As part of this month’s ‘In Focus‘ series, industry experts from across the insurance and protection space share their views on how leadership within the sector is evolving – from building inclusive, people-focused cultures to supporting teams through increasingly complex and emotionally demanding client conversations.
Responding to the question, “What defines effective leadership in insurance and protection today?”, contributors discuss the importance of empathy, employee well-being, communication, and creating environments where teams feel supported to deliver better outcomes for clients.
Dr. Amy Pressland, Head of Talent and Performance at Benenden Health:
“Strong leadership in today’s insurance industry is defined by clarity of purpose, adaptability, and an unwavering focus on member outcomes. It’s about combining the commercial and human-centred drivers, leading through influence using data, insight and empathy to make better, faster decisions in an increasingly complex risk landscape, but not at the detriment of employee engagement.
At its core, effective leadership is member-centric. Leaders must translate strategy into meaningful action by aligning people, skills and technology to anticipate needs, simplify member journeys, and deliver consistent, high-quality member and employee experiences. This requires building capability at pace: leveraging AI, investing in skills, empowering decision-making at the front line, and creating a culture where continuous improvement is the norm.
Crucially, strong teams don’t happen by chance. They are intentionally designed and continuously maintained. Successful leaders bring together diverse perspectives, experiences and thinking styles to challenge assumptions and drive innovation. Inclusive leadership plays a central role here: creating environments where people feel valued, heard and able to contribute at their best.
Ultimately, insurance organisations that succeed will be those that see talent as a strategic asset that needs constant investment to develop confident, accountable teams who are equipped and motivated to deliver better outcomes for every client, every time.”
Jo Miller, Managing Director of the IPTF, comments:
“Where strong leadership in insurance might have previously meant technical expertise, understanding of rules and regulations or commercial acumen, today it starts with an understanding and acknowledgement of what the work involves and the toll it can take.
Advisers and claims assessors, as an example, work at the intersection of financial difficulty and genuine human distress, supporting clients through illness, uncertainty, financial hardship and potentially bereavement. All of this takes an emotional toll, which, if ignored, will lead to higher attrition rates among staff.
In story 5 of the IPTF’s 7 Claims stories, we considered the issue of moral injury among claims assessors, an issue that the industry has not considered in detail before, but one which is just as applicable to advisers.
In order to be able to show genuine empathy with the clients they are talking to, it is vitally important that we build organisations where staff feel psychologically safe and where they are not only able but also expected to debrief after a tough conversation. This all starts with leaders who model the behaviour they expect to see.
Process alone will not deliver better client outcomes. They require people who feel supported and valued to be able to show up when conversations are difficult. Human infrastructure must be a priority for leaders who will find that everything else follows once the people element of their organisation is supported. Just as the saying goes, you cannot pour from an empty cup, so leaders must ensure the cups are filled.”
