Annual Conference 2025

Together, Driving Change

Our flagship Annual Conference marks our 40th Anniversary and will bring together key industry decision-makers from across the insurance and long-term savings industry.

Chaired by Louise Minchin, with expert speakers from both within and beyond our sector, we will explore how we can collectively accelerate change, drive growth, and strengthen resilience to help households, communities, and businesses across the UK.

Find out more

Agenda | Latest News | 10 Year Vision Report

Welcome

Louise Minchin, broadcaster and journalist

Keynote address

Professor Jason Arday, University of Cambridge in conversation with the Rt Hon. Baroness Nicky Morgan, Chair of the ABI

Keynote address

Greg Jackson CBE, CEO Octopus Energy and Chira Barua, CEO - Scottish Widows and CEO - Insurance, Pensions & Investments, Lloyd’s Banking Group

10 Year Vision

For prosperous and secure households, businesses and communities

Afternoon plenary

Savings adequacy & longevity: Preparing for the long haul

Breakout

Driving customer value, experience and trust through AI

We’re all in this together - promoting access to affordable insurance through partnerships

The session would focus on how insurers are tackling the challenges associated with both increasing risks and costs and what that means for access to affordable insurance cover. There will be a strong focus on the industry’s role in building resilience and protecting / supporting customers, including how we use partnerships to do this.

Speakers include:

Ken Norgrove, Deputy President, ABI
Melissa Collett, CEO, Insurtech UK
Susan Dreksler, Partner, KPMG
Laura Evans, Chief Actuary, Flood Re
Colm Holmes, CEO, Allianz UK

Breakout A

Growing pains – how regulators and industry can work together to address the challenges to growth and competitiveness

This session will explore the fiscal situation needed in the UK to remain internationally competitive and support growth. It will look at how the UK financial services regulators are meeting their secondary objectives on competitiveness and growth and how the insurance sector can work with
the regulators to do more. We will also look at what the FCA and PRA is doing to support incumbent firms to help them innovation, such as with their sandboxes, and the review of the FCA handbook. Finally, we will discuss how the Investment Delivery Forum and announcements made at the UK’s recent International Investment Summit will further support growth in the UK.

Speakers:

Chair: Charlotte Wightwick, Assistant Director, Head of Conduct Regulation, ABI
Matt Brewis – Director of Insurance, FCA
Philippa Herz, CFO, OneFamily
Shoib Khan, Director of Insurance Supervision, Bank of England
Dan Scholey, CCO, Moneyhub

Breakout B

A game of health – how insurers are using technology to help consumers lead healthier lives

Panellists would be invited to discuss the increasing use of technology to deliver health promotion, prevention and care as part of insurance health benefits. The number of wellbeing Apps, virtual GPs, fitness trackers are every increasing and evolving.

Speakers:

Chair: Rebecca Ward, Assistant Director, Head of Health and Protection, ABI
Chris Carroll, CEO, BUPA Insurance
Jeremy Chadwick, Client Lead Partner, KPMG
Sarah Hughes, CEO, Mind
Rhiannon Lambert – Registered Nutritionist, Rhitrition
Dr Katie Tyron, Commercial Director for Health, Vitality

Breakout C

Securing financial futures: Enhancing retirement incomes through innovative risk-sharing products

Enhancing the retirement incomes of savers is a crucial challenge for the long-term savings industry. This breakout session will delve into the current landscape and future of savings products that incorporate risk-sharing mechanisms. The panel will explain and contrast how these innovative
products function, highlight the benefits they offer to savers, and share views on the market’s future prospects.

Speakers confirmed so far include:

Chair: Hetty Ahern, Head of Long-Term Savings Policy, ABI
Claire Altman, MD Individual Retirement, The Phoenix Group
John Canavan, Head of DC Later Life Policy, Department for Work and Pensions
Kavi Myladoor, Retirement Income Director – Retail, Just Group
Will Pritchett, Managing Director - Global Retirement Services Lead, Accenture
Paul Waters, Head of DC Markets, Hymans Robertson

Breakout D
Chasing the algorithm – harnessing the power of social media

The session brings together four social media experts to help delegates understand how to harness the power of social media; what the different channels have to offer, how they can use their own platforms to highlight their work, and how they can work with influencers.

Speakers confirmed so far:

Chair: Rosie Trousdell, Digital Campaigns Manager, ABI
Claer Barrett, Consumer Editor, Financial Times
Simmy Kaur, Senior Social Media Manager, PensionBee
Rotimi Merriman-Johnson, DipFA and Online Financial Educator, Mr MoneyJar
Oliver Mott, Head of Social Media, Starling Bank

Change is always with us – but its pace and the extent of its potential to reconfigure the world as we know it is significant over the next decade. The ABI commissioned WPI Economics to look at the industry’s role in this ‘big change’ context, including what it needs to be able to do to encourage
greater prosperity and security for households, communities and businesses across the UK. The findings will be published on the day of our Annual Conference and discussed in this panel session.

Speakers include:

Chair: Hannah Gurga, Director General, ABI
Joe Ahern, Policy Director, WPI Economics
Tracy Blackwell CBE, CEO, Pension Insurance Corporation
Owen Morris, Managing Director, Personal lines, Aviva
Paul Schreier, CEO, Simplyhealth

Savings Adequacy & Longevity: Preparing for the Long Haul

As our society ages, ensuring that more people can achieve a secure and comfortable retirement is a critical challenge for both the government and the long-term savings industry. This panel will delve into potential policies and strategies for enhancing savings adequacy in an ageing population. Key topics for discussion will include the impacts of increases in longevity on savers, policy interventions to support secure retirements, and the changing meaning of ageing.

Speakers confirmed so far:

Chair: Yvonne Braun OBE, Director of Policy, Long Term Savings, Health & Protection, ABI
Clive Bolton, CEO, M&G Life Insurance
Paul Farmer, CEO, AGE UK
Michele Golunska, Managing Director, Wealth and Advice, Aviva
Professor Debora Price, Professor of Social Gerontology, University of Manchester

Breakout E

Risky business - how is insurance supporting business to grow from SME to mid-corporate?

This panel session will delve into the essential risk management support and services that the insurance industry provides for SMEs and mid-corporate businesses. It will explore how risk transfer needs evolve into comprehensive risk management capabilities as businesses grow and the critical role insurers play in assisting business to manage a wide range of business risks and enhance governance and compliance frameworks. It will also look at the evolving landscape of risk management in the context of increased geopolitical risks, climate change considerations and the adoption of new technologies.

Speakers include:

Chair: Nick Hankin, CUO, QBE
Adam Ball, Head of Loss Control UK, Zurich Resilience Solutions
Neil Galjaard, Managing Director UK, Markel
Julia Graham, CEO, Airmic
Sarah Stanford, CEO, Aspen UK

Breakout F

Driving customer value, experience and trust through AI

This session will explore how AI is changing the dynamic of customer engagement between general insurers, broker and intermediaries and the insured - the end customer. This will cover how intelligent and generative capabilities are being applied to provide systemic empathy to acquisition
and servicing across the lifecycle of the insured, strong support and management of customer vulnerability, and rapid and preventive complaints handling, turning detractors into advocates. It will centre on trust - in capability and data, colleagues, and, ultimately, customers.

Speakers include:

Dr Leanne Allen, Partner, UK Head of AI, KPMG
John Middlemiss, Head of Customer Strategy, Financial Services, KPMG
Katie Sullivan, Customer Strategy, Insurance, KPMG

Breakout G

Mind the (talent) gap - How to make our industry a better place to work and attract talent

The current geopolitical unrest, growing cost of living, and the increasing need to prioritise sustainability in the supply chain all have an impact on jobs, according to research from the World Economic Forum. And to stay competitive, workers need to be vigilant about upskilling and adapting
to shifting job responsibilities all in the context of the reputational hurdles our sector and wider financial services face. This panel will explore how creating an inclusive environment, where individuals feel safe to voice ideas and challenge existing views, can drive innovation and attract top talent.

Speakers confirmed so far:

Chair: Deepak Jobanputra, ABI DEI Board sub-group Chair and Vitality CSO
Craig Dickson, CEO, DAC Beachcroft Claims Solutions Group
Sharon Hunt, Head of HR, Customer Success Unit, Microsoft
Claire Tunley, Chief Executive, Financial Services Skills Commission
Nick Turner, Group Chief Executive, NFU Mutual

Breakout H

Open for business - Unlocking pension investment in UK plc

This year marks the first year of Solvency UK, with much discussion around how the prudential regulation reforms can unlock UK pension investment in the UK – with the insurance sector pledging to invest £100bn in UK productive assets over the course of 10 years. The Investment Delivery Forum has been set up to help meet this pledge. At the same time, the Pension Investment Review aims to create megafunds in DC pensions, with the scale and capability to invest in a wide range of asset classes that can deliver better long-term returns for savers, including investment in the UK.

This panel will explore how insurers and pension providers are investing in the UK, what barriers they face, and how we can work with the new government to catalyse investment, with initiatives such as the National Wealth Fund, GB Energy, LIFTS and the British Growth Partnership.

Speakers confirmed so far:

Chair: David Otudeko, Interim Director of Regulation, ABI
Kevin Doran, Chief Investment Officer, Scottish Widows / Lloyds Banking Group Plc
Steve Penketh, Advisor to the CEO, Green Finance Institute
Shelley de Souza, Director, Banking and Investments, National Wealth Fund

Stayin’ alive - role of insurance in creating healthier, happier and more productive workplaces

This session will explore the root causes of economic inactivity due to ill health, potential responses and the role that insurance can play as part of the solution.

The UK is faced with an urgent need to improve workplace health to drive productivity and take forward the Government’s mission of securing economic growth.

The Office for National Statistics shows that 2.8 million working age people are out of work due to long term ill health. Findings from the recent IPPR cross-party Commission on Health and Prosperity paint an even bleaker picture if we fail to address this. If current trends continue, they predict that economic inactivity due to sickness could hit 4.3 million by the end of this parliament.

The Government is focused on delivery of its Five Missions with a particular focus on delivering growth. New approaches are being sought to shape government work on economic inactivity, tackling the root causes for people remaining out of work such as poor physical and mental health.

Speakers include: