Transforming the traditional insurance claims handling model that has led to huge savings and a reduction in indemnity spend for its clients, the judges were bowled over by the winner's successful governmental lobbying and the outstanding case studies presented. Their special jurisdictions outsource and pioneering  ‘know your opponent’  strategy resulted in positive disruption that was truly groundbreaking  in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Activate Group has addressed a real pain point in the motor insurance industry that is fundamentally affecting car insurance costs today. It has taken a very archaic area and used technology and communication to provide a valued service to the end customer. They have invested a lot in this and have a substantial business case.

The judges felt the winner had set a high standard in the commercial lines market. They were impressed by their organic growth and felt the firm had a different approach to business that was really adding value. They were also impressed by the radical approach to driving client satisfaction.

Judges noted the winner’s desire to help previously excluded customers access insurance by leveraging data around medical conditions and praised the determination and single-minded focus given to innovative solutions that involved a healthy dose of empathy.

Judges praised the winner’s proactive approach to a significant risk via the use of bespoke technology. They also highlighted the measurable value and impact it had delivered on a set of increasingly at risk customers.

The judges were impressed with the winner's use of real time data to fuel growth and how technology was integrated to enhance customer service.

The winner’s large-scale impact on the perception of the insurance industry, alongside its commitment to improve social mobility at scale, was award winning. The laser-focused nature of this scheme and buy-in across the organisation that engendered both vigour and speed were also impressive.

Aviva has effectively demonstrated its understanding of a known pain point and showcased how powerful its intelligence is in addressing it, leading to a significant impact on both people and cost margins. It has proven its capability by showing what it has already accomplished and how easily it can implement the next steps, resulting in a rapid response time and a substantial reduction of the pain point, making its solution highly effective for customers. Additionally, it has illustrated the ability to work seamlessly with both brokers and customers, delivering content that is not only polished but also has a competitive edge.

The judges loved the way the winner used claims technology in an intelligent way to produce cost savings and address fraud. It has wider implications in the market, as well as an excellent success rate.

What Ageas is doing with the categorisation and then going out to their customers to try and stop or mitigate potential claims is the dream in insurance. They hope to have a ‘halo effect’ and encourage industry change. They are looking to lead on climate change, be different, be proactive and get ahead of risks.

The judges were wowed by this entry that addressed third party claims, making it easier to communicate during the process using an AI chatbot. Its proposition allows the third party to communicate with the firm via any channel. The firm also created, what is believed to be the first video explainer on the market.

The judges loved the humility in this entry, addressing the issue that some brokers had to wait two or more days for a complex referral in the Insurance Times survey. They addressed this by initiating a broker end to end review. Judges also praised the social impact element of this entry, with its significant focus on sustainability and helping to ensure children had breakfast.

The judges were impressed with how the winning entry tackled a difficult area of the market with a sophisticated solution that delivered significant results from claims that were high volume and low value. This bold decision was balanced with a dedication to vulnerable customers that maintained customer outcomes while simultaneously combatting fraud in a problem area.

It is clear that a real investment in all forms has been made. The results are clearly impactful and show a genuine shift in culture, reducing fraud by those that we rely upon to support the insurance industry, not work against it. A very worthy winner.

The judges were highly impressed by AXA’s claims game – a truly innovative and unique concept that the rest of the market will surely incorporate due to its impact on employees and customer retention. This innovative idea is properly driving change in demographics in our industry and has created a way to motivate staff to excel in every step of the claims journey. By incorporating neuroscience into the professional development of staff they have introduced an innovative method to drive change, understanding and engagement with the entire claims process in a fun engaging way. Furthermore judges were impressed with the impact of this game on knowledge, employee and customer retention.

Judges were impressed with the enthusiasm and detail provided in the presentation. The comprehension and structure of the programme stood out, in addition to the e-learning and impact in the market. Judges also praised the metrics sighted in the presentation, such as having over 10,000 engagements and over 500 employees on professional development and how they train their coaches and assessors.

The judges were impressed with the number of policyholders making use of the support on offer and the high levels of satisfaction evidenced by extremely high NPS scores. The fact that they use their own in-house resources to do so rather than relying on external partners makes this entry even more impressive.

Very simple and very focused. It’s good to see a broker taking charge of its own destiny and cracking on with it. Atec is spending a lot of time perfecting its niche before scaling. The presentation was crisp with a well articulated message. They have recognised where there was a problem with clients accessing insurance and made a massive and valuable difference to a group of people that would usually struggle to get insurance.

The judges were blown away by this standout and very engaging presentation, which included a live demonstration of what the platform can do. The platform supports firms specifically with Consumer Duty and the data required, it caters to brokers, insurers, syndicates and MGAs.

We really liked this one – Uinsure has digitised a manual process. We really liked the fact that Uinsure is taking information at source, getting rid of questions and making the process more streamlined for customer benefit. It’s a slam dunk. Uinsure is genuinely digitally slick using data.

CGI UK really impressed us because it addressed a part of the process that people don’t usually think about. Insurance broking accounting is an absolute nightmare across the industry, yet CGI is working with firms across the industry to make a real difference quickly. It’s a strong story around the process behind the scenes.

Established as a dominant player in its specialist sectors and with impressive growth in emerging areas, the winner demonstrated enhanced trading efficiencies, coupling both a flexibility and a customer focus that stands out to its broker partners. Together with strong investment in training and the recruitment of key personnel, this has resulted in an exceptional underwriting business deserving of this recognition.

Judges for this category highlighted the community-focused approach of the winner, as well as its commitment to customer service and impressive growth since formation. They added that the commitment to technology-enabled customer solutions shone through, as well as the start-up approach to solving problems.

The depth and breadth of the proposition truly impressed the judges in terms of what they are doing as a Lloyd’s broker in the UK and beyond. The judges also felt that the size and strength of the product lines and its ability to attract new talent were all underpinned by a fantastic culture across the business. The judges were also impressed with the winner’s use of technology and handling of data.

Amid very strong competition, Rhino’s campaign stood out for its exceptional understanding of, and rapport with, its target market of tradespeople. A refreshingly diverse selection of real tradespeople – and real Rhino policyholders – are the heroes of the campaign, and their enthusiasm for the firm and its products is obvious. It’s not big or flashy, but if we were plumbers, electricians or plasterers we wouldn’t go anywhere else for our cover.

Demonstrating excellence in underwriting, claims, broker service, tailored products, financial performance, the winner shone across every metric. In a category boasting some truly outstanding competition, the judges felt this demonstrable success coupled with an impressive culture that has seen them identified as one of the top employers in the sector ultimately set them apart.

The winning broker demonstrated a healthy balance of commercial and customer focus with strong revenue growth, high retention rates, and a rising TrustPilot score. Employing a voice of the customer representative for such a small company also really impressed the judges.

Superscript are trying to find schemes for the new world and trying to find different ways of creating insurance for those people, which we find really interesting. This is something that the industry has to do. Superscript is a broker that has innovation and gave a strong presentation.

The judges were impressed with how this insurer added value in an underserved market that had gone through a difficult period, not only maintaining its capacity while others exited, but also delivering strong growth. They noted the dedication and care exhibited by the winning team in a presentation that ticked all the boxes for Specialist Insurer of the Year.

Markerstudy presented a well-thought-out and structured ESG promise, addressing all three areas of ESG in a considered and admirable way. It has embraced all elements of ESG, while also managing to inject some fun into the process. It’s approach was the most closely aligned with the criteria, hitting all the key points, which is a critical factor. Markerstudy has also shown a strong commitment to embracing the cultural aspects of ESG, both internally within the organisation and externally in their wider initiatives.

Covea’s Niall Mitchell has had an impressive career trajectory in a short space of time, rising from a 16-year-old apprentice to now be the insurer’s 26-year-old distribution manager. The business impact Niall has had during this tenure is well evidenced and it is clear that he has a proactive, can do attitude – as well as limitless ambition and ideas. His dedication to personal growth and fundraising is equally as impressive as his professional performance.”