Insurance Times Advent Calendar: Johnny Timpson

Every day for the festive period continuing until Christmas Eve, Insurance Times speaks to a selection of industry personalities about what they’d like to find under the tree for 2024.  

What was your insurance industry highlight of 2023?

I have two highlights from 2023 and I start with “Succession” – not the Waystar Roy Co one but the textbook, drama and crisis free leadership handover at Biba with Steve White deservedly going out on a high following Biba’s 2023 conference and the consummate insurance professional that is Graeme Trudgill being appointed chief executive.

And despite a flurry of industry issues – Consumer Duty but one – Graeme has picked up for where Steve left off.

My second is Gain (Group for Autism, Insurance and Neurodiversity) and the Government’s Autism and Employment review viewing our industry as an exemplar to other sectors.

What is your Christmas message for your insurance colleagues?

The Resolution Foundation, IFS, Citizens Advice and other commentators are all flagging post Autumn Statement that the consumers and communities we serve are going to continue to face tough times for some considerable period to come and we will need to double down on our vulnerable customer and cost of living support.

As non-executive chair of Biba Broker Absolute Military, I’m proud of the customer support we are providing as a result of partnering with Money Helper and the Turn2Us welfare benefit, grant and social tariff entitlement charity – I urge colleagues to join us in providing this type of support.

What do you hope to find under the industry’s Christmas tree for 2024?

With consumer resilience to financial shocks reducing, government taking a pragmatic approach to assisting us support our increasingly financially squeezed customers by taking a radical approach to IPT and suspending it to ensure that individuals, families and SME’s can maintain the key covers that they need.