- Youdan-Smith joins Aspect to streamline policy wordings
- Formerly of Montpelier Re and Ardonagh, Youdan-Smith brings forty years experience to scale-up MGA Aspect
- Move is part of drive towards high-tech efficiency across Aspect
Innovative London MGA Aspect today announces a key strategic hire in the form of Paul Youdan-Smith. Youdan-Smith brings nearly forty years of insurance industry experience to the Aspect team having previously worked at industry heavyweights including Montpelier Re and Ardonagh.
In his role with Aspect, Youdan-Smith will be leading on policy wordings, focused not just on delivering simplified wordings for smaller businesses and bespoke wordings for key industries, but also longer term projects including computable contracts and advising on Aspect’s use of bespoke AI models for policy wording comparisons. Alongside this, Youdan-Smith will be overseeing the day-to-day development and maintenance of Aspect’s wordings, and binders.
Youdan-Smith joins Aspect following a strong start to 2025 for the team. Earlier in the year Aspect introduced a refreshed brand at the Managing General Agents Association (MGAA) Broker Exchange in London while also announcing a deepening of product capabilities which saw line size increased from £3 million to £19 million. This followed a record 2024 which saw GWP growth approaching 50%.
Aspect has quickly made a name for itself as a high hazard specialist and Youdan-Smith’s work refining policy wordings across the business as part of a wider drive towards tech-driven efficiency as the team looks to underwrite the risks that the rest of the industry won’t.
Commenting on his appointment, Paul Youdan-Smith said:
“After forty years working with some of the biggest names in the industry, joining the Aspect team as they bring a fresh perspective to the industry is an exciting challenge. I look forward to working with the team and bringing my extensive experience in insurance policy wording best practice to bear as the business continues to grow.”
Oli Williamson, Co-Founder and Chief Underwriter at Aspect said:
“We set up Aspect to do things differently and this means delivering a more efficient product, compatible from the outset with the technologies that drive a modern business. Paul’s depth of experience in policy wordings will help us deliver this, ensuring simple, adaptable and computable wordings and more efficient underwriting as a result.
“Paul’s work will enable us to continue pushing to do what we do best; run towards the tough risks that other insurers avoid. Greater simplicity across our policies and processes means our underwriting team has more time to give to the sometimes complex businesses they work with, which are so often underserved by the wider industry.
“We’d like to welcome Paul to the team – PYS to his friends – and we look forward to the contribution he will make to our continued success.”