Scaling L&AH Without Scaling Headcount

How Unum, Zurich and Legal & General are operating differently in 2026

The capacity gap in UK Life, Annuity & Health is no longer a future problem. Underwriters, claims handlers, and actuarial specialists are leaving faster than carriers can replace them while policyholder demand keeps rising. Boards are asking what AI is actually doing about it. Most carriers don't yet have a clear answer.

On 18 June, a small group of UK L&AH leaders sits down in private to share what's working. Not pilots. Production. Real numbers, real cases, the parts that didn't work, and the lessons that did.

Up to 50 senior executives. Chatham House Rules. You leave with a one-page roadmap for your own business — not a framework, not a slide deck, a working plan.

What you'll walk away with:

• A diagnosed capacity pressure point in your own business — where it's hurting most
• A top-five shortlist of AI bets specific to your operating model, scored on Customer × P&L × Readiness
• One bet for Now (next 90 days) with a named owner, exec sponsor, and a stop criterion you can defend at your board
• Two to three bets for Next (6–12 months) and Later (12–24 months) with prerequisites and activation triggers
• A peer network of fellow L&AH leaders solving the same problems — connections that outlast the day

Who this session is for:

Senior leaders inside UK Life, Annuity, and Health carriers — Chief Operating Officers, Chief Transformation Officers, Chief Technology Officers, Heads of L&AH, Heads of Benefits, Chief Risk Officers, and Responsible AI leads. Reinsurers and brokers with skin in the L&AH operating model are welcome.

It is not for junior delegates seeking a learning event, academic observers, or vendors hoping to use the room for outreach. The day is closed-door and peer-led.

Info: Coffee, pastries, and a relaxed start to the day. A chance to connect with fellow Life, Annuity & Health leaders before the sessions kick off – no badges, no agenda, just useful conversations.

Info: The talent shortage is real. Underwriters, claims handlers, and actuarial specialists are leaving the industry faster than they can be replaced – while policyholder demand keeps rising. We open the day by setting the scene: what is actually shifting in L&AH right now, what the next five years look like for traditional carriers, and how to move from a strategy deck to operational change. Less hype, more substance.

Info: A candid conversation on what it really takes to transform a traditional L&AH business. Why a clear customer-led vision has to come before any technology decision. Why segmentation – knowing the difference between a national broker and a high-street advisor, between a 10,000-employee scheme and a five-person firm – changes the answer. And why the cultural shift is harder than the tech. Held under Chatham House Rules.

Info: A proper break. Refreshments, fresh air, and time to follow up on the morning's conversations.

Info: The honest version of the L&AH AI conversation, in twenty minutes. Chris Payne (EY Partner, UK/EMEA Insurance Technology lead) has watched dozens of L&AH transformations from the consultancy chair. Gary Ardley joined EY directly from the UK CIO seat at a major Life, Pensions & Heritage carrier — he ran one of them. Six observations, alternating: what ships, what stalls, and what separates the two. Plain language, anonymised cases, no thirty-slide decks.

Info: A working demonstration of how AI is changing day-to-day work in policy admin, billing, new business, and claims – not in theory, but in production at L&AH carriers today. Numbers from the field: 23% time savings, 70% faster quotes, 75% faster claims processing. We’ll also show what built-in AI looks like compared to AI bolted on top, and why that distinction matters when you’re carrying decades of legacy.

Info: A networking lunch providing an opportunity for deeper conversation with fellow attendees, speakers, and the Majesco leadership team.

Info: What does it look like when an L&AH carrier stops behaving like a payer and starts behaving like a care partner? Twenty minutes inside the AXA Global Healthcare × The CareVoice partnership — what's actually being built, what the member sees, where the hard parts are. With Sebastien Gaudin (CEO & Co-founder, The CareVoice) on the build, and Alan Martin (Chartered Insurer, 33 years across L&H) on why this case is different from the wellness platforms most of you have tried.

Info: A working session, not a presentation. In small groups, you’ll map where AI realistically fits across your business – underwriting, claims triage, customer engagement, broker and agent enablement, embedded distribution – and decide what to do first, second, and third. You’ll leave with a draft roadmap shaped to your operating model, not a generic framework.

Info: Tea, biscuits, and time to compare notes with someone you haven't spoken to yet.

Info: A senior-level discussion of the practical hurdles. How do L&AH carriers add AI to core systems they can’t simply rip out? What does responsible governance look like in a regulated market without slowing every decision to a halt? When does a human need to stay in the loop – bereavement claims, complex medical underwriting, vulnerable customers – and when shouldn’t they be? Real cases, real numbers, real lessons from carriers further along the journey, including medical underwriting acceleration, claims with empathy, and embedded distribution into new channels. Open Q&A throughout.

Info: The takeaways that matter, what to take back to your team on Monday morning, and an informal drinks reception to keep the conversation going.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher Alchemy Crew Ventures