Re/insurer Canopius Group has appointed Olivia Brindle as head of sustainability with immediate effect. She will have responsibility for establishing and maintaining guidelines for sustainable underwriting and promoting new products. She joins from The Fidelis Partnership where she built up its sustainability function.

Pen Underwriting has appointed Hannah Fry (pictured) as its chief operating officer. She will join the business on 6th January 2025, subject to regulatory approval. She was previously operations director for the SME and personal lines division of Gallagher and joined the group as part of its 2019 Stackhouse Poland acquisition.

MoneySuperMarket has appointed intermediary Ceta Insurance to its home insurance panel. It will offer a non-standard product under its InsureMy brand aimed at the 20% of homes that fall outside of standard underwriting criteria.

Compare the Market has teamed up with price comparison technology partner i-Wonder to deliver the aggregator’s first bicycle insurance comparison service. The products available provide cover for a variety of bikes including road, mountain, BMXs, folding, gravel bikes and E-bikes.

The Ardonagh Group has secured an equity investment from US-based private equity firm Stone Point Capital LLC. The deal is forecast to complete in mid-2025 and will make Stone Point a significant investor in the business.

Allianz UK has announced a significant investment in personnel and capabilities within its commercial digital trading team to accelerate growth in this area of its business. The carrier has recruited Raj Variyar as head of digital distribution and Emmanuel Peltant as head of digital pricing.

Agile Insurance Group has recruited David Hughes as head of marine and as deputy active underwriter of its Lloyd’s syndicate – Agile Underwriting Services Syndicate AUS2427. He was formerly Axa XL’s head of marine hull and war for the UK and Lloyd’s.

Axa UK has struck a deal with Lloyds Banking Group and will become the sole provider of car and van insurance products for the group’s Lloyds, Bank of Scotland and Halifax brands. The five-year agreement will begin in May 2025. The deal will move Lloyds Banking Group away from its current panel arrangement.

ConnectUW Holdings, which comprises Connect Underwriting, will take over Lloyd’s box number 356 from 23rd December. ConnectUW will initially offer facultative reinsurance cover for worldwide property, energy, and war and terrorism risks on an excess-of-loss basis.

Re/insurance broker Consilium, which is part of Aventum Group, has reported gross written premium of almost £700m for the year ending June 2024. In the last year, the broker said its headcount had grown by more than 150% and it now employed more than 100 people.

Lifetime pet insurance premiums fell by 4% in November according to the latest Pet Insurance Pricing Index from Pearson Ham Group. This was the biggest monthly fall since 2022 and countered the steady rises recorded during the year. Prices are now 2% lower than at the same time last year.

Specialty re/insurance broker Consilium, which is part of Aventum Group, has appointed Daniel Leveridge as partner and head of technical within its newly launched cargo team. He joins from Alesco Risk Management Services.

Subsidence specialist Mainmark UK has warned that it expects the wet weather experienced this year to lead to a spike in subsistence losses in the coming months. It highlighted the record rainfall in Q1, which set the tone for the rest of the year.

Commercial broker Anchor Insurance Services has been acquired by JMG Group company, Butterworth Spengler Insurance Brokers, securing the group’s first base in North Wales. Anchor will continue to operate under its existing brand.

FWD Research has developed a survey to understand the vulnerabilities of SME customers and is working with a collaboration of insurers and brokers to understand how these vulnerabilities affect the outcomes they get from the insurance market. The commercial lines insurers are Allianz, Aviva, Axa UK, RSA and Zurich. The brokers are Brown & Brown, Gallagher, Howden, Jensten and PIB.

The Environmental Audit Committee has launched an inquiry to examine the increased incidence and severity of flooding and to assess England’s flood resilience and explore ways to improve it for the future.