Leaders Under 40: Ed Saul

In a market where alternative capital is steadily rewriting the rulebook, the ability to think intuitively, to navigate ambiguity rather than wait for a manual, has become a powerful differentiator.

As part of Intelligent Insurer’s series on Leaders Under 40, we spoke to Ed Saul, vice president, client partner, at Artex Capital Solutions, whose path into the industry was as unplanned as it was transformative. He never planned a career in insurance, let alone in capital solutions. Yet today, he is one of the young figures helping redefine how non-traditional capital enters Lloyd’s. (Click here to watch the full interview)

“There’s no textbook to follow. You have to use your intuition.”

“I did fall into the insurance industry,” he said, recalling how a reinsurance client hired him in his mid-twenties after his time at a Big Four accounting firm. His first assignment threw him in at the deep end: “leading the office through the build-out of some new operations, therefore new processes, new procedures and also a risk management framework.”

What stayed with him wasn’t just the technical complexity but the human side of change — the negotiation, the collaboration, the learning curve. It was, he said, challenging and hugely rewarding, and it anchored his commitment to a sector he now sees as very collaborative and full of ideas.

When Saul joined Artex Capital Solutions, he stepped squarely into the world of insurance-linked securities, and into one of the most difficult tasks in the market: making alternative capital work inside the Lloyd’s framework. UK ILS was still evolving, and the rules were far from settled. “It was untrodden territory,” he said. “There’s no textbook to follow. You have to use your intuition.”

That freedom to follow his own judgement is what keeps him energised. Saul admits he is wired for stretching challenges, describing a “natural instinct for throwing myself at more difficult tasks and responsibilities.”

A defining moment came in late 2022 with the launch of London Bridge 2, the market’s second onshore risk transformation vehicle. It required not just structuring, but education — explaining its purpose to capital providers, creating governance frameworks, and coordinating lawyers, brokers, accountants, investment managers and banks. For Saul, the key was conviction: “absolutely believing in the value that it has” for investors who want access to Lloyd’s without offshore mechanisms.

The project reinforced his belief in the market’s collective strength. “We’re all servicing the transactions, and therefore we all play an important role,” he said. Bringing those voices together, he added, is where the industry does its best work.

Asked what shaped him as a leader, Saul emphasised leaning into the work that suits him best. “My strengths are around innovative and intuitive thinking, creative problem solving and thinking on my feet,” he said. Equally central is the relational side of the job: “I have a genuine interest in everyone I work with.”

He rejects the idea of a single model of talent. “There is no one talent: every role has different strength requirements.” But he sees one quality as universal: grit paired with “a great mindset”. Even as AI reshapes analytical work, he is convinced “there’s still a place for everyone’s type of trained talent.”

Saul’s focus on talent is about how the sector presents itself. Young people, he believes, often have little sense of insurance’s influence on the wider economy, or the opportunities it offers. He points to initiatives like the London Market Group’s outreach, which “brings young people directly into the City of London to see things in real life.” Seeing insurance tied to sport, music or infrastructure, he said, is often when it clicks.

Saul approaches his own development deliberately. Every morning, he writes down at least one challenge designed to push him outside his comfort zone. “It’s a good way to start the day,” he noted. He also mentors in the Lloyd’s Lab, which “exposes you to new technologies and products” and tests his ability to help early-stage ideas take shape.

Outside insurance, serving on the board of trustees at Norwich Theatre has broadened his perspective. It has shown him, he said, “new perspectives on business and the way that people approach organisations.” Different sectors, he believes, sharpen different instincts.

His guidance to younger professionals is direct: start by understanding yourself. “Understand what your own interests are, what motivates you and where that applies within the insurance industry.” Strengths and passion, he said, don’t need to look like anyone else’s: “What you enjoy and motivates you: it’s often where your true strengths lie.”

Saul sees his future firmly tied to the expanding space where insurance and capital markets intersect. “I look forward to remaining in the industry and helping capital markets navigate insurance and making it an easier and more effective place for them to deploy their capital.” The opportunity, he believes, is only growing — and the work ahead demands exactly what drew him in: intuition, creativity and a willingness to build what doesn’t yet exist.

Click here to watch the full interview:

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