Key themes from the pre-event survey
What are the real challenges keeping claims leaders awake at night? How can the London Market balance tradition with transformation to meet client expectations, tackle inflationary pressures, and modernise operations at scale? These are just some of the questions driving this year’s London Market Claims conference on 7 October.
As part of the research for the event, we asked market participants to share the issues they most want addressed. The responses paint a clear picture: this is an industry grappling with operational complexity, structural inefficiencies, and a once-in-a-generation opportunity to embed technology. Five themes stand out.
AI adoption and talent
AI is no longer a theoretical discussion. Respondents are eager for practical insight into how AI can be applied in claims optimisation, file management, reserving, and customer interaction. Yet the appetite is tempered by caution. Concerns include data quality, governance, privacy, and the risk of eroding human expertise. Many are asking how AI can deliver efficiency while still building capability for professionals entering the market. Alongside this, the talent challenge is pressing. Skills gaps, knowledge transfer, and equipping people to execute on change are seen as just as critical as the technology itself.
Operational efficiency and transformation
Accelerating efficiency through technology, restructuring, and cloud migration is a top priority. Participants see opportunities to streamline outdated processes, reduce manual intervention, and apply automation across claims. However, resistance to change and legacy system constraints continue to hold back progress. The call is for clear examples of how technology can drive ROI in both corporate and retail claims contexts, and how firms can overcome cultural and structural inertia to embed new ways of working.
Data quality, analytics, and utilisation
Better use of data is central to every strand of the claims agenda. Respondents emphasise the need to improve the provision of London Market data, tackle the lack of standardisation, and enhance internal records with non-mandated information. There is also a strong interest in how analytics can support customer discussions, performance reviews, and value creation. Yet challenges remain around the comfort levels of claims professionals with dashboards, the knowledge gap within data teams, and the integration of third-party data.
Delegated authority and bordereaux management
Few issues drew as much attention as bordereaux. Automating processes, standardising formats, and reducing the burden of oversight and administration are urgent priorities. Many respondents called for collaboration across the market (brokers, underwriters, and providers) to create unified solutions rather than fragmented efforts. Linked to this is the wider delegated authority landscape, where governance frameworks, oversight costs, and the role of AI in delegated claims are all under scrutiny.
Client expectations and market pressures
Claims leaders face a delicate balancing act. Rising repair costs, labour shortages, and supply chain volatility are increasing indemnity spend, while clients continue to expect speed, clarity, and empathy. Meeting these expectations requires stronger supply partnerships, smarter use of technology, and better data. Respondents also question how the market can overcome slow processes still reliant on outdated systems, and whether London’s reputation alone will be enough to buy more time from clients in an age of instant service.
Looking ahead
The survey reveals an industry at a crossroads. There is energy and ambition to modernise claims through AI, data, and transformation, but barriers remain in culture, governance, and capability. The London Market Claims conference on 7 October will provide a forum to tackle these questions head-on.
How far is the market really prepared to go in standardising and automating claims? Can AI deliver the promised efficiencies without hollowing out expertise? What is the right balance between outsourcing, insourcing, and automation in the claims lifecycle? These are the discussions that will shape the future of claims.
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