A Beazley underwriter is leading a team of 27 cyclists on a 600-mile ride from Berlin to London this July to raise funds for the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), in memory of his father, a marine insurance veteran who died of bowel cancer in 2022.
George Southgate (pictured, right), will be joined by colleagues from across the insurance industry when the group sets off on July 5, covering approximately 100 miles a day through Germany and the Netherlands before crossing to the UK by ferry. The ride finishes outside Lloyd's of London, a fitting tribute to his father's four-decade career in the market, before the group cycles on to the ICR's laboratories in Chelsea.
George's father, Mike Southgate (pictured, left), spent more than 40 years in marine insurance, working as a marine hull underwriter at firms including Sturge syndicate, GE & Swiss Re, and later as head of marine and energy at Montpelier, Canopius and Hiscox. He was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in April 2020 and died in January 2022, aged 59.
The scale of the challenge facing cancer sufferers is considerable.
Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, with around 44,100 new cases diagnosed every year, or about 120 every day. It is also the second most common cause of cancer death in the country, accounting for 10% of all cancer deaths. Survival is heavily dependent on early detection, with more than nine in 10 people with stage one bowel cancer surviving at least five years after diagnosis, while advanced stage four disease carries a survival rate of about one in 10. Mike Southgate was diagnosed at stage four.
George said his father's desire to contribute to clinical research, even when he was too ill to participate, had been the driving force behind the challenge.
"In the final stages of my dad's illness, after trying a variety of harsh treatments, he wanted to take part in a clinical trial. He knew there was little chance it would improve his own prognosis but instead could help clinicians gain greater understanding into bowel cancer and the specific mutations present during his illness," he said. "Unfortunately, he was too ill to participate in it, but his attitude towards furthering research and the belief that this could improve the outlook for many bowel cancer patients is what has driven me to support the Institute of Cancer Research."
The ICR, a member of the institution of the University of London, is one of the world's foremost oncology research centres. Together with the Royal Marsden Hospital, it forms the largest comprehensive cancer centre in Europe.
It is not George's first fundraising effort for the cause. In June 2022, he raised more than £18,000 for the ICR when he and three others cycled from London to Paris. This time, the scale of the challenge is considerably larger, with 26 fellow riders joining him, many from the insurance industry.
His cousin Ben, who lost his own mother to breast cancer in 2023, will also be taking part. Cancer has affected the family repeatedly: George's grandfather died in 2018 following a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukaemia, and his uncle died aged 47 from osteosarcoma.
"Seeing the impact of their illnesses, and their deaths on my family, has been very difficult," George said. "But knowing there will be more families in the same situation, directly raising funds for research feels like a positive, tangible step. Ultimately this challenge is just my small way of trying to help reduce the number of individuals suffering with cancer and the families who are broken apart by it."
The ride reflects a broader tradition of charitable fundraising within the London insurance market.
Lloyd's has contributed £2.1 million to charities and individuals through its charitable activities in 2025. Community challenges that unite colleagues across firms are a well-established feature of market life, and George's ride embodies that spirit. Beazley, where George works, is a FTSE 100-listed specialist insurer headquartered in London, with revenues of $6.06 billion in 2025.
George hopes to raise more than £100,000. Sarah Castleman, sports and challenge events manager at the ICR, said the charity was delighted to have his support once again.
"He has already done so much in his father's memory, and we can't wait to celebrate with him and the team this July. Cycling 600 miles over six days from Berlin to London will be tough, but we know the whole group is incredibly passionate and motivated," she said. "Every pound raised helps drive our research forward, and every mile brings us closer to a future where cancer can be defeated."
