Ep156 Duncan Dale, CEO Dale Underwriting Partners: Everything’s better than we planned for

In many ways today’s guest is an archetype of a traditional
Lloyd’s Managing Agency business and the lifeblood of the London
Market. It’s specialist, not generalist, it’s not too big but not
too small. It’s nimble and agile, but also rarely strays from its
chosen areas of expertise. And it’s also fiercely independent and
supported - but not controlled by - its capital backers. Duncan
Dale is CEO of Dale Underwriting Partners, a business in its
tenth year of operation that is set to write around $400 million
dollars in gross premium in 2023 following a one third
pre-emption in its capacity from 2022. We discuss the
recalibration in the market following the 1.1 reinsurance
renewals, the opportunities this is throwing up and how long
these opportunities might last for. We look at the firm’s
expansion plans and the continued merits or otherwise of the
London Market as a base, the effects of increased inflation on
underwriting and we dissect Duncan’s own personal ambitions for
the business he founded. But most importantly we get under the
skin of a very singular London-headquartered underwriting
business with a very clear vision of what it wants to do and
where it wants to be. Duncan is on excellent form and I think
this podcast proves that these days there is absolutely no such
thing as a Lloyd’s archetype. Every market participant has a
different approach and a very different philosophy and set of
appetites – and I think that bodes very well for the health of
the London Market as a whole. LINKS We thank our naming sponsor
AdvantageGo: https://www.advantagego.com/ And our advertiser
Bolton Associates: https://www.bolton-associates.co.uk/