Chief Executive Officer - Underwriting

Location: London (flexible on candidate base)

Reporting to: Group CEO

Equity: Very substantial, seven-figure equity participation

Search Status: This role is retained with me exclusively

Our client is an £80 million revenue, £22.5 million profit, 740-person insurance group with a genuine challenger positioning and a clear mission: to change the insurance marketplace for the better.

Building out the group's MGA business is the number one strategic priority for the next three-year period, and the Group CEO is now seeking a Chief Executive to lead that transformation.

• Core lines: financial lines, non-standard commercial risks, and specialist private client products
• Strong, long-standing capacity relationships including AXA, Hiscox and Liberty
• Currently profitable and well-run, with a solid platform to build from

This is a build-and-scale mandate. The successful candidate will lead the MGA through an ambitious three-year growth plan, targeting an increase from £45 million to £130 million GWP.

Key elements of the strategy include:

• Merging two recently acquired businesses (currently trading separately) under a single new brand
• Designing and implementing a new technology platform to support scale
• Driving growth organically through existing and new product lines, and new underwriting teams
• Pursuing further bolt-on acquisitions
• Rebalancing distribution so that 75% of business is sourced through third-party brokers
• Leading a period of significant organisational and cultural change

This is a senior, board-level appointment. The successful candidate will:

• Report directly to the Group CEO
• Sit as a member of the Group Executive
• Take full P&L and operational ownership of the MGA business
• Be responsible for setting and executing strategy, not underwriting personally
• Build and lead a high-performing senior team through a period of rapid growth and integration
• Represent the MGA externally with brokers, capacity providers and the wider market

We are looking for a commercially-minded business leader, not an underwriter looking to step up. The ideal candidate will bring:

• A strong entrepreneurial track record, with the ability to build and scale a business, not just manage an existing book
• Genuine insight into underwriting and risk, with credible insurer-side (capacity) experience — this is not a role for a broker "masquerading" as an MGA leader
• Experience gained within an MGA, insurer, or composite provider is all of interest, provided the mindset is right — composite backgrounds are welcome
• A demonstrable track record of leading change and transformation, ideally including M&A integration, rebrand, or technology-led business transformation
• Strong stakeholder management skills, credible at Group Executive and Board level
• The gravitas and commercial acumen to build relationships with third-party brokers and capacity partners at a senior level

• Bonus: up to 30%
• Equity: a very substantial, seven-figure equity opportunity forming a core part of the overall package
• Full benefits package in line with a group of this size

The business's operational epicentre is Whitechapel, London, though the Group CEO is flexible on where the successful candidate is based day-to-day.

The process will begin with either an initial Teams call or a face-to-face meeting in London, at the candidate's preference.