IUA talent pipeline committee

The International Underwriting Association has set up a NextGen Underwriting Committee as London insurers try to rebuild a thinning pipeline of early-career underwriters. (insurancebusinessmag.com) The committee was announced on April 21, 2026 as part of the IUA Futures programme, and its members come from IUA firms with up to 10 years of experience across insurance and reinsurance classes. The group has already held its first meeting. (insurancebusinessmag.com) Its first jobs are practical ones: shaping the IUA’s Underwriting Essentials webinar and workshop series and helping senior committees identify the skills the market will need next. The association also has four policy-wordings masterclasses scheduled for 2026. (insurancebusinessmag.com) (iua.co.uk) Underwriting is the part of insurance that decides which risks to cover and on what terms, so the work depends heavily on judgment that is usually learned over years. The IUA says its Futures programme is meant to give newer staff technical training, networking and access to senior practitioners earlier in their careers. (iua.co.uk 1) (iua.co.uk 2) The pressure is coming from demographics as much as hiring. The London Market Group said in February 2026 that the share of workers under 30 in the London market is projected to fall from 24% to 7% over the next decade, while total staffing needs are expected to reach 82,200 full-time roles by 2034. (lmg.london) RSM UK said in January 2026 that more than a quarter of UK insurance staff are already over 50, and that 50% of the current workforce could retire within 15 years. It also said about 10% of London market property risk engineers are due to retire in the next couple of years. (rsmuk.com) The IUA had already signaled talent as a 2026 priority in December, when chief executive Chris Jones tied the association’s agenda to protecting London’s underwriting and claims expertise. That plan included a centralized NextGen education programme, new technical support roles, and an online clauses library with more than 1,000 model wordings. (insurancebusinessmag.com) This underwriting committee follows a similar move on the claims side. The IUA and Lloyd’s Market Association launched online claims job simulations in October 2024, and the IUA’s NextGen Claims Committee has since run masterclasses and a three-session bootcamp. (iua.co.uk) (insurancebusinessmag.com) The IUA represents companies in London that write international and wholesale insurance and reinsurance, a market it says remains the world’s leading international insurance and reinsurance center. Its new underwriting committee is aimed at making sure that expertise is still there when today’s senior underwriters retire. (iua.co.uk)