Few figures have been as closely involved in shaping UK insurance broking as Graeme Trudgill (pictured). Over a 25-year career at the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA), he has moved from policy specialist to CEO, helping to position brokers at the centre of some of the industry’s most important regulatory and political debates.
His appointment to CEO reflects more than tenure. It signals the influence he has built over decades – translating broker concerns into policy outcomes and ensuring the sector is heard at the highest levels of government. At a time of regulatory reform, technological disruption and shifting customer behaviour, that experience has become increasingly valuable.
Trudgill’s leadership style is rooted in the discipline of political policy work, where clarity and timing are critical. “In policy, you really listen and you make every word count, because sometimes you only have one chance to make your point,” he said, adding that you might have “30 seconds – a lift moment – to land something important.”
That precision has defined his approach to government engagement. Rather than positioning BIBA in opposition, he has focused on alignment, shaping arguments that reflect political priorities, particularly around economic growth and competitiveness.
That strategy has underpinned one of the association’s most significant recent wins: securing a competitiveness and growth objective within the Financial Conduct Authority. Long championed by BIBA, the change marked a shift in regulatory thinking, recognising the need to balance consumer protection with a more supportive environment for firms operating in the UK.
It is also reflective of a wider approach built on collaboration. Throughout his career, Trudgill has worked closely with insurers, consumer bodies and international organisations to strengthen the industry’s collective voice and ensure its concerns carry weight. As he put it, “my approach is one of allyship: who can we work with on this? Because more voices are better than just the lone voice.”
While policy remains central to his role, the move to CEO has expanded Trudgill’s responsibilities significantly. He now leads an organisation at the heart of a sector, while also carrying direct responsibility for BIBA’s people, performance and long-term direction.
“I feel the responsibility for a sector that writes £150 billion in gross written premium, that employs 132,000 people,” he said.
His leadership is shaped by close engagement with BIBA’s membership, drawing on insight from committees and advisory boards made up of brokers across the UK. That structure provides a constant flow of market intelligence, ensuring that BIBA’s policy positions and strategic priorities remain grounded in the realities facing firms on the ground.
It also underpins BIBA’s flagship conference, now the largest insurance broking conference globally and a key platform for debate across the industry, bringing together brokers, insurers, regulators and policymakers to address the issues shaping the market.
At the core of Trudgill’s agenda is a clear principle: “we are a trade association, and it’s my job to help members trade,” he said. That role is becoming more complex as technology reshapes how customers access insurance, with the rise of AI-driven and voice-led purchasing risking reduced access to professional advice and potentially weakening the role of intermediaries.
For Trudgill, this reinforces the need to clearly articulate the value of brokers as advisers and advocates for clients, particularly as risks become more complex and products more specialised.
Alongside this, regulatory reform remains a priority. BIBA has been working closely with the FCA on simplifying insurance rules, with a focus on reducing unnecessary cost and complexity while maintaining consumer protection. The aim is not to reduce consumer protection, but a more proportionate and efficient system that enables firms to operate effectively while continuing to deliver good outcomes for customers. “We don’t want fewer people to be protected, we just want a slicker, more streamlined system of regulation,” he said.
That focus on proportionality is expected to continue, with BIBA pushing for further reforms through a proposed Financial Services Bill designed to address authorisation processes, regulatory timelines and barriers to growth.
Cyber risk has emerged as one of the most pressing challenges facing the sector, with a significant gap between exposure and insurance uptake among small businesses. “There’s a huge protection gap,” he said, with BIBA responding through plans to improve access to specialist expertise and strengthen links with government to raise awareness of cyber risk and the role of insurance in managing it.
At the same time, broader priorities remain in focus, from attracting new talent into the industry to ensuring brokers can adapt to technological change and maintain access to capacity in evolving market conditions. Initiatives aimed at bringing younger people into the profession are seen as critical to sustaining the sector’s long-term strength.
Despite his long tenure and growing influence, Trudgill frames his role in terms of stewardship rather than personal legacy. “I see it as being a caretaker, and I want it to be in even better shape when I pass it on to the next generation,” he said.
Success, he suggests, will be measured not only in visible reforms, but in the less visible work of shaping and, at times, preventing change. “We’re a little bit like the Knights Templar. We do things that are not in the public domain a lot of the time,” he said.
Ultimately, his approach returns to a consistent theme, bringing the right voices together to drive outcomes for the sector. As the industry navigates a period of structural change, that ability to align brokers, regulators and government may prove to be his defining contribution and one that shapes the sector long after his tenure.
