Cristina Diciu
Reporter, Insurance Age
Cristina joined Insurance Age in 2021, after having received her master’s degree in broadcast journalism from City, University of London.
She moved to the UK in 2019 from Bucharest, Romania, where she used to work as a reporter for a national newspaper, covering breaking news, politics, and current affairs, and as a translator at a national radio station.
In her free time, Cristina likes to read fantasy novels and study foreign languages, having also worked as an English and French teacher for a Japanese language platform.
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Articles by Cristina Diciu
SJL takes steps to protect female staff
The Worcester-based broker has announced that it will giving free self-defence workshops to all its female staff.
Beazley reports "robust" profit in 2021 results
The provider turned a $50.4m (£37.1m) into a pre-tax profit of $369.2m (£272.1m) for the year ended 31 December 2021 while also seeing its GWP shoot up by 30%.
H&H lifts lid on Tynedale deal
The broker is on track to grow its business by 14% this year and saw its GWP increase by £1.5m following the recent acquisition in Hexham.
Howden appoints WTW’s Aubert as CEO in France
Luigi Sturani, regional CEO of Howden Europe, revealed that the first key step in expanding Howden France was to find a “respected and credible leader” in the market, adding that Aubert was a “natural fit”.
Romero sees profits rise as it reveals 2021 results
The Leeds-based broker has also announced two new appointments as part of its 2022 strategy of investing in talent.
And finally – February 2022
The lighter side of the broking world including, the cartoon, pet of the month and the industry's charity endeavours.
Meet the MGA: Arc Legal
Peter Harvey, deputy chief executive of Arc Legal, tell Insurance Age about the bespoke products the MGA offers brokers and how 2022 might shape up for the market
McClarrons appoints MD
The broker also welcomed Ardonagh's Philippa Farthing as group finance & operations director and Hiscox's Alastair Morley as head of claims.
Broking Success: Servicing the super-rich
Sameer Mirza, General Insurance Brokers director, emphasises that reputation goes a long way when it comes to servicing billionaires as he tell us all about working in the ultra-high-net-worth world.
Profile: Phil Bayles' liberation - from Aviva to Ardonagh
Ardonagh Advisory's chief commercial officer reflects on 18 years at Aviva, finding freedom at the "dynamic" Ardonagh, and outlines his plans for the future.
Worry+Peace rebrands as Peaccce
The insurtech explained that its new name represented the “3Cs of insurance” - claims, cover and cost’.
Freeway announces £250m deal with Sabre
The deal will stretch over five years and will see Sabre become an exclusive underwriting partner for Freeway’s MGA portfolio.
Beazley report warns of 2022 business risks
The study suggests that 2022 may be the year in which supply chain, D&O, reputation and employment liability concerns ‘leak’ across insurance classes, creating complex, integrated risks with no “obvious or traditional insurance solution”.
Biba calls for IPT relief in 2022
The trade association has asked government to reduce IPT to 10% in areas such as property, telematics, and cyber as it also pleads for a simplification of insurance tax in the travel sector.
Staff to vote on strike action against FCA
FCA told Insurance Age that after considering the recent feedback on its pay and rewards proposals, it now aims to announce an outcome by March.
Bought By Many plans for further pet growth
CEO Steven Mendel admits he is seeing "lots of noise and distraction" but not enough innovation as he highlights the shortcomings of the pet space and the insurance industry as a whole.
Blanc exits Hastings board as Mark Cliff steps in
The former Brightside boss has joined Hastings as non-executive director following Peter Blanc's resignation prompted by the Aston Lark-Howden deal.
Allianz appoints regional branch manager
The insurer revealed that Karen Boothroyd had been appointed to the newly created role as part of its commercial regions reshuffle.
CBPE completes Direct Commercial deal
After receiving backing from CBPE, the MGA will sit alongside Carraig Insurance under Direct Commercial Group.
UK car insurance premiums rose 5% in Q4 2021
Despite car insurance dropping by 6% in 2021, the final quarter of the year saw the first increases in premium since 2020.
XS Direct goes into run-off in Ireland
The broker confirmed that, as a result, staff at its Dublin headquarters had been informed that they would be made redundant.
Lloyd's announces leadership structure for Blueprint Two programme
CFO Burkhard Keese will take on the role of COO while Bob James, director of marker transformation, will be responsible for the delivery of the company's Blueprint Two programme.
XS Direct's UK MGA stops writing new business
The Irish broker, which acts as an MGA in the UK, stopped accepting new business from 7 January after it was unable to renew its agency agreements with insurers. Its renewals business will also cease from 1 March.
Dickson & Co eager to double business and keep expanding
Dickson director Gavin Mitchell told Insurance Age that the broker would acquire more businesses in 2022 as well as recruit more people for its growing commercial team.