At a pivotal moment for the London company market, the IUA has placed underwriting and claims at the heart of its strategy, emphasising clarity in policy wordings, stronger feedback loops between teams, and modernising talent engagement. As two of its newly elevated directors – one of underwriting, the other of claims – lay out their priorities, the association signals a more integrated, proactive role in helping members navigate a softer market, emerging risks and internal process challenges.
Tom Hughes (pictured left), director of underwriting at the IUA, identifies three pillars of his agenda. First is “advancing underwriting excellence and policy wordings expertise.” With the London market in transition, he emphasises the need for “greater resilience and underwriting discipline … with clear wordings that will support sustainable business practices.” A stronger feedback loop between underwriting, wordings and claims will be embedded through the IUA’s Clauses Committee and by ensuring wordings practitioners attend class‑of‑business underwriting forums.
Hughes also flags a new next‑gen underwriting group under the IUA Futures umbrella: “To promote excellence amongst the next generation, we will be putting together a new next-gen underwriting group.” He’s also launching a Chief Underwriting Officer (CUO) Council to align member priorities, surface cross‑class issues, and position the IUA as an authoritative voice on underwriting matters.
In terms of external trends, Hughes points to geopolitical instability, artificial intelligence and systemic cyber as top-tier risks. These were recently presented to the Singapore College of Insurance and are a focus for upcoming technical roundtables and model clause review.
Looking ahead, Hughes defines success as being seen as a leading voice on underwriting, embedding claims and wordings insight into core underwriting work, and launching the next‑gen and CUO councils.
Joe Shaw (pictured right), director of claims at the IUA, is focused on three priorities: improving understanding of London market claims processes, strengthening the underwriting‑claims feedback loop, and boosting talent attraction and retention.
He highlights the launch of updated IUA Claims Agreement Practices (Version 2025), which clarify the practical mechanics of claims processing across bureaus. Reducing friction, he said, is a shared benefit: “Clients and insureds will be going through more complex scenarios … their claims cycle shouldn’t have added friction that’s not related to the risk they’re seeing.”
On collaboration, Shaw stresses that the IUA is uniquely positioned: “Each staff member manages both underwriting and claims for a class of business. We’re helping that feedback loop happen.” New claims groups, such as the construction and engineering committee, are also elevating the visibility of claims practitioners in historically underwriting‑led conversations.
The IUA is also investing in future talent. A job simulation on the Forage platform has attracted over 2,500 enrolments, introducing claims careers to a more diverse cohort. Meanwhile, a “claims pathway” initiative is helping junior practitioners navigate the first two years in‑market.
Both Hughes and Shaw stress the importance of collaboration across all levels – from chief underwriting officers and heads of claims to junior staff and new entrants. In a hybrid world, the IUA sees itself as a connector.
“Members now value being brought together more than ever,” said Shaw. “When people were in the office five days a week, there were more casual learning moments. Now, when we host an event, the value has increased.”
Externally, the IUA is also pushing for broader visibility. Hughes has presented internationally and both directors are working closely with the IUA’s communications team to highlight thought leadership and committee expertise. A new initiative launching in 2026 will bring senior underwriting and claims voices together to showcase innovation – from automated vehicles to parametric covers.
For brokers and advisers, the IUA’s twin emphasis on wordings discipline and claims feedback signals a sharper technical underbelly in the market. Stronger wordings backed by claims insight reduce ambiguity and help negotiate more sustainable cover.
The focus on emerging risks – and on connecting underwriting, claims and risk – suggests a market looking to lead, not just respond.
With new leadership in place, the IUA is positioning itself as more than a market convenor. If it can deliver on this agenda, the next 12 months could mark a quiet but significant shift in how the company market defines resilience.
