Acrisure UK has appointed Lou Brown as head of risk management as the group launches a new Acrisure Risk Management Services division aimed at creating a more coordinated approach to risk management across its broking, claims and advisory operations.
Brown brings more than 10 years of experience spanning claims, risk engineering and strategic risk consultancy. Her previous experience includes more than four years with Marsh McLennan.
The appointment represents a significant investment by Acrisure UK in developing a more proactive, advisory-led service model. The new division will address a range of operational risk areas, including people and liability risk, property, motor, claims defensibility and strategic risk.
Its objective will be to help clients reduce their total cost of risk while improving claims performance and strengthening their wider risk management strategies.
Moving Beyond Transactional Broking
Brown described the role as a rare opportunity to build a new function from the ground up, with the ambition of shifting Acrisure’s offering beyond transactional insurance broking towards a more strategic and collaborative approach.
The division will also support clients with compliance and governance, helping organisations identify and mitigate risks affecting their assets and reputation. It will also provide insight to support decision-making around loss prevention and regulatory requirements.
Brown will be supported by a growing team of specialists, regional delivery teams and partnerships with specialist providers, allowing the division to expand its reach and capabilities.
New Health and Safety Appointment Adds Specialist Expertise
Acrisure has also appointed Andy Simmonds as senior health and safety consultant.
Simmonds previously held positions at Redditch Borough Council, Howden Insurance Brokers, Gallagher and NatWest Mentor. He brings more than 25 years of experience in health and safety risk management, with much of his career spent working within the insurance sector.
His experience includes working with insurers, brokers and clients to identify and mitigate risks and reduce claims exposure through stronger health and safety controls. He has worked across a broad range of sectors, including construction, manufacturing, care, education, agriculture, motor and housing.
Appointments Form Part of Wider UK Expansion
The appointments come as Acrisure continues to expand its UK operations.
In January, the group completed the rebranding of heritage brokers Russell Scanlan and WH&R McCartney under the unified Acrisure name. In April, it added four further businesses, including managing general agent Confidas, to its UK broking platform.
The creation of a dedicated risk management division comes amid wider debate across the UK insurance broking market over the impact of ongoing consolidation.
At the British Insurance Brokers’ Association conference in June, Lockton partner Matt Davies was among senior industry figures who questioned whether the wave of private equity-backed acquisitions reshaping the UK broking sector is creating genuinely stronger businesses or primarily deploying capital at scale.
Whether Acrisure’s investment in advisory capabilities can help address that debate remains to be seen. However, the move represents a distinct strategic direction from the acquisition-led expansion that has characterised much of the group’s recent growth in the UK.
The focus on risk management also comes as claims costs remain under pressure. EY has forecast a return to underwriting losses in the UK motor insurance market in 2026, with the net combined ratio expected to increase from 97% in 2024 to 111%. Rising repair costs, labour rates and material prices are contributing to increased claims costs across property and casualty lines.
Against this backdrop, services designed to reduce claims frequency and severity, rather than simply arrange insurance cover, are becoming an increasingly important part of brokers’ value propositions.
Strengthening Acrisure’s Risk Management Proposition
Swann said the initiative was designed to create a more integrated proposition that helps clients manage risk more effectively while also strengthening Acrisure’s relationships with insurers.
For a broking group that has expanded significantly through acquisitions over the past two years, the launch of a dedicated risk management division will test whether deeper advisory capabilities, rather than scale alone, can help differentiate a consolidator in a market where claims costs across construction, motor and casualty lines continue to rise.
