Ep172 Simon Lightbody CEO Rhodian: Making a home they’ll never want to leave

Given its 50% share of global premiums, it’s probably fair enough that we spend an awful lot of our time talking about the US market, but sometimes it’s refreshing to broaden our horizons a little. So today we’re going to be looking at Australia. And luckily we’re going to be guided by a real expert and pioneer in this territory. This is someone with an enviable track record and also a very strong grounding in global wholesale insurance. Simon Lightbody has had a very successful 30-plus year career which started as a broker and then an underwriter in London, but really took off 18 years ago when he helped found Miramar, an Australian MGA backed by the growing Steadfast distribution group. Steadfast went public ten years ago and these days its MGAs write well over a billion in annual premiums. After a recent career break Simon is back with Rhodian - a brand-new MGA incubator, set up with support from Amwins. When someone of Simon’s experience and success starts something new it’s always exciting and a chance to find out what opportunity it is they have seen or what gap in the market they have spotted.So what follows is an excellent tour around Simon’s big idea and the opportunities available in the Australian and wider Asia-Pacific markets. Simon’s someone I knew back in my own broking days in the 1990s and I think some of that familiarity comes through in this really friendly and relaxed meeting. But most importantly this is an encounter with a highly successful entrepreneur who knows the MGA business from top to bottom. And because of that I think this Episode has an awful lot to offer any listener, whether they have a particular interest in the Australian market or not. NOTESAPRA is the Australian prudential regulator, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority.ASIC is the conduct regulator, the Australian Securities and Investments CommissionLINKSWe thank our naming sponsor AdvantageGo:https://www.advantagego.com/