It's great to have Clive Washbourn back on the show. The Episode I recorded with him two years ago has been the most downloaded of any so far, so it’s obviously going to be good for business to do a follow-up.
But it’s more than that. Clive is one of those people who is famous in the market. He is someone who people tell stories about, so you’ve heard about him even if you haven’t met him.
So when he founded his Navium MGA it was a no-brainer to ask him on the show. I had no idea what to expect. What happened was Clive being an absolute force of nature and one of the most revealing and fun interviews I have ever been a party to.
We did that one under a lockdown over a video call. This time we are face-to-face in Navium’s office on Lime Street in the heart of the London market.
It makes a huge difference to be physically in the room with someone like Clive. He really comes alive.
What follows is another tour de force which reveals what is driving this remarkable marine MGA and what has pushed it to produce an amazing $360mn in gross written premium.
We talk about the market, Clive’s business philosophy and where Navium is heading and how it fits in with Pine Walk and the wider, and now restructured, Fidelis operation.
But because this is Clive, we get into something that we rarely talk about elsewhere:
Listening back, we grapple with the true art of underwriting and how to play yourself into a strong market position. We learn how you can be a really technical underwriter without being the least bit boring and how you need to be ultra-selective and teach yourself to maximise opportunities whenever they arise.
We also get an idea of how you can turn down large amounts of under-priced business but at the same time make the brokers keep coming back to see you.
After two interviews I’ve got my own theory. I think people come to see Clive because they really enjoy his company.
I think he is someone you could talk to about anything and he would make it an interesting conversation and an honest an unflinching exchange of views. I get the feeling Clive makes all the people he talks to feel understood and special.
Here Clive even reveals a historical interest in the battle of Waterloo and burnishes his prog rock credentials by bursting straight into song!
We both had a lot of fun – and I learned a huge amount - and so will you.
NOTES
Abbreviations:
TLO is a Hull insurance abbreviation for Total Loss Only.
ULR is the Ultimate (Net) Loss ratio.
Rinku Patel is mentioned as being in the room with us. He is CEO of Navium’s incubator Pine Walk and is also now COO of Fidelis MGU as well as being its UK CEO.
The quote ‘No battle plan survives the first shots of war/first contact with the enemy’ has been attributed to many, including Napoleon, but probably dates back to an 1871 paper by Prussian Field Marshal, Helmuth von Moltke.
And finally, here’s a link to the 1973 progressive rock classic Karn Evil 9 by Emerson, Lake & Palmer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLS0Med0s6E the original had to be split into 3 parts so that it could fit on a vinyl LP! Clive’s part comes in at 8’40”…
LINKS
We thank our naming sponsor AdvantageGo:
https://www.advantagego.com/
Ep 112 Alastair Swift WTW: We can grow exponentially in Specialty
Ep 111 Rinku Patel CEO Pine Walk Capital: helping underwriters be in their last job
Ep 110 Rick McCathron President, Hippo: A path to profit, but on our own timeline
Special Episode: Seeking quality premium in motion with Madhu Tadikonda, President, Corvus Insurance
Ep 109 Bronek Masojada: Just the same, but completely different
Ep 108 John Cavanagh Beat Capital Partners: Building a perpetual business
Ep 107 David Walsh and Graeme Newman of CFC Underwriting: Build your own
Ep 106 Lucy Clarke President Marsh Specialty and Global Placement, Marsh: Enough is enough
Ep 105 David Flandro: Secondary perils driving just about everything at 1.1
Ep 104 David Ibeson Apollo: Success brings the right to remain independent
Ep 103 Adrian Cox CEO Beazley: No natural endgame to where we can be
Ep 102 John Fowle CEO Chaucer: A great time to be someone‘s growth engine
Ep 101 Caroline Wagstaff CEO The LMG: Always a campaigning body
Ep 100 Sian Fisher CEO The CII: The strategy is already on the wall
Ep 99 Mark Wheeler Mosaic Insurance: No Exit Plan
Ep 98 Richard Watson CEO Inigo Insurance: Low ego and high collaboration
Ep 97 Stefan Golling: If we don’t achieve our margins now why should we stay?
Ep 96 Patrick Tiernan Chief of Markets Lloyd‘s of London: A vision bound by logic
Special Episode: New Trillion dollar markets wherever you look. How insurtech can improve climate resilience with Robert Lumley and Stephen Brittain of The Insurtech Gateway
Ep 95 Jean-Paul Conoscente CEO Scor Global P&C: True partnership isn‘t about being accommodating
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