HDI Global UK & Ireland has received permission to underwrite from Lloyd’s for Syndicate 2029, the last regulatory step before the platform opens for business on January 1, 2027.
The permission follows Lloyd’s approval in principle, which HDI secured in September 2026 as part of its Xcelerate29 growth strategy. The syndicate will initially write 13 lines across specialty and corporate insurance, including credit and political risk, cyber, political violence and terrorism, financial and professional lines, fine art and specie, marine cargo, medical malpractice, clinical trials and bloodstock. That range gives brokers a new Lloyd’s route to HDI underwriting capacity across a broad set of risk segments from the first day of the 2027 underwriting year.
Louise Radford (pictured), who was appointed active underwriter in September 2026 and retains her financial lines leadership alongside that role, will oversee the syndicate’s underwriting strategy and risk appetite. The syndicate will be managed in partnership with PoloWorks through its Polo Managing Agency division. Polo provides governance, regulatory oversight and operational management on a turnkey basis, allowing insurers to enter Lloyd’s without building their own agency infrastructure.
“The products in scope for Syndicate 2029 represent strategic growth areas for HDI, complementing our existing underwriting capabilities and giving clients and brokers greater choice and access to our specialist expertise through the Lloyd’s globally recognised marketplace,” Radford said.
HDI tied the number 2029 to its four-year Xcelerate29 strategy, which runs from 2026 to 2029, and the approval in principle earlier this year was described by HDI’s UK chief executive Simon Hunt as central to the group’s international growth ambitions. The syndicate adds Lloyd’s global licences and distribution infrastructure to HDI’s existing company market platform. That combination widens the pool of risks HDI can access and the jurisdictions it can serve.
PoloWorks brings an established operational track record to the arrangement. Since January 1, 2026, Polo Managing Agency has supported more than £700 million of gross written premium across syndicates it has launched, making it one of the more active turnkey managing agencies in the market.
Dawn Miller, Lloyd’s chief commercial officer, said HDI’s decision to establish a syndicate was “a strong endorsement of the continued appeal of Lloyd’s and Lloyd’s Europe.”
The appointment of Radford as active underwriter suggested from the outset that financial lines would anchor the syndicate’s early appetite, though the confirmed portfolio extends well beyond that into specialty lines where Lloyd’s global licences give the greatest advantage on complex or cross-border placements.
