Ep172 Simon Lightbody CEO Rhodian: Making a home they’ll never want to leave

Given its 50% share of global premiums, it’s probably fair enough
that we spend an awful lot of our time talking about the US
market, but sometimes it’s refreshing to broaden our horizons a
little. So today we’re going to be looking at Australia. And
luckily we’re going to be guided by a real expert and pioneer in
this territory. This is someone with an enviable track record and
also a very strong grounding in global wholesale insurance. Simon
Lightbody has had a very successful 30-plus year career which
started as a broker and then an underwriter in London, but really
took off 18 years ago when he helped found Miramar, an Australian
MGA backed by the growing Steadfast distribution group. Steadfast
went public ten years ago and these days its MGAs write well over
a billion in annual premiums. After a recent career break Simon
is back with Rhodian - a brand-new MGA incubator, set up with
support from Amwins. When someone of Simon’s experience and
success starts something new it’s always exciting and a chance to
find out what opportunity it is they have seen or what gap in the
market they have spotted. So what follows is an excellent tour
around Simon’s big idea and the opportunities available in the
Australian and wider Asia-Pacific markets. Simon’s someone I knew
back in my own broking days in the 1990s and I think some of that
familiarity comes through in this really friendly and relaxed
meeting. But most importantly this is an encounter with a highly
successful entrepreneur who knows the MGA business from top to
bottom. And because of that I think this Episode has an awful lot
to offer any listener, whether they have a particular interest in
the Australian market or not. NOTES APRA is the Australian
prudential regulator, the Australian Prudential Regulation
Authority. ASIC is the conduct regulator, the Australian
Securities and Investments Commission LINKS We thank our naming
sponsor AdvantageGo: https://www.advantagego.com/