Ep164 Andrew Horton QBE: An injection of pace

Today’s guest is Andrew Horton Group CEO of QBE insurance. His
job is to run a global insurer and reinsurer that writes over
$20bn in gross premium that originates from almost every market
in the world. The business has just posted a very solid set of
results and at the same time issued guidance for this good run to
continue in 2023. Andrew has been in post for around 18 months
and in this podcast it becomes clear that he has had enough time
in charge to start to execute some of his own vision. It’s not
wholesale change, but it is quietly radical. QBE has been built
and integrated by his predecessors over the last 20 years, so the
job today is not about filling in gaps with acquisitions. The
group is already global and hugely diversified. Today’s job is
about optimising the business’s global processes, product and
people to create a consistently profitable, and innovative firm
that can continue to grow organically. This is clearly easier
said than done, particularly in a business run as three divisions
and present in almost every time zone on the planet. And that is
the core of the interview today. Andrew is a very thoughtful and
very accessible leader. His ideas on how to make a large global
business more cohesive, coherent and consistent while at the same
time being fast-paced, nimble and efficient are extremely
valuable. He is trying to bring a small enterprise mindset to a
huge global insurance group and that is a radical goal to try and
pursue. From today’s talk I wouldn’t bet against him. I can
highly recommend a close listen. LINKS We thank our naming
sponsor AdvantageGo: https://www.advantagego.com/