Profiles

Back in 1996, I had a simple belief – things could be done better. Armed with plenty of determination and working from a rented office in East London, I launched Direct Insurance, as we were known back then, into one of the most competitive industries around. It was a bold move, but taking on a challenge has always been part of who we are. From day one, we were the underdog, taking on the big players, and to be fair, we've always been proud of that.

Right from the start, we focused on specialist insurance – something that's still at the heart of Aventum today. We spotted opportunities in areas that many others overlooked, including industries like Asbestos and Recycling. Where others saw complexity, we saw a chance to make a real difference. By taking the time to understand our clients and paying close attention to the details, we quickly built a reputation for delivering outstanding service.

Our next step was into the wholesale insurance market. Like plenty of retail brokers, we'd experienced poor service ourselves, and rather than simply putting up with it, we decided to do something about it. In 2005, we launched our very first insurance scheme. Built around a genuine understanding of what retail brokers needed from their wholesale partners, it was a real success. That success paved the way for a growing range of specialist insurance products and ultimately led to the creation of Consilium Insurance Brokers, which became a fully accredited Broker at Lloyd's, London, in 2013.

Since then, we've continued to grow Aventum into a collection of specialist global (re)insurance and broking businesses. One of those is Rokstone, our global managing general agent (MGA), which now writes more than $1.8 billion in annual premium.

Today, we deliver specialist (re)insurance solutions through a global network of offices, working across six continents. We've come a long way from that small office in East London, but our mindset hasn't changed.

I'm still curious.