We've already revealed our picks from the legal and political spheres. Today is the turn of the insurer figures making waves in claims
Following on from part 1 of our sector-by-sector rundown of the top 20 personalities in the claims arena, here is our selection of the influential players from within the insurers.
Among them, a solicitor, former mining engineer, and consumer rights champion. As the saying goes, it takes all sorts ...
Dominic Clayden
Director of technical claims, Aviva
Age: 44; years in industry: 13
Who? Clayden qualified as a solicitor dealing with claimant and defendant personal injury, then moved into claims management when he joined Aviva in 1998. Over the past decade, he has been a major player in all major negotiations relating to personal injury reform in the UK – becoming a hate figure for many claimant law firms.
As claims director of the UK’s largest general insurer, Clayden wields unparalleled influence, representing the ABI in negotiations with the government on key issues affecting the sector.
Notable achievement: The brains behind industry arguments persuading the lords in 2007 that sufferers of asbestos-related pleural plaques were not eligible for compensation.
Importance in 2011: In a year of potentially major reforms, Clayden will lead the vanguard for the general insurance sector.
Claims clout:
Rob Smale
Claims and operations director, Ageas Insurance Limited
Age: 47; years in industry: 16
Who? Originally a mining engineer, Smale joined Aviva in 1996, going on to become claims operations director in 2000. He joined Fortis in 2003 as claims director, and become claims and operations director in 2009 after the insurer rebranded to Ageas. Ageas’ exponential growth over the past year will soon see the insurer go head-to-head with the market’s biggest players.
Notable achievement: Overseeing the set up of the claims operations for Tesco Underwriting after Ageas nabbed Tesco’s financial services arm from the Royal Bank of Scotland International in 2009.
Importance in 2011: Leading Ageas into the major league.
Claims clout:
Jeremy Pinchin
Groups claim director, Hiscox
Age: 55; years in industry: 9
Who? Pinchin joined Hiscox in 2005 as the insurer’s first claims director, responsible for co-ordinating and developing claims services across the group. He is chairman of the Lloyd’s Market Association Claims Committee and board member of the Lloyd's Market Association. He has used the roles to challenge the perception of claims as secondary to underwriting in the London market.
Notable achievement: Leading the Lloyd’s market’s co-ordination of its exposure to the events of 9/11.
Importance in 2011: Pinchin is expected to lead the Lloyd’s drive to raise the profile of claims.
Claims clout:
Tom Bolt
Director of performance management at Lloyd’s
Age: 54; years in industry: 21
Who? Tom Bolt joined Lloyd’s in September 2009 as the director of performance management, previously having been managing director of Marlborough Managing Agency. Bolt is responsible for working with individual Lloyd’s businesses to improve the commercial performance of the market and for the overall claims strategy of Lloyd’s. He oversaw last year’s launch of the Lloyd’s transformation project.
Notable achievement: Helped Berkshire Hathaway accumulate more than £6.6bn in run-off liabilities in 10 years.
Importance in 2011: Overseeing the growing centrality of claims in the London market.
Claims clout:
Paul Asplin
Chief executive officer, DAS Expenses
Age: 52; Years in industry: 34
Who? Asplin joined DAS in Bristol in 1978 as an assistant underwriter after a career in broking. A former president of RIAD, the international legal expenses insurers association, Asplin became chief executive of DAS in 1998. Asplin has been one of the most vociferous critics of Lord Jackson’s reforms. He has warned against the reforms’ unintended consequences and that they will limit claimants’ access to justice. Last year DAS withdrew from the ABI over the association’s support for Jackson’s recommendations. Asplin continues to hope to derail the government’s plans to implement Jackson.
Notable achievement: Asplin lead discussions with the European Commission on the 1987 Legal Expenses Directive.
Importance in 2011: Said to be looking closely at the Ministry of Justice’s impact assessment of the Jackson recommendations. A faulty impact assessment could lead to a judicial review.
Claims clout:
Tony Buss
Managing director, Arag Legal Services
Age: 51; years in industry: 34
Who? Buss worked for 10 years as a liability insurance underwriter in the City before joining DAS Legal expenses in 1987. He left to form Arag in 2005.
Notable achievement: After a controversial break with Das in 2005, he nabbed a cabal of senior management from the company to set up rival legal expenses insurer Arag.
Importance in 2011: Buss is a leading figure in the Consumer Justice Alliance (CJA), which is lobbying on behalf of charities, victims’ groups, insurers and law firms against the Jackson reforms.
Claims clout:
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