A new chapter in talent and leadership: Leaders Under 40 now live

Welcome to Intelligent Insurer’s second Leaders Under 40 publication, a celebration of standout talent, new voices, bold ideas and modern leadership driving the industry forward. 

Leaders Under 40: Read digital edition here  |  Talent Channel here

Talent is the most discussed topic in the insurance industry today – and often the most misunderstood. We talk endlessly about shortages, skills, pipelines and generational divides, but underneath those headlines lies something far more interesting: people who are choosing, in their own distinct ways, to shape the future of this industry.

That conversation has taken on new urgency with the rise of generative AI. Over the past year, industry leaders have spoken openly (sometimes nervously) about what AI might mean for their careers, their teams and their identity as experts. Will it replace roles? Hollow out progression? Redefine expertise? These questions are no longer theoretical. They are emotional, immediate and already reshaping how talent thinks about the market.

Yet the most profound common viewpoint is there will always be a human in the loop – but the industry must keep pace.

This year’s Leaders Under 40 issue, part of our broader focus on talent, is dedicated to those navigating that reality in real time. It is not a box-ticking list, nor a glossy roll-call. It is a genuine attempt to understand what leadership looks like in a sector undergoing profound change, and the actors already driving that change forward.

What struck me throughout this project is how varied the journeys are. Some nominees switched industries mid-career, others started in underwriting from day one while several entered insurance almost by accident. But all share three traits that matter more now than ever – curiosity, resilience and a willingness to challenge established ways of working.

How we selected this year’s leaders

We began by asking the industry itself! In early November, we ran an open survey inviting peers, managers and market colleagues to nominate rising leaders under 40 who are not only good at their jobs, but strengthen the industry through their thinking, mindset, impact or ability to elevate others.

The response was overwhelming. Hundreds of nominations poured in, spanning reinsurance, broking, underwriting, analytics, capital markets, cyber, MGA innovation and more. What stood out wasn’t the volume, but the depth of endorsement. People wrote thoughtfully and passionately about the individuals they put forward.

From that longlist, a shortlist was created based on clear criteria: leadership behaviours, influence beyond role, contributions to innovation, impact on team culture, commitment to the wider insurance ecosystem and potential to shape the future of the market.

We then interviewed each shortlisted leader in depth about their journeys so far – honest, wide-ranging conversations that went far beyond titles or achievements. The profiles in this issue are the result of those conversations, featuring stories of reinvention, career pivots, technical excellence and human leadership.

Across those interviews, several themes kept surfacing:

Leadership is becoming more human: Every leader talked about people and the power of leading with empathy – how they mentor, build teams and create psychological safety. Technical strength might open the door, but people skills are what carry the torch.

Curiosity is the new competitive advantage: From pricing and analytics to capital solutions and corporate development, curiosity came up again and again. Not as a buzzword, but as a genuine driver of progress. The willingness to ask seemingly naïve, but often revealing, questions, the appetite to learn new disciplines and the instinct to rethink how things have always been done.

Talent needs new pathways: Many of our leaders challenged the industry’s traditional career structures. They argued that dual career paths, clearer development routes and more nuanced ideas of “leadership” are now essential.

The next generation is fearless, and the industry needs that: Again and again, our interviewees talked about how younger professionals are far more willing to stand up for themselves – to ask for pay progression, push for a greater role or fight for a new idea rather than wait quietly to be noticed. Women, in particular, are using their voices in ways this industry hasn’t always made room for – not because they’ve suddenly found them, but as they now expect to be heard and truly valued. That confidence is forcing the market to change processes, structures, have more honest conversations and evolve – and that’s a good thing.

This cohort of leaders is stepping up at a time when the industry faces both enormous risk and enormous opportunity with new perils, evolving capital, regulatory shifts, AI acceleration and a rapidly changing workforce. The individuals featured here aren’t waiting for the market to settle, they are shaping it as it shifts.

That, to me, is the real purpose of this issue – to spotlight the people rewriting what leadership in insurance looks like. Alongside their profiles, this issue also take a broader view of talent and addresses some of the tougher questions head-on, such as pay transparency and trust, the experience of neurodiverse talent in a still-traditional market and how AI is altering work, expectations and identity.

These stories sit alongside each other intentionally, because talent is no longer a standalone topic. It touches culture, strategy, innovation and, increasingly, the industry’s long-term competitiveness.

I hope you find this issue energising, honest and hopeful. The future of insurance will not be defined by technology alone, but by the people willing to learn, adapt and lead through it.

Enjoy the issue.

Aditi Mathur
Editor, Intelligent Insurer

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