Professional liability, in focus: why the Howden Re Forum matters now
Howden Re’s Professional Liability (PL) Networking Forum convenes a concentrated market at a moment of real change. This year’s Forum took place in Los Angeles, bringing together 115 people from around the world.
Paul Herriott, Managing Director and North America Sales Director, Howden Re said: “Professional liability is a small, close-knit market, and the best ideas in it almost always start as conversations between people who trust each other. That's what this Forum is built around: giving the carriers, reinsurers, and leaders who shape the Professional Liability a bonified opportunity to connect. It was pleasure to bring everyone together in Los Angeles this year.”
Capacity doesn’t just move on price or structure; it moves on trust, and that matters more in today’s environment. In a shifting market, convening the right carriers, reinsurers and decision-makers is where advantage is built.
“We strive to create a setting where conversations can happen on a deeper level, away from the noise of large conferences, and without the constraints of panel formats,” said Paul. “It's a format that reflects how this market actually operates.”
From Warner Bros. Studios to an evening at The Magic Castle, alongside keynote speakers including Henry Winkler and Mark Scharenbroich, this year’s programme was designed to inspire, build trust, and invite collaboration across the market.
Key points of discussion
Across discussions in Los Angeles, several themes came through consistently.
- Consolidation and capital formation: The PL landscape is reshaping. Strategic activity across the mutual carrier segment and broader capital formation is changing how capacity flows and how programmes are structured.
- AI and emerging exposures: Both healthcare and legal practice are integrating AI at pace, but underwriting frameworks are still catching up. There is clear demand for better data, clearer coverage positions and reinsurance solutions that reflect how risk is evolving.
- Severity and litigation finance: Loss trends remain a central concern. Nuclear verdicts continue to influence assumptions, particularly in MPL. At the same time, the growth of third-party litigation funding is adding another layer of complexity.
- Renewal dynamics towards 2027: Carriers are already planning ahead. Pricing, retention levels and reinsurer appetite are active areas of discussion as the next cycle begins to take shape.
Planning for 2027 is already underway, with the same focus on creating an environment where the right conversations can happen – and where the market can move forward together.