Shows / The Political Risk Podcast
The Political Risk Podcast
Geopolitics, insured. An independent podcast, focused on geopolitics and insurance markets, serving risk professionals, leaders and decision makers in specialty insurance and beyond. Join journalist and host David Benyon for an exclusive guest list mixing senior brokers and underwriters from the world of specialty insurance with wider geopolitical expertise from authors, academics, analysts and diplomats.
Episodes
The Political Risk PodcastCrisis Management Beyond Silos: Cyber, PVT and CPRI
Dan Trueman, CEO of Nostos, joins this bonus episode to discuss why the traditional boundaries between cyber, political violence and other crisis risks are…
The Political Risk PodcastAfrica's Political Risk Gap: Perception, Reality and Investment
Benjamin Mugisha, chief underwriting officer at ATIDI argues that while political, sovereign and credit risks are real, investor perceptions and pricing can…
The Political Risk PodcastCyber's Next Frontier: Closing the SME Protection Gap
Introducing The Cyber Insurance Podcast. Scott Bailey, head of global cyber underwriting at CFC, discusses why SMEs could represent the biggest growth…
The Political Risk PodcastThe Terrorism Diversifier: Rethinking Political Violence Insurance
Mike O’Connor, co-founder and chief commercial officer at Crux Underwriting, joins for a conversation that is at turns insightful, deeply personal, strategic…
The Political Risk PodcastThe Reinsurance Paradox: Rising Risk, Falling Prices
David Flandro, head of industry analysis and strategic advisory at Howden Re, discusses a growing reinsurance paradox: global risk is rising, but prices are…
The Political Risk PodcastThe Political Violence Reset: Can the Market Stay Sustainable?
Chris Jarvis, group chief underwriting officer at IGI, discusses the reset taking place in political violence insurance. With geopolitical instability and…
The Political Risk Podcast"Peace Through Strength": Has Israel Won Its Wars?
Almost three years on from the October 7 terrorist attacks, Israel has fought across multiple fronts, from Gaza and Lebanon to direct confrontation with Iran…
The Political Risk PodcastFinancing Africa: Banks, Insurers and the New Geopolitics of Capital
Sub-Saharan Africa’s government financing landscape has been transformed by credit markets, changing geopolitics, and new sources of capital. This special…
The Political Risk PodcastFrom Events to Insights: Learning from PVT and SRCC events; with Verisk live at Lloyd’s
How can political violence and terrorism insurers turn recent events into better underwriting insights? Recorded live at Lloyd’s during Verisk’s “Insuring…
The Political Risk PodcastSRCC: The Emerging Portfolio Peril
Strikes, riots and civil commotion (SRCC) have moved from the margins of property and political violence portfolios into sharper focus for insurers and their…
The Political Risk PodcastJohn Hulsman on Trump’s Deal with Iran, the Balance of Power, Political Risk Wargaming and Forecasting
Forecasting phenomenon Dr John Hulsman returns to the podcast. John has made a name for himself as a pre-eminent predictor of geopolitical risk in the…
The Political Risk PodcastMobilising Capital: Credit and Political Risk Insurance and the Future of Global Investment, with AXA XL's Rafael Docavo Malvezzi
Credit and political risk insurance has become a critical tool for mobilising capital into complex markets, supporting trade, investment and development…
The Political Risk PodcastChoke Points & Geopolitical Risk: Resilience Building for Supply Chains in Crisis; in association with Gallagher Specialty
Geopolitical risk is putting global supply chains under renewed pressure, with the Strait of Hormuz crisis adding to existing concerns around trade disruption…
The Political Risk PodcastThe Iran Conflict and its effects on Political Violence Re/insurance, with Sandy Warne, Dan Callow & Cosmo Warner
War in the Gulf in 2026 is a defining event for political violence. Underwriters face unprecedented claims activity, with individual Iranian missile and drone…
The Political Risk PodcastHotels as Targets: Data-led Malicious Risk Underwriting; with Muir Analytics’ Jeff Moore
Hotels are increasingly on the frontline of political violence and malicious risk, from terrorism and civil unrest to missile and drone attacks. In this…
The Political Risk PodcastModern Perils and Modern Assets: UAVs, Data Centres and the Next Frontier of Risk; with Blackthorn’s Jerry Smith and Thea Grootenhuis
Modern perils are colliding with modern assets, as drones and data centres reshape the risk landscape in real time. Blackthorn senior broker Thea Grootenhuis…
The Political Risk PodcastActive Assailant Risk: Data Demands to Underwrite a Deadly Peril
A special episode exploring the rise of active assailant risk and the growing demand for data-driven underwriting in a rapidly evolving threat landscape…
The Political Risk PodcastWar and terrorism: an integrated approach to claims and underwriting; with LSM's Sarah Howell & Jennie Beard
War, political violence and terrorism demand close coordination between underwriting and claims teams – particularly when geopolitical crises escalate quickly…
The Political Risk PodcastMiddle East update and the evolution of Credit and Political Risk Insurance, with BPL's James Esdaile
The rapidly evolving Middle East crisis forms the start of this conversation with James Esdaile, executive chairman of BPL, examining the immediate…
The Political Risk PodcastPolitical violence broking and multinational client strategy in a complex threat environment, with Price Forbes’ Cosmo Warner
Political violence entered 2026 in an increasingly complex risk environment and a highly competitive insurance market. Cosmo Warner, director, war, terrorism…
The Political Risk PodcastPolitical Risk and Violence Intelligence: Turning Signals into Structured Peril Insights
Canongate AI is a new political risk and political violence intelligence solution that converts millions of geopolitical inputs into structured intelligence…
The Political Risk PodcastPolitical Violence in a dynamic risk environment, with Markel’s Matthew Brooke: SRCC top challenge; War Risk getting closer to home
Matthew Brooke is a senior war and terrorism underwriter at Markel. In this episode he explores how political violence underwriting is evolving within an…
The Political Risk PodcastBeyond the Blast: Capital Management of Tomorrow’s Terror Threats
A special episode of the Political Risk Podcast, produced in association with Lockton Re, to examine how the re/insurance market should rethink terrorism risk…
The Political Risk PodcastGeopolitics, Leadership and Risk at Mach 2, with John 'Dragon' Teichert, Brig Gen, US Air Force (ret)
John Teichert is a recently retired US Air Force brigadier general and former test pilot for the F-22 stealth fighter. A graduate of MIT and Stanford, John…
The Political Risk PodcastArt vs Science: Data, Decision-making and the Future of PVT Underwriting
Join two special guests for a conversation about the future of political violence and terrorism underwriting. Billy Ayres is head of crisis management at The…
The Political Risk PodcastPolitical Risk Outlook: Conflict, Instability and the World to 2030
This special edition of the Political Risk Podcast features Verisk Maplecroft’s Political Risk Outlook report. Anna Gilmour, Head of Global Risk Insight, joins…
The Political Risk PodcastHistory matters...and so does ignoring it, with Mosaic’s Charlie Mackay and Robert Hunter
Robert Hunter, former US ambassador to NATO and chief White House official for Europe and the Middle East joins Mosaic Insurance’s international CUO Charlie…
The Political Risk PodcastLeadership through geopolitical crisis, with WTW’s Pamela Thomson-Hall
Pamela Thomson-Hall, head of international at Willis, offers crisis management advice, supporting clients through geopolitical shocks and leading an…
The Political Risk PodcastInsuring Ukraine: MS Amlin’s URGF blueprint for war risk and resilience
As Ukraine endures and rebuilds, insurers are playing a quiet but crucial role in keeping goods moving and businesses operating. Jamie Cleary, head of crisis…
The Political Risk PodcastDe-risking Development: LSM’s Will Limb on Political Risk Insurance and the SDG Investment Gap
How can political risk insurance unlock trillions in investment for sustainable development? William Limb, head of political risk solutions at Liberty…
The Political Risk PodcastKidnap & Ransom: Global Hotspots and Conditions for K&R to Thrive
Kidnap and ransom (K&R) is one of the most specialised – and least understood – corners of the insurance world. In this special episode, in association with…
The Political Risk PodcastAviation war to multi-class specialty – watch this space – HIVE's Bruce Carman
Bruce Carman, CEO of Hive Underwriters, returns for a wide-ranging conversation. You can’t get broader than space, where we start, which is Hive’s latest…
The Political Risk PodcastA perfect storm for credit and political risk re/insurance, with Lockton Re's Eran Charit
Trade wars and geopolitics are reshaping global supply chains, counterparty risk, and credit and political risk insurance (CPRI). In this episode, Eran Charit…
The Political Risk PodcastSocial media and political violence, with Arch’s Jelle Ouwehand
Jelle Ouwehand, head of war, terrorism and political violence at Arch Insurance International, features in this episode. Political violence has a close and…
The Political Risk PodcastNo going back: A riskier, more fragmented world order – with Swiss Re's Jérôme Haegeli
Jérôme Haegeli, Swiss Re’s chief economist, discusses its latest Sigma study. Global growth is slowing at a time of large macroeconomic regime shifts; extreme…
The Political Risk PodcastThe first Catastrophe Risk Model for Civil Unrest: Verisk Maplecroft's SRCC model for the United States
Verisk Maplecroft’s new Strikes, Riots, and Civil Commotion (SRCC) model for the United States is the market’s first probabilistic SRCC catastrophe model…
The Political Risk PodcastTrump tariffs for ASEAN to navigate , with ambassadors Sek Wannamethee & Sir Richard Gozney
The 90-day pause on President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs is due to expire on 9 July. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are among the…
The Political Risk PodcastMacro Risks & Buying Trends across Credit, Political Risk & PV, with SCOR Business Solutions’ Kayley Stewart & Babak Tavassolie
For the latest episode, two guests feature from SCOR Business Solutions: Kayley Stewart is head of crisis management; and Babak Tavassolie is head analyst of…
The Political Risk PodcastResponding to challenges in an ever-changing geopolitical landscape – City of London CRO Summit
The City of London Corporation hosted a Chief Risk Officers Summit at the Guildhall on 21 May, including a panel discussion: “Responding to challenges in an…
The Political Risk PodcastSpecial Ep: European PV; Politically Motivated Sabotage; Overseas France SRCC; with LSM’s Björn Reusswig and François Barriol
A special episode, in association with Liberty Specialty Markets, focused on European political violence (PV) risks. Politically motivated sabotage is a huge…
The Political Risk Podcast100 days of Trump 2.0 – Tariffs in focus, with Airmic’s Alex Frost and Hoe-Yeong Loke
As we hit the first 100 days mark of US President Donald Trump’s second term, no other single word sums up the preoccupation of business leaders around the…
The Political Risk PodcastMethod to Trump’s Madness, with Firas Modad of Modad Geopolitics
Does Donald Trump have a master plan? The White House has sewn chaos in recent days, triggering stock market volatility with on-then-partially-off punitive…
The Political Risk PodcastSpecial Ep: Should the World Fear China? Colonel (ret’d) Zhou Bo & Mosaic’s Finn McGuirk
Zhou Bo, a retired senior colonel in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, joins Mosaic’s global political risk leader Finn McGuirk, for the latest special…
The Political Risk PodcastSpecial Ep: Renewables meet Realpolitik; PVT threats to Renewable Energy Projects; with Gallagher Specialty’s Harry Walker & Adam Carrier
Political violence and terrorism risks to renewable energy projects are the focus of the latest special episode in association with Gallagher Specialty. Two…
The Political Risk PodcastA ‘first of its kind’ Ukraine war risk reinsurance facility, with McGill's Hamish Greenwood
Hamish Greenwood is head of crisis management at McGill and Partners. In January the broker launched a new war risk reinsurance facility for commercial…
The Political Risk PodcastSpecial Ep: Political Risk Outlook with Verisk Maplecroft’s Jimena Blanco & Hugo Brennan
Verisk Maplecroft’s Political Risk Outlook draws on a unique portfolio of country risk data, alongside analysis from its team of experts, to strip back the…
The Political Risk PodcastCharles Hecker, ‘Zero Sum: The arc of international business in Russia’ – And the risks of going back
Charles Hecker spent forty years travelling and working in the Soviet Union and Russia as a political risk consultant and journalist. He is the author of ‘Zero…
The Political Risk PodcastAllianz's Srdjan Todorovic: Geopolitics omnipresent on Risk Barometer; Sabotage & BI threats loom large
Srdjan Todorovic is head of political violence and hostile environment solutions at Allianz Commercial. In this episode we talk through the Allianz Risk…
The Political Risk PodcastThe Atlantic Council's Elisabeth Braw: Goodbye Globalization; Hello Gray-Zone Aggression & Undersea War
The insurance industry and the private sector are on the frontline of hybrid warfare, already a big news story in 2025. Elisabeth Braw is a journalist and…
The Political Risk PodcastSE Asia, US & China: BRICS joiners; ASEAN Schengen; and a Filipino Game of Thrones – KCS's Adrian Poole-Robb & Aidan Mooney
Southeast Asia is at the forefront of Asia Pacific geopolitics, with the US and China vying for influence. Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia recently…
The Political Risk PodcastSpecial Ep: Redrawing Borders Globally and the Balkans ‘Canary in the Coal Mine’; with Timothy Less & Mosaic's Mark Wheeler
A special episode, in association with Mosaic, focused on the integrity of borders amid a volatile new ‘age of secession’. Mark Wheeler is co-CEO and…
The Political Risk PodcastSpecial Ep: Intangible Risks, Concrete Examples – Infrastructure & State-Sponsored Cyber in Focus, with AnotherDay's Sneha Nichols‑Dawda
Infrastructure is on the frontline of so-called ‘grey zone’ tactics used by government-sponsored actors, including cyber-attacks that can be aimed at…
The Political Risk PodcastA New Sheriff in Town: US Election Debrief and Political Risk Outlook, with Marvin Barth
Marvin Barth is creator of Thematic Markets, providing independent research and analytics on the global political economy. An economics PhD, he has worked as…
The Political Risk PodcastDan Callow: A soft market for Political Violence; War and SRCC risks loom large
Dan Callow is lead underwriter for political violence, terrorism and war lines of business at specialty insurer and reinsurer IQUW. The political violence…
The Political Risk PodcastSpecial Ep: US Election Political Violence Outlook, with Tina Fordham & Mosaic's Adam McGrath
A special episode, in association with Mosaic Insurance, focused on the political violence outlook for the US Presidential Election set for November 5 2024…
The Political Risk PodcastSavannah Thompson: ESG and Political Risk; Debt for Nature Swaps; Conserving Galapagos
Savannah Thompson is The Fidelis Partnership’s head of political risk and underwriting development. She’s also a great example of young female talent and…
The Political Risk PodcastSpecial Ep: Earth Moving Political Risks – Mining industry Expropriation Risk in Sub-Saharan Africa, with Gallagher's Rupert Morgan
Sub-Saharan Africa’s mining industry is highly exposed to political risk and particularly expropriatory acts by host governments. In this special episode, in…
The Political Risk PodcastTom Johansmeyer: CrowdStrike & Cyber Cats; How much is hyperbole?
The CrowdStrike outage is the latest cyber event to leave underwriters fearing unforeseen catastrophe scenarios and questioning cyber risk aggregations. But…
The Political Risk PodcastSam Wilkin: Charting a system in decline; WTW's Political Risk Index
WTW’s Political Risk Index analyses patterns in the world’s most vulnerable countries. Its latest report charts the decline of the rules-based international…
The Political Risk PodcastJames Kench: Political Risk and Carbon Trading Markets
Carbon is tipped to become ‘the next cyber’ for insurance, a future trillion dollar market, as organisations launch net zero projects to curb climate change…