Reputation is everything: Lorraine Harfitt Insurance Day Interview

Asta continues to strengthen its position as the leading third-party managing agency at Lloyd’s. In a wide-ranging interview with Insurance Day, our CEO Lorraine Harfitt reflects on a landmark year for the business, as we welcome new syndicates, broaden our client base, and extend our service offering.

With 16 full syndicates, seven Syndicates-in-a-Box, and one SPA now under management, Asta oversees more than £4.5bn of underwriting capacity – making us the largest managing agency in the market. As Lorraine explains, the scale and diversity of our portfolio is a significant advantage for clients, creating both operational efficiencies and opportunities for collaboration across the Asta community.

2024 marked a turning point, with Fidelis and Ki joining as major clients alongside Convex, shifting the scale of capacity under management. At the same time, three new SIABs demonstrated Asta’s ability to support businesses at every stage of their Lloyd’s journey.

Lorraine also highlights how Asta’s independence sets us apart. With no syndicate of our own, we remain fully aligned with our clients’ interests, free from conflicts that can arise elsewhere in the market. This independence, she argues, is a key reason why established syndicates have chosen to transfer to Asta in recent months.

Looking ahead, Asta is focused on sustainable growth and continuing to evolve our offering. From extending the role of AUML to supporting MGAs beyond Lloyd’s, to leveraging the resources of our parent company Davies, we are committed to ensuring our clients have access to the widest possible range of solutions.

As Lorraine notes: “Reputation is everything. We navigate a fine line between keeping regulators and our fee-paying clients happy – and our aim is to deliver for both.”

Read the full interview in Insurance Day here.

To continue the conversation, get in touch with our CEO of Asta, Lorraine Harfitt on l.harfitt@asta-uk.com