Underwriting in a fractured world – risk appetite, geopolitics and the new strategic reality
Panel discussionUnderwriting Club (Forum at Broker Expo)
2025-10-09 | 10:40 AM - 11:20 AM
Information
Underwriting leaders are navigating a fractured global risk landscape shaped by political instability, regulatory divergence, and fast-moving systemic threats. Geopolitical unrest, war exclusions, supply chain disruptions, and sanctions are forcing a deeper assessment of accumulation risk and treaty exposure. Meanwhile, expectations around portfolio performance, broker servicing, and underwriting control are intensifying.
This session will unpack how underwriting directors are re-evaluating risk appetite, adapting governance, and future-proofing their portfolios against unpredictable external forces.
- What are we seeing in terms of geopolitical volatility, conflicts, sanctions and trade policy?
- What effects are they having on pricing, appetite and portfolio management?
- How are underwriting leaders preparing for the next phase of uncertainty resulting from what we have spoken about already, and regulatory divergence across jurisdictions?
- What are the risks for underpreparing?
- What internal governance changes and tools are needed to support underwriters making high quality decisions in highly volatile markets? E.g. Empowerment, navigating the market cycle, AI.
- Given the change in governance and the new tools at our disposal, what skills does an underwriter of the future need to have? How do we attract those future underwriters into the industry?
- How are reinsurance trends and capital availability influencing decisions?
- Given everything discussed, what are the fundamentals to staying consistent?
Speakers
Nick Hankin
QBE International
Chief underwriting officer
Mark Plews
Markel
Director of underwriting, UK