A deep dive on transforming claims in the London market.
By Jeremy Burgess
What does cultural change in claims actually look like? How do we balance people, process and performance in the face of operational pressure and shifting market demands? Can we turn transformation from a buzzword into real impact?
Ahead of London Market Claims, taking place on 7th October, I thought I’d explore some of the critical questions that arose from the research we conducted to shape this year’s agenda. The central theme for the autumn conference is: how do we embed meaningful change and create a performance-driven, claims-centric culture that genuinely delivers for clients and the wider business.
Beneath the technology investments and efficiency metrics lies a more human challenge: ensuring the people delivering claims services are valued, supported and empowered. That culture, not just capability, is the real enabler of transformation.
Creating a culture of inclusion, communication and shared vision
One consistent message echoed throughout the research was the importance of clarity and inclusion in driving change. The best claims functions are underpinned by strong internal communication, where people understand the vision, how their work contributes to it, and that they feel involved in shaping how it's delivered.
Leaders emphasised the importance of setting the tone, leading by example and calling out behaviours that don’t align with organisational values. Offsites, open dialogue and visible leadership help foster a sense of shared purpose. Inclusion isn’t just a tick-box, it's a tool for engagement, progress and innovation.
Diversity of thought, experience and background was also cited as essential to avoid groupthink and ensure decisions reflect the market's complexity and customer diversity. This extends not only to recruitment but also to creating safe spaces for feedback and encouraging fresh ideas from all levels of the organisation.
Recognising claims as central to business success
There is a growing recognition that claims is not a back-office function but core to the insurance proposition.
“It’s the service that underwriters sell,” as one contributor put it – a reality now better understood at board level.
With this shift comes higher expectations. Claims teams are now held to the same performance culture standards as underwriting, but without sacrificing the empathy, judgement and deep expertise that define great outcomes. The challenge is to ensure claims people feel equally respected and empowered, not just more accountable.
“We’re not here to process. We’re here to advise, protect and deliver on the promise of insurance.”
Bridging knowledge gaps without losing core skills
The tension between modernisation and capability is real. Automation, AI and new technology are reducing the need for traditional manual tasks, but in doing so, risk eroding the practical, foundational knowledge built up through years of on-the-job learning.
Claims leaders are rightly concerned about this shift. Some see a widening knowledge gap, where senior roles are filled faster than skills are developed. Others worry that efficiency targets based on speed may come at the expense of quality, complexity management and, ultimately, customer outcomes.
The solution lies in being deliberate. I was told that “We’re renovating the house while living in it.”
It is essential to balance enabling future ways of working with preserving critical thinking, commercial judgement and contextual understanding.
That might mean redesigning training pathways, supporting hybrid skillsets (like adjusters with data literacy), and proactively managing learning and development to avoid unseen capability gaps.
Rethinking talent, recruitment and progression
Talent – how to attract it, grow it and retain it – was another recurring theme. The current model isn’t working. Pipelines have dried up. Salary inflation is rife. And new joiners often expect promotion before they’re ready – yet are essential to future resilience.
Some firms are responding by shifting focus from graduate recruitment to apprenticeships, aiming to diversify entry routes and open the profession to those without insurance lineage or formal degrees. Others are rethinking what talent looks like, prioritising curiosity, empathy and adaptability over credentials.
But there’s more to do. The market needs to better communicate the purpose and impact of claims.
“There are hundreds of trade articles on new products and barely any about helping people through turmoil.”
Storytelling, visibility and redefining the value of the role are all vital to make claims a destination career.
Driving change together – across the market
Finally, there is a strong call for collaboration. Whether it’s engaging with expert vendors, aligning delegated authorities, standardising data requests, or simply working better across functions – transformation won’t succeed in isolation.
That included building better partnerships between brokers and carriers.
“We want the same thing; certainty, service and renewal. But too often, we forget that.”
Crucially, it included breaking down the false distinction between claims data and underwriting data. There is only data. And it needs to be shared, connected and understood across the organisation to drive real insight and impact.
Conclusion
Claims in the London market is facing both challenges and opportunities. Cost pressures are real, client expectations are rising and the pace of technological change is only accelerating.
But as the conference research shows, transformation is not just about tools. It’s about people, how they work, how they learn and how they feel about their role in claims and the market as a whole.
Are we building cultures that truly value claims professionals, giving them the tools, trust and voice to lead the change our market needs?
These are just some of the themes that will be explored at the London Market Claims conference on 7th October.
For more information about London Market Claims & membership, contact Tom@TIN.events.
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