As we countdown to Broker Expo in October we caught up Claire Green, director of distribution at exhibitor Ageas who explains why she is looking forward to engaging with brokers, swapping ideas and discovering where the insurer can help, as we collectively head into 2026.
You are exhibiting at the 2025 Broker Expo. Why should delegates come and visit your stand?
Because it’s more than just an event! Broker Expo is a rare and valuable opportunity to truly connect. In today’s hybrid world, face-to-face engagement is limited, and we deeply value the chance to spend time with our broker partners, both long-standing and new.
We know, first-hand, the pressures brokers are facing in today’s market – volatility, competitive challenges and the need to plan with confidence. That’s why we believe it’s so important for brokers to come and talk to us.
Our consistent and stable presence is something our partners value and depend on, and Broker Expo gives us the perfect setting to explore how we can support them more – whether through practical solutions or simply by sharing market insights and perspectives.
The diversity of attendees from community brokers and family-run firms to large networks and national arrangements makes Broker Expo a brilliant space for meaningful conversations. With our planning for next year very much underway, the timing couldn’t be better for brokers to engage with us, swap ideas and discover where we can help, as we collectively head into 2026.
We’ll be bringing a little extra sparkle with us this year too! We’re incredibly proud to have been named as both British Insurance Awards Personal Lines Broker Partner of the Year 2025 and Personal Lines Insurer of the Year 2025.
So proud that we’re bringing the awards with us to Broker Expo. We’re not shy about showing them off because they represent the strength of our partnerships and the trust our brokers place in us.
There has been a lot of talk about 2025 being a softer, more competitive marketplace. What advice do you give colleagues to help them gain an advantage when looking to close deals?
As we head into what’s expected to be a softer, more competitive market, our advice to brokers is – keep doing what you’re doing and build on it with clarity, confidence, creativity and connection.
Brokers are already delivering exceptional service and trusted advice to their customers, and that’s what will continue to set them apart.
But in a market where margins are tighter and competition is fiercer, it’s more important than ever to double down on the fundamentals: understand your customers deeply, stay close to market developments and to lean into the strength of your insurer relationships.
Future success will also depend on future-proofing your business. That means identifying efficiencies that support a leaner operating model without compromising the quality of service your customers expect.
It’s about releasing value into competitive pricing, using data to create more tailored and distinctive propositions, and exploring opportunities to consolidate or even scale areas of your business to unlock pricing advantages.
At Ageas, we’re here to help in meaningful and practical ways. We’re proud to be a leading personal lines insurer in the broker space and we remain fully committed to supporting our brokers across all channels.
Our consistent and stable presence is something our partners value and depend on and we’re not just here for the short term – we’re firmly here for the long haul.
We’re keen to share the best practices we’ve adopted in our own business; streamlining operations, investing in smart automation and focusing on what truly adds value for customers.
These choices have helped us protect service quality while enabling a leaner model and more competitive pricing. We believe there’s real opportunity to collaborate with brokers on similar strategies – whether that’s leveraging scale, consolidating operations or exploring new efficiencies together.
We want to work with brokers to unlock long-term, sustainable pricing for their customers without sacrificing the quality or trust that defines their brand. With Ageas, you’re partnering with a business that understands the pressures of today’s personal lines market and is committed to helping you navigate them with confidence.
What are your expectations for the UK broker market next year and how are you planning to make sure your business has a positive 2026?
As we look ahead to 2026, we expect the UK broker and insurer market to continue to stay soft but ever evolving, shaped by rising customer expectations, technological innovation and a growing demand for simplicity and transparency
We expect brokers will continue to be focused on customer retention, confidence in capacity, pricing, the ability to compete with direct providers and changes to the regulatory landscape and we’re dedicated to supporting them. To do this we’re:
- investing heavily in our people to leverage our award-winning in-house expertise
- embedding AI-driven fraud prevention and real-time pricing
- simplifying the insurance journey to make it easier to understand
- continuing to invest in cutting-edge tools that allow us to be a trusted, future-ready partner.
This is more than a business relationship – it’s a true partnership. And with Ageas, brokers can be confident they have a partner who’s committed to being Brilliant Together and helping them thrive in 2026 and beyond.
Broker Expo turns 20 this year – what were you doing when you were 20?
At 20, I was just starting out – my career began at Norwich Union as a claims FNOL operator. I had no idea back then of the colourful and rewarding journey that lay ahead.
That first role taught me the importance of empathy, and more importantly – the value of building strong relationships. That has remained at the heart of everything I’ve done since.
When I wasn’t at work, I was living life without commitments: listening to Oasis on repeat, renting videos from Blockbuster, and drinking alcopops with friends.
It was a simpler time, and I look back on it fondly.
Fast forward to today, and I feel incredibly lucky to still be part of an industry that continues to evolve, challenge and inspire.
Here’s to Broker Expo turning 20 and to all the journeys that started with a first step, just like mine.
Ageas is exhibiting at the Broker Expo at the Birmingham NEC on 9 October. It is free for brokers to attend, so sign up now by clicking here.
