Unique Perspectives

Andrew Pedler and Francisco Javier Guardia explain how Liberty Specialty Markets’ approach to natural catastrophe claims is evolving.

In the new world order ushered in by COVID-19, innovation, competition and litigation are likely to increase as businesses adapt to new ways of working and focus on building and protecting market share. In the aftermath of the pandemic, as recessionary forces start to bear down, businesses need to consider how they protect their assets.

The way we live and work has changed since the pandemic arrived. The challenge for insurers is to improve the way we work to benefit everyone in the market.

COVID-19 has been one of the greatest global challenges facing businesses and communities in the 21st century. The scale of its impact means now more than ever it’s important for companies to put employees’ health and wellbeing at the forefront. LSM is finding success with its mental health first-aider network.

David Saillen, Liberty Specialty Markets’ Head of Fine Art and Specie for Continental Europe, reveals how his team manages the aggregation of risk created by major art fairs.

Carol Baker explains how changes to a traditional risk engineering function sparked a radical re-evaluation of customer relationships across the business.

Major art exhibitions that feature some of the world’s most treasured masterpieces create a unique space for curators and scholars to further their research and provides the opportunity for museumgoers to see these great works for the first time. What visitors don’t see is the complex logistical operation that goes on behind the scenes.

Social evolution and new technologies are driving change in the fine art and specie market. Liberty Specialty Market’s Ross Drabble considers how London’s underwriters deal with emerging risks like interactive digital art.

No matter how well protected, any work of art on public display is vulnerable to damage – either accidental or deliberate. Michael Burle, explains how fine art underwriters balance the desire for access with the need for security.

True talent is the rare commodity for which modern organisations cry out. Yet too many large corporates fail to spot the talent that exists right under their noses. Matthew Moore considers why.

Historically, clients were content if they didn’t have to claim on the insurance cover they had purchased. Yet today’s clients expect more than simple risk transfer. Andrew Pedler explains how the value chain can be reconstructed to benefit both insurers and their clients.

Dubai’s unprecedented growth has attracted insurers and reinsurers from around the world. Some have flourished; some have withered on the vine. Elie Bouchaaya knows what makes the difference.

Onshore “Oil & Gas” Construction projects require a smooth handover from Construction to Operational insurance, and yet clauses in the two policies are rarely aligned. Amin Khairallah, Vice President sets out the common issues that can occur.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that marine insurers have experienced some very difficult years. Yet although the sector remains challenging, the perspective is that, with the right discipline, the market is on the up.

Christopher Hicks, Marine Cargo Underwriting Manager and Richard Stewart, Senior Underwriter, at Liberty Specialty Markets (LSM) look at the challenges involved in underwriting large and complex cargos.

Insurance organisations are traditionally populated by underwriters, actuaries and claims handlers. So why are people like data scientists and process engineers playing an increasing role at Liberty Specialty Markets?

Almost by definition, terrorism and sabotage, political violence, strikes riots and civil commotion are among the most difficult risks to predict. Unlike other risks, there is a random, human element that makes it impossible to gauge with any certainty how a risk will manifest, when or where.

Thomas Dolby is a musician, performer and dotcom entrepreneur. In his fascinating presentation, he talked about his relationship with technology in the context of the rise and fall of his 1980s music career followed by the rise of his technology business. He also explained to the audience at Liberty Specialty Markets how his company’s invention of Beatnik, the software used in Nokia phones to produce polyphonic ringtones, changed his life. Dolby, who had a number of chart hits through the 80s, now works with classical musicians at John Hopkins University in Baltimore to help shape their careers in this era in which the music industry is dominated by technology. He argued that when the technology he had access to was more primitive, he was at his most creative. As technology has grown more powerful, its outputs have become more predictable and derivative. Dolby’s mission, therefore, is to work with technologies that enhance creativity rather than replace it.

The Keeneland Yearlings Sale is a marquee event for the equine industry, but also a finger on the pulse of the global economy. Julian Bowen-Rees, Liberty Specialty Markets’ global head of equine and livestock, provides the inside track on the world’s leading auction of young horses.