CEO - MGA in London

Managing General Agent (MGA) | International General Insurance | SMF1 salary to £350k

Location: UK (with international travel)

Reporting to: Group Board / Divisional Board

Regulatory: Role holder will be required to hold SMF1 (Chief Executive) approval under the Senior Managers & Certification Regime.

The Opportunity

Our client is a fast-growing, internationally active Managing General Agent operating across a broad and expanding suite of specialty and general insurance lines. Backed by a well-capitalised group and a stable panel of capacity partners, the business has built a strong platform for growth and is now seeking an ambitious, commercially astute Chief Executive Officer to lead it through its next phase of expansion. This is a genuine scale-up mandate: the successful candidate will be tasked with growing gross written premium from approximately £250 million to £1 billion, through a combination of organic growth, new product and territory development, and disciplined M&A.

The Role

As CEO, you will take full P&L accountability for the business, setting and delivering the strategic vision while building the operational, distribution and capacity infrastructure required to support significant scale. You will be the public face of the business — a genuinely market-facing leader who is comfortable representing the organisation at the highest levels with brokers, capacity providers, reinsurers and regulators alike.

• Defining and executing a growth strategy to take the business from £250m to £1bn+ in GWP
• Building and deepening relationships across the broking community, acting as a visible and credible ambassador for the business in the market
• Securing, managing and expanding relationships with insurer and reinsurer capacity partners
• Leading, developing and where necessary reshaping the senior leadership team to support scaled growth
• Identifying and executing acquisition and new product/territory opportunities
• Holding SMF1 responsibilities and ensuring the business operates within a robust risk, governance and regulatory framework
• Acting as the primary interface with the Board and wider Group on performance, strategy and risk

The Candidate

We are looking for a leader with genuine gravitas and market presence — someone who is known and respected across the insurance and broking community, and who can walk into any relationship at CEO or Board level and be taken seriously from day one.

You will likely have:

• A strong track record within a (re)insurer, ideally with exposure to MGA, delegated authority or specialty distribution models
• Demonstrable experience of scaling a premium book significantly, ideally through both organic and inorganic growth
• Deep, credible relationships across the broking community — regional, national and/or London Market as relevant to the portfolio
• Prior or current approval as an SMF1 holder, or a clear and credible pathway to obtaining this approval
• Strong commercial acumen combined with the operational discipline to scale infrastructure, systems and people alongside premium growth
• The gravitas, communication skills and executive presence to represent the business externally at the highest level
• A collaborative leadership style capable of building high-performing teams through a period of significant change and growth

Why Apply

This is a rare opportunity to lead a business with real ambition and the backing to match it — a chance to build something significant, with the autonomy of a CEO mandate and the support of a well-capitalised group behind you. This role is being handled on a strictly confidential basis. The identity of the business will be disclosed to shortlisted candidates following initial discussions.