Crowe UK's head of consulting, Justin Elks, its head of sustainability, Alex Hindson, and the firm's director of risk and governance, Isaac Alfon, explain how they work closely with their insurance clients to deliver tailored solutions
What does Crowe see as the key risks and opportunities facing UK insurers in 2026?
Justin Elks: This is a question we ask ourselves and our clients each year. Our most recent 'Navigating 2026' research shows that risk functions are placing significant focus on the opportunities associated with data science and artificial intelligence. From a risk perspective, we see increasing focus on third parties, including supplier risk management and responsible sourcing. This links to cyber security and technology risk management, as insurers become increasingly dependent on cloud service providers.
Is regulatory compliance becoming less / more of a challenge for UK insurers? How can Crowe UK support them?
Justin Elks: Our Navigating 2026 work suggests that beyond the continued strengthening of climate-risk regulations we are now entering a period of regulatory consolidation. We are advising clients to make sure they can evidence that the progress made in previous years is fully embedded and that their programmes remain both efficient and effective. Increasingly, we are supporting clients leverage more value from the resources and capabilities they already have in place.
How has your collaboration with industry bodies (e.g., ABI, LMA, ClimateWise, IFoA) translated into tangible benefits for clients?
Alex Hindson: Our work with industry bodies gives clients earlier insight and more practical direction than they could get alone. For example, we recently co-hosted an AI event with the Association of British Insurers (ABI), which focused on navigating the evolving regulatory and governance landscape for AI in insurance. It brought senior leaders together to share real experiences and approaches, and we already have three more sessions planned because of the demand.
We also run a quarterly Supplier Risk Group, in collaboration with the ABI, which connects like minded individuals tackling similar challenges, helping them compare approaches and learn from each other.
And through our support on the ClimateWise annual report, clients benefit from clearer, stronger disclosures they can benchmark against. We work across the Lloyd's market in conjunction with the Lloyd's Market Association to enhance capabilities through the delivery of education and market-wide testing.
Together, these partnerships give clients access to market intelligence, peer insight and practical guidance that helps them move faster and make more informed decisions.
What have been Crowe's recent achievements in helping clients to embed climate risk and sustainability into their business operations?
Alex Hindson: We pride ourselves on helping clients tailor their sustainability programmes to their business models, culture and strategic objectives. By gaining clarity on stakeholders' expectations and how they want to position themselves in the market, we can help clients design proportionate programmes and operating models that fit their needs.
How has your work helped clients turn regulatory requirements into actionable business improvements, rather than just compliance exercises?
Isaac Alfon: A good example is how we help clients use regulatory change as a catalyst for improving how they run their business, not just meeting compliance. In several projects, we've taken what starts as a regulatory requirement-like operational resilience, risk effectiveness reviews or new sustainability disclosures and turned it into something that strengthens the organisation.
For instance, in risk reviews we've helped clients to redesign their operating models so they're not only compliant, but more efficient and less expensive, giving leaders clearer decision-making and governance.
With operational resilience, we've built tailored methodologies and roadmaps that gave clients the confidence and capability to embed the work themselves, long after the regulation was met. And in sustainability reporting, our limited assurance work didn't just validate disclosures - it gave clients a baseline to set meaningful targets and improve how they use data.
Across all of these, the common thread is that we work closely with clients to tailor solutions to how their business actually works. The result is that regulatory projects become opportunities to improve effectiveness, build capability, and create lasting value, rather than-not just ticking boxes.
What does Crowe do to differentiate its risk and insurance advisory services from other firms?
Isaac Alfon: What sets Crowe apart is how closely we work with clients. We don't advise from a distance - we sit alongside teams, understand how things really work, and help them make decisions that stick. We picture ourselves as the co-pilot alongside our client, enabling them to drive fast, knowing we have mapped out the route for them.
Our advice is practical, tailored, and focused on what will actually work in their organisation. And we always build with the future in mind, leaving clients stronger and more capable long after the project ends.
Companies:Crowe UK
