Strategy

Profitable growth can be difficult to achieve in a complex and competitive market like insurance.

Our expert teams leverage deep expertise in different parts of the insurance ecosystem from reinsurance to specialty and UK&I retail to provide clients with insightful analysis that is often credited with stretching their thinking. Our insight benefits from proprietary tools such as our UK Motor Market Model, Magellan Insurance Technology Navigator and other insurance-specific assets.

Our ambition is not only to provide management team with bold strategies, but also to see these through to implementation. Our agile-inspired approach means that we support clients through the full project lifecycle, including operations and technology options and design analysis, and transformation support. Our clients appreciate how we can bridge the gap between strategic design and delivery.

Our clients include C-suite teams at the world’s leading insurers, reinsurers, brokers and insurance service providers.

WHAT WE DO IN STRATEGY

Growth strategy

We help executive teams identify profitable and sustainable opportunities to grow both in their existing markets and more broadly

Digital strategy

We help executive teams find their edge in an increasingly digital market, and translate their strategic intent into business-aligned digital strategies and roadmaps

M&A strategy

We help executive teams identify how M&A can accelerate their strategy and build plausible approaches to executing on it

Operations strategy

We help executive teams translate their strategic intent into business-aligned operations strategies and roadmaps

Technology and data strategy

We help executive teams translate their strategic intent into business-aligned technology and data strategies and roadmaps

Sustainability strategy

We help executive teams understand the sustainability landscape and identify how to seize new opportunities

OUR LATEST INSIGHTS

The Growth of Enhanced Underwriting in the Lloyd’s Market: The New Normal?

We’re excited to launch our report with the LMA on The Growth of Enhanced Underwriting in the Lloyd’s Market: The New Normal?

Lloyd’s and London Market CEO Agenda 2025: Leading through uncertainty

Over the next 12 months we believe that CEOs have the opportunity to gain advantage from advancing six transformation topics

Strategic Imperatives for P&C Reinsurers in 2025

Despite an outstanding 2023 market result for reinsurers and likely strong 2024, the market equilibrium feels fragile

More insights

EXAMPLE ENGAGEMENTS

Created a ‘break-out’ growth strategy

A reinsurance client had a robust footprint in their home region but limited traction in other markets. We supported the CEO to identify where they could develop ‘edge’ and how to access those new sources of business.

Developed a follow-only strategy

A leading specialty (re)insurer wanted to define their approach to follow-only. We worked with the CEO and executive team to assess and prioritise business model options and develop a robust proposal for their board.

Supported Tesco Bank’s strategic transformation

Tesco Bank originally entered the UK retail insurance market as a broker using a panel of carriers. Oxbow Partners supported the business through this multi-year transformation. You can read a case study here.

Developed an end-to-end ESG strategy

Our client was a European insurer. We worked with the CEO and his team to define their strategic options, agree on their priorities and to develop their longer-term roadmap.

Developed an InsurTech partnering approach

Our client was a top-tier reinsurer. We worked with the executive team to develop an operating model that enabled them to scale their InsurTech partnerships globally across the business.

Supported the strategy refresh for an Irish insurer

Our client is a leading Irish retail insurer. The incoming CEO asked Oxbow Partners to support with a strategy refresh. We have subsequently supported the client with topics ranging from ESG to claims strategy and ‘break-out’ strategy moves.

We valued Oxbow Partners’ insight into the reinsurance industry and collaborative approach highly when we were defining our Group strategic initiatives.

Jean-Jacques Henchoz, Group CEO, Hannover Re

RELEVANT PRODUCTS

Magellan

Magellan is our insurance technology navigator. Magellan contains detailed information on over 4,000 technology vendors targeting the global (re)insurance market. Magellan is designed to help business and technology professionals find the right short-list of companies to help with their specific technology requirements. We offer both a self-service subscription and a ‘Curated Search’ service delivered by our dedicated team of experts.
Find out more

UK Market Intelligence

Our UK Motor Market Model™ is a bottom-up forecast of the premium, combined ratio and operating profit in the market. Our model is updated regularly and provides Boards and management teams objective insight into the market allowing them to make better decisions about how to win.
Find out more

Lead contact

Chris Sandilands ACII, Partner

Chris leads engagements across strategy and transformation, focusing most of his time on global reinsurance and UK & Ireland retail insurance.

Chris started his career at Munich Re where he was a D&O underwriter. During this time, he gained his ACII qualification. He then moved into consulting, where he has spent 20 years advising (re)insurance management teams around the world on topics including strategy development, operating model redesign, governance optimisation, underwriting transformation and innovation. Chris lives in London and spends a lot of his time with clients in Bermuda and Continental Europe.

Chris frequently authors Oxbow Partners papers and articles. He was the lead author on our InsurTech Impact 25 series. He is a dual British and Austrian citizen and speaks fluent German.

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