We’re excited to invite you to the IFoA GIRO Conference 2026, taking place this year in Edinburgh.
This year’s conference brings together the brightest minds in general insurance for three days of insight, innovation, and connection. With 130+ expert speakers, their unique perspectives will inspire as we explore the evolving landscape of general insurance during this must-attend event for professionals driving the industry forward.
Whether you're looking to expand your knowledge, network with peers, or celebrate industry achievements, GIRO 2026 is where it all happens.
GI Board Awards 2026: nominations open
The GI Board is pleased to launch four award categories recognising outstanding achievements and contributions to the general insurance actuarial community.
Sponsors
Featured speakers
The former CEO of Lloyd’s of London, Dame Inga Beale is a British businesswoman with over four decades of experience in the financial services sector. Inga led the global insurance market through a dramatic period of modernisation, opening the Lloyd’s Innovation Lab, expanding the company’s global access, and challenging the ‘old boys’ club’ image of the 330-year-old institution.
Prior to joining Lloyd’s, Inga held a variety of international leadership positions for GE Insurance Solutions, before becoming Group CEO of Swiss reinsurer Converium. She was then on the Global Management Board of Zurich Insurance Group, until she became Group CEO of Canopius, one of the top insurers in Lloyd’s market.
During her time at Lloyd’s, Inga developed a culture of innovation, modernisation, and inclusion. She expanded the company’s reach to new, high-growth markets, including Asia and the Middle East and delivered some of Lloyd’s strongest financial results. As the first female CEO of Lloyd’s, she played a key role in changing cultural perceptions and highlighting the importance of diversity and inclusion. Under her leadership, Lloyd’s launched a number of diversity initiatives, including the Dive In Festival, which grew to become the only world-wide insurance industry diversity and inclusion event.
Drawing on her experience at Lloyd’s, Inga discusses what it means to lead cultural change and steer a company through a technological transition without losing its core character. Her talks uncover how successful transformation means establishing a balance between tradition and history, and modernity and innovation. Moreover, she tackles breaking glass ceilings, and building inclusive environments within the workplace. Inga also analyses the reasons behind a lack of trust in both governments and the corporate sector, as well as the rise in public emphasis on corporate responsibility, purpose, ethics, and sustainable business models.
She serves as an Ambassador for the UK LGBT Charity Stonewall and was awarded a Damehood in 2017 for her influential work in driving the inclusion agenda for women and the LGBT community as well as her services to the broader UK economy.
She has served as a member of the London Mayor’s Business Advisory Board, President of the UK Chartered Insurance Institute, and a member of the UK Government’s Financial Services Trade and Investment Board.
She currently serves as Chair of the climate solutions company South Pole, and also sits on boards of the claims handler Crawford & Company, the global insurance broker and advisor Willis Towers Watson, and the Dutch insurer NN Group. In addition, her pro bono roles include President of the British Swiss Chamber of Commerce.
Eliza Manningham-Buller headed Britain’s Security Service (MI5) from 2002 to 2007, before serving as Chair of the Wellcome Trust, one of the world’s largest charitable funders of medical research and other activity to improve human health, from 2015 to 2021.
From counter terrorism to pandemics, Eliza has led organisations through remarkable and pressurised times.
Eliza reflects on twenty years as a leader of two very different organisations, but which share many traits and goals in managing the unpredictable and trying to keep millions safe. She outlines how leaders’ priorities must change in order to keep pace with shifting demands from all stakeholders and the constant emergence of new, often unimagined challenges. From existential threats such as climate change and pandemics to diversity and fairness, leaders have to seriously consider an ever-changing, complex landscape of
priorities that influence both their organisation’s success and society’s future.
At MI5, Eliza led the Service through significant change, expansion, and scrutiny as it dealt with the growth of Al-Qaida terrorism after 9/11, and in response to the 7/7 attacks in London. Prior to serving as Director General her various roles took her to Washington during the first Gulf war, as well as seeing her responsible, at separate times, for work on Irish terrorism, surveillance, technical collection, finance, and IT, before she became Deputy Director General in charge of intelligence operations.
During her time as Chair of the Wellcome Trust, Eliza helped lead the UK’s biggest charity, overseeing funding for scientific research into all aspects of health and wellbeing, from infection to mental health, as well as responding to Covid-19. Having foreseen the threat of a pandemic on the scale of Covid-19, the Trust also helped to establish the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).
In presentations Eliza covers lessons in leadership from throughout her career, drawing on her experience in the most demanding of environments to stress the need for leaders in any walk of life to engage in frank dialogue and invite criticism: “Do not try to be something you’re not; take responsibility for your team and remember that praising people takes seconds and can make an enormous difference. And don’t forget that humour can be found even in the most awful situations.”
Eliza is a crossbench peer, a Fellow of the Royal Society, and a former president of the respected foreign policy think-tank Chatham House. She was Chair of Council at Imperial College for four years, and has delivered the prestigious BBC Reith Lectures. Her analysis in those lectures of the theme 'Securing Freedom' also formed the basis of her book of the same title.
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Schedule
| Activity | Time | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Registration and lunch | 12:00 - 13:30 | |
| Chair's welcome | 13:30 - 13:45 | |
| Plenary 1: Dame Inga Beale | 13:45 - 14:45 | |
| Research update and Wendy Hawes presentations | 14:45 - 16:00 | |
| Networking break | 16:00 - 16:30 | |
| Transfer time | 16:30 - 16:40 | |
| Workshop A1 | 16:40 - 17:30 | TBC |
| Workshop A2 | 16:40 - 17:30 |
UK flood insurance: hope you're living on a hill!
Read more |
|
Speakers Richard Stock, Flood Working Party |
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| Workshop A3 | 16:40 - 17:30 |
PRA update
Read more |
|
Speaker Daniel Curtis, Bank of England |
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| Workshop A4 | 16:40 - 17:30 |
AI infrastructure liability risk
Read more |
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Speakers Michelle Gascoin, Liability Exposure Management Working Party |
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| Workshop A5 | 16:40 - 17:30 |
Panel discussion on the PRA DyGIST exercise
Read more |
|
Speakers Mirjam Spies, Lloyd's |
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| Workshop A6 | 16:40 - 17:30 |
One-shot individual claims reserving
Read more |
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Speaker Ron Richman, insureAI |
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| Workshop A7 | 16:40 - 17:30 |
Solvency UK Working Party
Read more |
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Speaker Amrita Pattni, Solvency UK Working Party |
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| Transfer time | 17:30 - 17:40 | |
| Workshop B1 | 17:40 - 18:30 |
Credit risk in transit: Are insurers prepared?
Read more |
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Speakers Cherry Chan, Deloitte MCS |
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| Workshop B2 | 17:40 - 18:30 |
Professional learnings from a distressed insurer
Read more |
|
Speaker |
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| Workshop B3 | 17:40 - 18:30 |
Hidden in plain sight: Identifying casualty catastrophes in your portfolio
Read more |
|
Speakers Julien Masselot, Howden IAL |
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| Workshop B4 | 17:40 - 18:30 |
What good looks like: Reserving process lessons from across the market
Read more |
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Speakers Muhammad Ali, Howden IAL |
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| Workshop B5 | 17:40 - 18:30 |
The real story about surviving a soft market
Read more |
|
Speakers Neil Bruce, Markel International
Joe Monk, Nephila |
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| Workshop B6 | 17:40 - 18:30 |
Plugging into the future: Current challenges of electric vehicles
Read more |
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Speakers Mohammad Khan, Electric Vehicles Working Party |
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| Workshop B7 | 17:40 - 18:30 |
Current issues in capital modelling: update from the Capital Research Group
Read more |
|
Speakers Howard Dale, Dale Consulting |
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| Drinks reception and buffet dinner | 18:30 - 21:30 | |
| Activity | Time | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Registration and delegate breakfast | 08:15 - 09:00 | |
| Plenary 2: Professionalism | 09:00 - 10:00 |
Read more |
|
Speaker Richard Chalk, Bank of England |
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| Hot Topic 60 second pitches | 10:00 - 10:10 | |
| Morning refreshments and exhibition | 10:10 - 10:40 | |
| Transfer time | 10:40 - 10:50 | |
| Workshop C1 | 10:50 - 11:40 |
Actuaries in tech: Navigating non-traditional frontiers
Read more |
|
Speakers |
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| Workshop C2 | 10:50 - 11:40 |
"Whose job is climate?” — a cross-industry view of actuarial responses to climate change and the impact of SS5/25
Read more |
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Speakers |
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| Workshop C3 | 10:50 - 11:40 |
Results of market survey and current issues in motor insurance
Read more |
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Speakers |
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| Workshop C4 | 10:50 - 11:40 |
Mental fitness for actuaries: Performing under pressure in judgement-heavy roles
Read more |
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Speakers Michael Tripp, Fidelis Underwriting |
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| Workshop C5 | 10:50 - 11:40 |
Residual development factors: A new diagnostic for changing claims development
Read more |
|
Speakers |
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| Workshop C6 | 10:50 - 11:40 |
Lloyd's update
Read more |
|
Speaker |
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| Workshop C7 | 10:50 - 11:40 |
The agentic actuary - A real-time profitability analysis and honest look at AI in actuarial practice
Read more |
|
Speakers Harry Wilkinson, hyperexponential |
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| Transfer time | 11:40 - 11:50 | |
| Workshop D1 | 11:50 - 12:40 |
It takes two: Dual perspectives on a Part VII transfer
Read more |
|
Speakers |
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| Workshop D2 | 11:50 - 12:40 |
How do we ensure inclusion and fairness in the personal lines market?
Read more |
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Speakers |
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| Workshop D3 | 11:50 - 12:40 |
Just when you thought it was safe to ignore inflation!
Read more |
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Speakers |
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| Workshop D4 | 11:50 - 12:40 |
DyGIST: Practical Lessons from the UK’s first dynamic GI stress test
Read more |
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Speakers |
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| Workshop D5 | 11:50 - 12:40 |
Knowing when to trust an account's claims history: A unified credibility framework
Read more |
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Speaker Jake Morris, Allianz Commercial |
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| Workshop D6 | 11:50 - 12:40 |
Closing the protection gap: Are nat cat pools delivering in APAC and Europe?
Read more |
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Speakers Charchit Agrawal, IFoA GI Asia Working Party |
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| Workshop D7 | 11:50 - 12:40 |
The snowball method: A practical guide to actuarial transformation
Read more |
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Speaker Jeremy Keating, Price Waters |
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| Lunch | 12:40 - 13:40 | |
| Women actuaries networking lunch | 12:40 - 13:40 | |
| Transfer time | 13:40 - 13:50 | |
| Hot Topic 1 | 13:50 - 14:30 |
AI and climate risks: Insights for actuaries from recent FRC research
Read more |
|
Speakers Matthew Myring-McCullagh, Financial Reporting Council |
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| Hot Topic 2 | 13:50 - 14:30 |
Bye-bye ABI groups. Vehicle risk rating: A generational change to motor pricing and underwriting
Read more |
|
Speakers |
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| Hot Topic 3 | 13:50 - 14:30 |
Risk Drivers for GI Capital Modelling Working Party: Moving capital models from copulas to a drivers of risk structure
Read more |
|
Speakers James Toller, Risk Drivers for GI Capital Modelling Working Party |
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| Hot Topic 4 | 13:50 - 14:30 |
Agents of change: Prototyping insurance agentic AI in live
Read more |
|
Speakers Alexey Mashechkin, Allianz Partners |
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| Hot Topic 5 | 13:50 - 14:30 |
The state of AI in reserving: Progress, pitfalls, and pathways forward
Read more |
|
Speakers Nigel Carpenter, Machine Learning in Reserving Working Party |
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| Hot Topic 6 | 13:50 - 14:30 |
Responsible AI in practice: how actuaries can take the lead
Read more |
|
Speakers Geraldine Finucane, Professionalism, Regulation and Ethics Working Party |
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| Hot Topic 7 | 13:50 - 14:30 |
Update from the working party on actuarial applications of vine copulas
Read more |
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Speakers Tim Harrison, Actuarial Applications of Vine Copulas Working Party |
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| Transfer time | 14:30 - 14:40 | |
| Hot Topic 1 | 14:40 - 15:20 |
AI and climate risks: Insights for actuaries from recent FRC research
Read more |
|
Speakers Matthew Myring-McCullagh, Financial Reporting Council |
||
| Hot Topic 2 | 14:40 - 15:20 |
Bye-bye ABI groups. Vehicle risk rating: A generational change to motor pricing and underwriting
Read more |
|
Speakers |
||
| Hot Topic 3 | 14:40 - 15:20 |
Risk Drivers for GI Capital Modelling Working Party: Moving capital models from copulas to a drivers of risk structure
Read more |
|
Speakers James Toller, Risk Drivers for GI Capital Modelling Working Party |
||
| Hot Topic 4 | 14:40 - 15:20 |
Agents of change: Prototyping insurance agentic AI in live
Read more |
|
Speakers Alexey Mashechkin, Allianz Partners |
||
| Hot Topic 5 | 14:40 - 15:20 |
The state of AI in reserving: Progress, pitfalls, and pathways forward
Read more |
|
Speakers Nigel Carpenter, Machine Learning in Reserving Working Party |
||
| Hot Topic 6 | 14:40 - 15:20 |
Responsible AI in practice: how actuaries can take the lead
Read more |
|
Speakers Geraldine Finucane, Professionalism, Regulation and Ethics Working Party |
||
| Hot Topic 7 | 14:40 - 15:20 |
Update from the working party on actuarial applications of vine copulas
Read more |
|
Speakers Tim Harrison, Actuarial Applications of Vine Copulas Working Party |
||
| Afternoon refreshments and exhibition | 15:20 - 15:50 | |
| Transfer time | 15:50 - 16:00 | |
| Plenary 3: TBC | 16:00 - 12:00 | |
| Speaker changeover | 17:00 - 17:10 | |
| IFoA Town Hall | 17:10 - 18:00 | |
| Delegate free time | 18:00 - 19:00 | |
| Drinks reception | 19:00 - 19:45 | National Museum of Scotland |
| Conference dinner and awards | 19:45 - 00:00 | National Museum of Scotland |
| Activity | Time | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | 09:00 - 09:30 | |
| Workshop E1 | 09:30 - 10:20 |
Soft markets, hard truths: A live debate
Read more |
|
Speakers Alice Boreman, Managing the Cycle Working Party |
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| Workshop E2 | 09:30 - 10:20 |
What has the Actuaries' Code ever done for us?
Read more |
|
Speakers Cian Creedon, AON |
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| Workshop E3 | 09:30 - 10:20 |
Navigating the actuarial triangle: members, employers and machine learning
Read more |
|
Speakers Michael Ramyar, Karol Gawlowski and Alexey Mashechkin, representatives from the IFoA AI & Emerging Technologies Practice Board, the Machine Learning in Reserving Working Party and the Actuarial Data Science Working Party |
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| Workshop E4 | 09:30 - 10:20 |
Is your correlation structure overstating or understating the value of excess of loss reinsurance?
Read more |
|
Speaker James Francis, Gallagher Re |
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| Workshop E5 | 09:30 - 10:20 |
Post pricing transformation: How do you prove your shiny new system is worth it?
Read more |
|
Speakers Jack Miller, Apollo Underwriting |
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| Workshop E6 | 09:30 - 10:20 |
Navigating the soft market slide – Strategic planning best practices with the reserving actuary as the lynchpin
Read more |
|
Speakers Arun Vijay, TORP Working Party |
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| Workshop E7 | 09:30 - 10:20 |
State of the market 2026
Read more |
|
Speakers Edward Plowman, GI Pricing Research Group |
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| Morning refreshments and exhibition | 10:20 - 11:00 | |
| Transfer time | 11:00 - 11:10 | |
| Workshop F1 | 11:10 - 12:00 |
Treasure Island: Pearls of wisdom from the SEA (Solvent Exit Analysis)
Read more |
|
Speakers Oscar Marshak, Grant Thornton UK |
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| Workshop F2 | 11:10 - 12:00 |
The living control cycle: Addressing the blind spots in actuarial best practice
Read more |
|
Speakers Christopher Smerald, Better Sensing and Responding to Change Working Party |
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| Workshop F3 | 11:10 - 12:00 |
Cutting through the AI/ML hype: What’s actually working in GI pricing? Insights from the AI/ML for GI Pricing Working Party
Read more |
|
Speakers Ed Plowman, IFoA AI/ML for GI Pricing Working Party |
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| Workshop F4 | 11:10 - 12:00 |
Flood modelling: What's changing?
Read more |
|
Speakers David McNamara, Flood Re |
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| Workshop F5 | 11:10 - 12:00 |
Playful provocation: Using ‘Cards Against the Actuary’ to explore hot topics in general insurance
Read more |
|
Speakers Mohamed Elsheemy, Crystallise LTD |
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| Workshop F6 | 11:10 - 12:00 |
Faster close reserving: A framework for smarter reserving decisions on roll-forward
Read more |
|
Speakers Ed Harrison, LCP |
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| Workshop F7 | 11:10 - 12:00 |
Pricing focus areas for a softening market
Read more |
|
Speakers James Anderson, The Managing the Cycle Working Party |
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| Transfer time | 12:00 - 12:10 | |
| Plenary 4: Eliza Manningham-Buller | 12:10 - 13:10 | |
| Closing remarks | 13:10 - 13:20 | |
| Conference close and lunch on the run | 13:20 | |
Pricing and booking information
| Members – Full conference | £1307 |
| Members – Day 1 only | £472.50 |
| Members – Day 2 only including conference dinner | £640.50 |
| Members – Day 3 only | £315 |
| Non-members – Full conference | £1636 |
| Non-members – Day 1 only | £577.50 |
| Non-members – Day 2 only including conference dinner | £745.50 |
| Non-members – Day 3 only | £420 |
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