Last week was particularly important for the legacy market, because it kicked off with the annual Insurance and Reinsurance Legacy Association (IRLA) Congress in Brighton.

Hundreds of run-off professionals flock to the UK seaside town each summer for two and a half days of seminars, meetings, and plenty of networking. Those who arrived on Monday were rather unfortunately greeted by typical British summer weather – cold, wind, and rain. For anyone who travelled from abroad, I promise it’s not like that every day!

I was in Brighton earlier this week, but having attended the Congress many times, this year I decided it was time to pass the baton to my colleagues. However, I could not resist the opportunity to organise an informal cocktail evening, and catch up with some old friends from the industry.

The legacy community is certainly a close-knit one. Many of us have known each other for years, although it is always great to see some fresh faces at these events, too. IRLA has a very active Young Professionals Group, and I was very pleased to hear that our M&A Associate, Yana Efimova, spoke on her very first panel at the Congress: ‘The values of mentoring’.

Meanwhile our Head of M&A, Rob Margetts, was one of 13 senior professionals invited to speak at the Insurance Insider Round Table, to share his views on the developments shaping the legacy market. I look forward to learning more about what was discussed once the publication becomes available!

Over the next couple of weeks I will be in London, the heart of the Lloyd’s insurance market and Compre’s main operational hub. It will be a pleasure to spend some quality face-to-face time with my London colleagues.