A fresh perspective on distribution

Growing networks and challenging the status quo in insurance distribution: moving to the other side of the insurer’s desk.

After nearly forty years in the business, Angus Milgate is trying something new. Having spent his whole career in broking, in 2024 he stepped over to the other side of the desk to join Chaucer as Head of Distribution. It’s an affiliated role, of course; connecting, building and strengthening relationships with brokers for an insurance company clearly requires many of the same skills for which Angus has been known throughout his career; listening, networking, negotiating. As Angus says,

“This doesn’t feel like a big transition because what I do now is still essentially sales, which has been my career. I’ve got a good network in the reinsurance market and am looking forward to growing my network in the direct insurance market.”

After spending over twenty years as a reinsurance broker at AON, including a period in Singapore to develop the office for them, Angus joined McGill & Partners to build a treaty reinsurance team. Angus draws on all of these experiences, the variety of workstreams he’s been involved with and skills he’s had to acquire, receiving a broad exposure to a wide range of teams and processes across the business. These roles have given him a deep understanding of the needs, operations and strategies of brokerages at both ends of the spectrum – from a large team at a Big Three brokerage to a boutique startup, as it was when he joined.

Gaining this diversity of skills and experience led Angus to considering what matters to him the most for his next role. When approached to fill the vacancy of Head of Distribution, he was immediately drawn to Chaucer due to the company’s reputation of quiet excellence.

“Choosing what I wanted to do going forwards, I was looking for a new challenge, so moving to an insurer was a good fit and I wanted to utilise these skills I’ve spent a career gaining. But it was less about the role and more about the people.

There's a huge amount respect for Chaucer in the market. It's an underwriter’s underwriting firm with a strong reputation. There is a core strength in the business which can be seen that from the outside and having been here for six months now, I can say it's even better on the inside.”

This emphasis on people is reflected in more than just Chaucer’s reputation, Angus feels.

In his previous roles, Angus has been an amplifier of people, seeking to make sure his teams were well suited to their roles and allowing them to achieve their best.

“Too often you see a square peg in a round hole but there doesn’t seem to be much of this at Chaucer at all. I’m lucky to have arrived in a role where we already have Paddy (Patrick Russell, Broker Distribution Lead) doing a fantastic job with our core and partner brokers. But when you arrive in a leadership role the first thing you tend to think is, ‘this is working well, but let’s test it.’ We need to make sure the underwriting heads here feel that we are doing a really good job for them.”

This ability to not only build relationships with external partners but also develop connections internally will no doubt suit his role of Head of Distribution well, as he will be working with teams across the business, most notably Innovation & Partnership, to help support their goals.

Indeed, one of the things Angus finds most exciting about moving to an insurer, is the financial capacity to offer solutions.

“As a broker, you are offering ideas and hard work, you are selling yourself (and your firm) but before the appointment, you don’t really have anything tangible. As an insurer, we can match the ideas, enthusiasm and effort but we also have underwriting capacity to back it up. It is a change in power dynamic from what I have been used to, so I am very interested to see where it goes. One of the areas I can already see this stand out is Innovation & Partnership and I’m looking forward to working with Tom Graham (Head of Innovation & Partnerships) to see what we can do together.”

Bringing a fresh pair of eyes and a broad network to a business can allow a new approach to distribution strategy, and with Chaucer currently working on its next 5-year plan, the time is right for Angus.

What’s the most surprising thing about having joined Chaucer?

“Having been in the market and worked alongside Chaucer for a very long time, I was always aware of that quiet confidence I mentioned earlier. But I’ve been surprised by the recent growth, and the openness and collegiate nature of the culture. Again, Chaucer has always had a reputation for expertise and a presence in the global market, but only when researching the business before joining did I fully appreciate that there are now 8 offices and hubs, a GWP over $3Bn and for 2025 our stamp capacity is $2Bn.

I’m delighted to have joined during such a strong period and am really looking forward to seeing how I can help to grow the business further.”