Insurance Edge caught up with Martyn Mathews, MD at SSP UK & Ireland, to find out more about SSP’s expansion plans, servicing over 500 UK brokers and more.
IE; Let’s start with keeping 500 plus brokers happy plus feeling that their niche or sector has specific needs sometimes, how can they customise the SSP dashboard to make that magic happen?
MM; This all stems from choice, for the brokers and their customers. So for example, if a broker is insuring Uber drivers, then they have specific question sets, and that can be customised. What we find is that our brokers are building products using API and that gives them the chance to customise things for their own niche or target market.
IE; AI is the talk of BIBA, and it can make a big difference in pricing risk, claims and so on. But for brokers automating compliance, it could be a real time saver for them too. How can SSP help them achieve that?
MM; Access to data is critical for brokers of course, but I strongly believe that AI is only as good as the platform that underpins it. So you could have two organisations, one might be an insurtech at the forefront of AI, then you have other organisations like us at SSP which has 40 years of history behind it, delivering services and a developed platform.
That makes a real difference fundamentally. We are able to access all those decades of data and utilise AI to analyse it, make the best use of it and in the end that will be the best value for our brokers too. Whenever that data is being used by our brokers it works within the regulations for that market of course.
IE; So in some respects the AI is sitting on top of legacy or historical data and sifting it constantly, making sense of it and channelling it into something new – and compliant?
MM; Legacy is one of those words I dislike using, because in the industry it carries negative connotations. But in this context it is incredibly important. It means many years of trading, which carries a huge amount of value. You are able to mine that history and a history of trading is actually a key strength in an age of AI.
IE; Scientists used to say “we are standing on the shoulders of giants” and that is true of AI, it needs the foundation stones.
MM; Foundation is a word I use often within our business and SSP has been building those foundations for a long time. All organisations that have well-established trading need to be proud of that. Insurance brands are well versed in using data and AI is just another way of analysing it.
IE; IF I was a start up broker how could SSP give me a baseline in a particular sector?
MM; Well the more you know about a sector the bigger advantage you have. With all the brokers we have worked with we have a history of expertise in that niche. It goes back to the underlying foundations we talked about.
IE; We are all at BIBA because of different niches within the market, brokers and MGAs alike. The MGA market has seen growth in recent years, is that offering an opportunity to SSP as well?
MM; The MGA market is exciting for us, it’s a buoyant market right now. SSP recently joined the MGAA association and there will be products in the future there. Part of the reason why SSP has restructured recently is to get closer to different sectors.
IE; Tell us more about the re-organisation into SSP UK and Ireland and SSP Worldwide.
MM; It’s a really important part of our evolution at SSP. Last year we found we were speaking to brokers who had cross border operations beyond the UK. That is why we have split things into UK and Ireland and Worldwide. The business has a solid platform for growth. Now it’s about getting closer to customers, wherever they are based.
It all means our teams can be laser focused on the UK market, or a worldwide client. At the same time, we are looking at acquisitions during the year ahead and it’s a culmination of about two and half year’s work for me.
IE; To some extent AI also enables acquisitions in the broker and MGA sectors going forward.
MM; AI will be the driver in some cases, but acquisitions can also be driven by expertise, data, the history of the brand. It goes back to what were saying earlier; you are building on foundations and I don’t think AI is all about reducing headcount. It’s far more about efficient use of resources like data and time. So really AI will end up freeing people across the insurance sector to do more effective work, it will help growth too.
It’s also a time of innovation for SSP not just acquisitions or organising things a bit differently. We want to build and develop alongside our broker clients. 2026 has seen the biggest investment in BIBA that SSP has made and we are all genuinely excited about the future.
IE; That’s what BIBA is all about, the future. Martyn thanks for your time.
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