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