Barry chats with Steve about his path into the insurance industry, what he enjoys most about his role and leadership, and the changes he believes could enhance the claims process. He also reflects on the people who’ve shaped his career and his aspirations for the future.

We very much enjoyed interviewing Sarah Howell this week for our Claims Interviews series. Sarah Howell is an accomplished insurance professional with over 20 years of experience in claims management, specializing in first-party claims. Currently serving as the Head of First Party Claims at Liberty Specialty Markets, Sarah has developed a reputation for her strategic leadership and expertise in navigating complex claims processes. Sarah began her career in the insurance industry as a claims adjuster, where she honed her skills in evaluating and settling claims efficiently. Her keen analytical abilities and dedication to customer service led her to progressively more challenging roles within the industry. Over the years, she has worked for several leading insurance firms, gaining valuable insights into various facets of claims handling, risk assessment, and regulatory compliance. In this podcast, Barry asks Sarah what she enjoys most about being a leader, whether she thinks finding new talent is an issue, the best career advice she’s been given and her aspirations for the future.

We recently welcomed Elliott Goss from W/R/B Underwriting to record a podcast with us. Elliott talked to us about the advancement of technology in claims, what he thinks makes a good claims handler and leader, the highs and lows in his career, his aspirations for the future, what he enjoys outside of work and what his ideal career would have been had it not been in insurance. Elliott joined W/R/B Underwriting in July 2022 and is Senior Claims Executive with 20 years Lloyd's and London Market experience. Elliott has worked across different jurisdictional and regulatory environments and is deeply passionate about excelling in client and customer service. Elliott has a strong operational background with proven track record in strengthening claims teams whilst using optimal processes to ensure efficiency and a high-quality output. Elliott also has experience of working in different cultures and environments, small companies, and large corporates. Elliott obtained a Fellowship of the CII which is regarded as the premier designation for those working in the insurance profession.