Ep240 Mike van der Straaten CEO Antares: Keeping insurance personal

Today’s guest is someone with the essence of insurance running
right through his veins. That’s because he has been working in
our industry since the age of sixteen and has accumulated over
forty years of experience. Now as CEO of the Lloyd’s and Bermuda
insurer and reinsurer Antares Mike Van der Straaten has a unique
viewpoint of the global insurance market from which to apply his
accumulated knowledge and understanding. Like many of its peers
Antares has undergone a rebuilding and restructuring in the past
few years and after steadying and right-sizing its business is
now stepping out to seek measured profitable growth once more. I
found this a really enjoyable and enriching discussion. In a
world seemingly dominated by PhDs, Mike’s remarkable career is a
reminder that, when it is performing as it should, the insurance
industry is an education and vocation rolled into one and rewards
intelligence, creativity, common sense and hard work in the most
meritocratic of ways. Mike is a great guest and blends the best
of the old and the new. For example in this podcast we examine
many of the factors that don’t change, such as the shifts in the
market cycle and distribution trends, but at the same time we
also dissect some of the most progressive issues affecting the
sector, such as the best applications of Ai and the streamlining
of the underwriting and placement process. Mike always says what
he thinks and this candour is extremely refreshing.


NOTES: We mention a Rolf Tolle. Rolf was Lloyd’s first
Performance Management Director. LINKS: We thank our naming
sponsor AdvantageGo: https://www.advantagego.com