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BIBA unveils AI school for brokers. The British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA) and Markel are working together on an artificial intelligence (AI) school for member brokers. The move follows the launch of BIBA's 2025 Guide to Artificial Intelligence (AI), developed with the support of Markel, to help insurance brokers understand how the technology could help their business. The school, an online course, will aim to take brokers' understanding of the opportunities of and risks associated with using AI in their business to the next level, with the aim of promoting innovation across the sector and enable brokers to do even more for their customers. The AI school is under development and is expected to be open to broker students early in 2026. Graeme Trudgill, CEO at BIBA, (pictured) said: "AI generally is developing at a tremendous rate, and Healthcare & Protection want its members to be able to take advantage of it, where appropriate. "It is likely that most organisations will find an AI-driven tool that has a positive impact on their business and drive efficiencies that enable a greater focus on customer service. The AI School will help them harness the various tools safely." Jo Sykes, divisional director at Markel, added: "Healthcare & Protection were delighted with the response to last year's guide. AI is definitely a discussion point among brokers. "However it is vital that firms considering its adoption can raise general understanding of the technology and its uses in their business. Our aim, alongside BIBA, is to make UK brokers AI confident."

Markel promotes Ben House to Director of Energy & Power. London, 15 January 2026 - Markel Insurance, the insurance operation within Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL), today announced the promotion of Ben House to Director - Energy & Power, effective immediately. In his newly expanded role, House will oversee Markel's Renewable Energy and Power portfolio across the organisation's International division, alongside his existing responsibilities as head of Markel's Upstream, Midstream and Downstream Energy team. This strategic move unites these areas under a single Energy & Power team, enhancing ease of trading for customers through a more holistic underwriting approach. Leading this newly unified team, House will focus on managing an integrated group of experienced underwriters, analysts and risk engineers - driving product innovation, nurturing long-term customer relationships and optimising underwriting processes. The convergence of Markel's Energy teams reflects the organisation's commitment to supporting energy clients with tailored coverage and providing more effective identification, mitigation and transfer of risks throughout the entire value chain - from production and transportation through to processing, generation and distribution. House is based in London and will report to Rohan Davies, Managing Director - London Market. Davies commented: "The global power sector is experiencing significant growth, primarily driven by renewables and the rising electricity demand, which is expected to increase by 25% by 2030. Concurrently, heightened geopolitical risks - from trade wars to advanced cyber-attacks - threaten critical infrastructure, further underscores the important role of insurance in helping these businesses transfer and mitigate the associated risks. "Our clients' risks, capital structures and technologies are increasingly converging. Combining Energy and Power will allow us to underwrite portfolios more holistically, use our specialist expertise more efficiently and provide a simpler service, more coordinated experience for brokers and clients - all while better positioning us to support the energy transition across the value chain." He continued: "Ben's experience of delivering bespoke solutions for clients across the energy sector, together with his strong track record of leading global underwriting teams, makes him ideally suited for this consolidated role. His expertise will play an important part in helping to elevate our leadership profile across the renewable, traditional energy and power generation sectors." House said: "I'm delighted to step into my new position as Director of Energy & Power at Markel International. Bringing together our Energy and Power underwriters, analysts and risk engineers will further strengthen our technical underwriting capabilities, enhance innovation and enable us to make even more effective and empowered underwriting decisions - reaffirming clarity of coverage, particularly for complex risks." House started his career at Markel as an upstream underwriter in the Marine & Energy Division, progressing into new energy markets and providing lead capabilities across the upstream and midstream market. In 2018, he was promoted to Head of Upstream - a position he held for five years - before progressing to Director of Energy in 2023. In the latter position, House has played a leading role in developing bespoke energy insurance solutions for clients and building a strong-performing global P&L across multiple international underwriting teams. International press contacts. Director of Communications [email protected]

Flora Mao joins Markel as senior casualty underwriter in shanghai. Markel has tapped Flora Mao as a senior casualty underwriter within its Lloyd's China underwriting operation. In a statement on Wednesday, Markel said that Mao has joined its greater China team as its... To continue reading the full article and get full access to the InsuranceAsia News platform, please enquire about a subscription. Your company may already have a corporate license in place.