The London market’s succession challenge is no longer abstract. With senior practitioners approaching retirement and hybrid working reshaping how early-career professionals learn, firms are under pressure to formalise development that once happened organically.
When Ela Metalia (pictured) joined the market straight out of university, she quickly saw how much of insurance is absorbed through proximity – post-meeting conversations, guidance on policy wordings, and the gradual sharpening of judgment. Now, three years into her career, the underwriting and claims executive at the International Underwriting Association is helping to structure that process through the IUA Futures programme.
“I’m very much in the age range that this programme actually looks to support,” she said. “It’s something that I personally also benefit from.”
IUA Futures consolidates events for practitioners in their first five years in the London company market, spanning classes and combining technical and soft-skill development.
Senior market forums had flagged a need for greater focus on new entrants, particularly in a hybrid environment. “It does make it a bit harder to do some of that learning by osmosis,” Metalia said. “You can’t just pop over to someone’s office when everyone has different in-office and working-from-home patterns.”
Demographic data has reinforced that concern. The London Market Group has warned that without sustained hiring and retention, the gap between senior and junior practitioners could widen.
The programme creates structured access to senior expertise while enabling peer networking across firms. In a subscription market, consistent technical grounding and early cross-company familiarity support underwriting discipline and collaboration.
“You get that opportunity for potential mentoring and for exchanging knowledge from people who are more senior in the market to their successors,” Metalia said.
Many early-career professionals now enter insurance without prior exposure. Career pathways can appear opaque. “People in their first few years tend to really like some clarity around career progression,” Metalia said. “What are the responsibilities of a junior underwriter versus an assistant underwriter?”
By convening practitioners in the zero-to-five-year bracket, the programme allows participants to compare training structures and expectations across firms – benchmarking that once happened more informally.
Workshop-style sessions are prioritised midweek to maximise in-person engagement, while technical webinars are delivered virtually and recorded. The approach reflects modern working patterns without lowering standards.
Soft skills are also in focus. The IUA’s Next Gen Claims Committee – practitioners with six to 10 years’ experience – identified demand for sessions on market meetings and communication.
“Sometimes, if you are a bit more junior, you might not understand the purpose of a market meeting,” Metalia said. Senior panels now guide newer entrants on preparation and contribution, capabilities that shape broker relationships as much as internal progression.
Digital transformation is another defining shift. New entrants may be comfortable with AI tools, but clarity around appropriate use is essential.
“People entering the market definitely do look for guidance on how they are expected to use tools such as AI,” Metalia said.
The IUA reinforces core technical competencies alongside digital literacy. Through initiatives such as its policy wordings masterclass, junior practitioners are encouraged to interpret clauses independently rather than rely solely on automated summaries.
“If you’re using AI but you don’t know what the correct output is, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference,” she said. “Those fundamental skills – understanding the intention of the policy, reading the slip – they’re not going away.”
For firms navigating complex risk, that balance between technological fluency and underwriting judgment will define resilience.
Attracting talent remains a shared effort. The London Market Group runs initiatives such as the Lime Street Festival, while the LIIBA partners with charities including upReach to promote broking careers.
Metalia entered the market “purely by chance”, alerted to the IUA by a university friend. “When you look into it as an industry and realise how diverse it is and how much it touches, it’s a whole different thing,” she said.
As senior practitioners approach retirement, appetite to pass on knowledge is strong. For brokers and insurers, the implications are practical: underwriting quality, claims judgment and subscription collaboration depend on professionals who understand both technical detail and the market’s unwritten dynamics.
In a hybrid environment, that capability cannot be left to tradition. The firms that treat early-career development as structured infrastructure are likely to be better positioned for the next decade of risk complexity.
