Neil Jurd OBE Delivers Leadership Training to Gurkha Welfare Trust charity leaders in Nepal – Senior Leaders Embrace Online Platform and Book

Former Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment (QOGLR) veteran Neil Jurd OBE has just returned from leading a high-impact leadership workshop at the Gurkha Welfare Trust's annual training conference in Pokhara. 

The two-day session, delivered to some seventy senior leaders including medical staff and former Gurkha officers, focused on practical tools from his bestselling book The Leadership Book, in which Jurd writes that ‘quite simply, good leadership makes the world a better place’. 

He also covered some of the ideas in his popular TEDx talk "Pause & Allow.”

Feedback was immediate and powerful: "Incredibly energising," Field Director Johnny Fenn told That's Business.

"The energy, clarity, and real-world wisdom Neil brought left everyone inspired, and we're already putting it into practice."

Fifteen senior Gurkha Welfare Trust leaders now have 12-month access to Jurd's engaging and popular Leader-Connect.co.uk online learning platform, where they are already diving into courses, videos, and podcasts. 

"Lots of them told me how useful it was - they are one of the most engaged groups on the platform," Jurd said. "They're busy people working in hard to reach locations around Nepal, so remote, flexible learning fits their lives perfectly."

To support the group, Jurd provided one hundred discounted copies of the highly reviewed The Leadership Book and substantially reduced access to the platform, ensuring long-term impact for the charity's teams in Nepal and beyond.

Leader-Connect's reach is growing fast: educational trusts including Abingdon Learning at Dallam School in Cumbria, and teams from the University of Sheffield, are already using the platform for professional development, proving its value across sectors.

Jurd's credentials:  A former Sandhurst instructor, he commanded 94 Squadron, QOGLR, in Iraq from 2006–2007, where he was injured on operations. He is an ‘Entrepreneur in Residence’ at Lancaster University Management School and fellow of the Institute of Leadership. 

Awarded the OBE in 2021 for leadership development with young people, he now channels that experience into helping leaders in education, charities and business to build resilient, high-performing teams.

"Leadership isn't complicated," Jurd said. "It's simple and involves easy to learn behaviours and tools, ones that are easy to remember and apply and that work under pressure. Seeing highly capable and experienced Gurkha leaders light up with these ideas? That's why I do this."

Leader-Connect offers practical leadership training through an online platform, bestselling book The Leadership Book, and face-to-face workshops. Founded by Neil Jurd OBE, it helps managers, educators, and teams turn potential into performance, but without the fluff.

Leader Connect: Revolutionising Leadership Training for Educators – Affordable, Remote, and Built by Neil Jurd OBE

Tired of costly, time-guzzling CPD that never really quite fits? Leader Connect (leader-connect.co.uk) is the online platform schools, trusts and universities are buzzing about delivering top-tier leadership development straight to teachers' and headteachers' laptops, no travel required.

Created by Neil Jurd OBE, former Army lieutenant colonel(PICTURED), TEDx speaker, and author of the bestseller The Leadership Book, this platform turns real-world expertise into flexible, bite-sized courses. 

For just £25-£35 each, educators get masterclasses on building high-performing teams, equality and inclusion, tackling fear in schools, and leading through change, all backed by Neil's interviews with education stars like Glyn Potts MBE DL (headteacher insights), Rachel Diss (EDI in schools), and Dr. Brian Gregory (managing pressure). 

There is also content from a wide range of other experts including Headteacher Dr Victoria Carr, former RAF combat helicopter pilot Sarah Furness and mindfulness expert Maude Hirst. 

Trusted by Abingdon Learning Trust, University of Sheffield's leadership programmes, and more, Leader-Connect is ideal for remote training: watch videos, join podcasts, use the free leadership profiler, download tools, anytime, anywhere. 

No more annoying half-day absences; just practical wins that boost morale, retention, and pupil outcomes.  

It's proving very useful in Nepal where the Gurkha Welfare Trust have 15 senior leaders in remote locations across the mountainous country using the platform.  

"Leadership in education isn't theory, it's daily reality," Neil told That's Businesss. "We've made it accessible, fun, and stupidly good value. Headteachers tell us it's transforming how they lead."

With fresh content weekly, including school-specific sessions, Leader Connect is the smart way to upskill your staff without breaking the budget. Perfect for trusts, academies, and universities wanting measurable impact.

Thriving through uncertainty: Europe’s underwriting leaders gather in London to redefine profitability

Over 200 senior underwriting leaders from Europe’s leading insurers will gather in London on June 9 for The Underwriting Network: London, the industry’s premier closed-door meeting dedicated to underwriting strategy and profitability.

Held at One Moorgate Place, the event will bring together chief underwriting officers and senior decision-makers responsible for portfolio performance, risk appetite and underwriting transformation at a time of heightened economic uncertainty and competitive pressure.

As underwriting remains the cornerstone of insurance performance, market participants are navigating a complex environment shaped by softening conditions, geopolitical volatility, emerging risks, environmental challenges and capital constraints. 

Against this backdrop, underwriting leaders are being challenged to maintain discipline while responding to increasing demands for growth and innovation.

Building on the success of previous editions, The Underwriting Network: London 2026 will provide a focused platform for Europe’s most senior underwriters to examine how profitability can be sustained through collaboration, data-driven decision-making and operational resilience. Unlike broader industry conferences, the invitation-only format ensures highly targeted discussion among peers facing similar strategic challenges.

The one-day agenda explores how underwriting teams can balance pricing discipline with expansion ambitions, strengthen broker collaboration and adapt operating models as automation and artificial intelligence reshape the underwriting function. Discussions will also address regulatory pressures, distribution disruption and the evolving role of alternative capital and MGAs in shaping market dynamics.

Sessions throughout the day will examine key industry priorities, including managing profitability in a soft market, integrating AI while preserving underwriting expertise, modernising market connectivity, improving pricing through better data governance and preparing underwriters to assess emerging risks such as AI liability, cyber exposure and energy transition challenges.

Senior leaders from organisations including SCOR, AXA XL, Allianz, Liberty Specialty Markets, Swiss Re and PartnerRe will contribute to discussions exploring how underwriting organisations can adapt to an increasingly complex risk landscape.

Delegates will benefit from:

Exclusive networking with Europe’s most senior underwriting leaders in an invitation-only environment.

A focused agenda addressing underwriting profitability, discipline, and performance.

Interactive roundtables, Oxford-style debates and workshops designed for practical engagement rather than traditional panel sessions.

A highly curated audience of chief underwriting officers and senior underwriters from top-tier insurers.

A confidential setting enabling open discussion of market challenges and strategic priorities.

The opportunity to customise participation through multiple breakout discussions and networking spaces across the venue.

Key speakers will include:

Marie Biggas – Chief Underwriting Officer, SCOR Business Solutions and Fac

Mike Gosselin – Chief Underwriting Officer for UK & Lloyd’s, AXA XL

Adam Lloyd – Chief Underwriting Officer, Allianz

Henry Nelson – Chief Underwriting Officer, Liberty Specialty Markets

Andrea Scascighini – Chief Underwriting Officer – Casualty, Swiss Re

Nicolas Georgy – Chief Underwriting Officer P&C EMEA, PartnerRe

Michael Wrightman – Chief Underwriting Officer, Berkley Re UK Limited

Tony Tarquini – Founder & CEO, 5189 Limited

Helen Raff, Director, Event Portfolio, Intelligent Insurer, told That's Business: “Underwriting remains at the heart of a resilient and sustainable insurance market, but the environment in which underwriters operate is becoming increasingly complex. 

"This event brings together senior leaders from across the industry to examine how disciplined underwriting, improved data insight and closer collaboration can help firms respond to emerging risks while maintaining long-term profitability and confidence in the market.”

Featuring chief underwriting officers from across Europe, the event combines keynote discussions, collaborative workshops and structured roundtables addressing topics ranging from underwriting discipline and AI adoption to distribution strategy, product innovation, data governance and talent development.

Run by Intelligent Insurer, the leading digital hub for senior re/insurance executives, brokers and carriers, the event equips underwriting leaders with the insights, connections and practical strategies needed to strengthen performance and profitability in an increasingly uncertain market.

For more information and to apply for an invitation, visit The Underwriting Network: London https://events.newton.media/Underwriting-Network-2026

Pulse Joins Forces with Binq to Enable Seamless Embedded Lending in the UK

Pulse, a top embedded credit and SaaS company, has announced a new strategic partnership with Binq, a UK-based AI-powered business marketplace and app.

The partnership brings together Pulse's transformative embedded lending infrastructure, Binq's growing SME marketplace, and tailored funding solutions from Nucleus Commercial Finance to deliver faster, more intelligent access to finance for small businesses across the UK.

Through this collaboration, Pulse will power the underlying technology that enables real-time credit decisioning and impeccable lending journeys, while Nucleus Commercial Finance provides reliable and timely funding. 

Binq will serve as the aggregation and distribution platform, allowing SMEs to explore and access multiple funding options directly through its app and marketplace experience. This strategic partnership is designed to remove friction from business lending and significantly reduce the time it takes for SMEs to secure critical funding.

For many small businesses, accessing funding remains slow, manual, and fragmented. By integrating Pulse's API-first intelligence and data orchestration capabilities, Binq users will be able to receive near-instant eligibility assessments, complete loan applications in minutes, and access a wider range of bespoke funding options through Nucleus. 

The result is a more efficient, convenient and digital lending process for borrowers, and improved data quality and risk assessment for lenders.

Jamie Stewart, CEO of Binq, told That's Business: "Being able to access the right funding at the right time is essential for SMEs, helping them to bridge cashflow, boost inventory or invest in growth. But funding from traditional and high-street banks can often be too complicated and slow.

!Our partnership with Pulse and Nucleus removes those barriers and means business owners can see an even wider range of fast, flexible and hassle-free funding options with Binq."

Yasmine Holliday, Head of Partnerships at Nucleus Commercial Finance, commented: “Pulse's embedded lending technology will empower Binq to deliver funding in a way that is both scalable and highly responsive. 

"Partnering with Binq allows us to extend our reach and provide even more SMEs with faster access to Nucleus's bespoke funding solutions through a reputable marketplace."

Chirag Shah, CEO, Pulse, added: "At Pulse, we focus on embedding seamless, intelligent, digital credit journeys directly into platforms that SMEs already use. Our partnership with Binq, alongside Nucleus as funding provider, brings together technology, distribution, and capital to create a smarter, faster way for UK businesses to access finance."

https://mypulse.io

Entrepreneurs at Lancaster University Team Up: Fear as Fuel for Business Success

Two entrepreneurs shaping the next generation at Lancaster University Management School have released an insightful interview on how fear, often seen as a hurdle, can actually propel leaders and startups forward.

Neil Jurd OBE, founder of Leader Connect (a successful leadership training platform) and Entrepreneur in Residence/Honorary Teaching Fellow at LUMS, sits down with Dr Brian Gregory, Senior Teaching Fellow in Entrepreneurship and Strategy, and Director of the university's Entrepreneurs in Residence programme, in a new Leader-Connect podcast/video.

Brian, who left school at 16 and built Safety Management (UK) into a leading fire safety firm before transitioning to academia, shares insights from his 2025 PhD, "Heart-centred Networks: Powered by the Brain and Driven by the Heart." The research shows fear sharpens focus in uncertain markets, while "unrequited reciprocity," giving support without strings, creates resilient networks that spark innovation and growth.

Neil, who runs Leader Connect delivering practical courses to thousands, ties it to everyday business: "Brian's work proves what I've seen running my company, acknowledge fear, build trust through real help, and watch momentum build."

Brian adds: "In entrepreneurship, fear signals opportunity. Heart-centred connections turn it into advantage—something I learned scaling my own ventures."

The 49-minute chat (January 2026 release) previews Brian's upcoming course on emotional intelligence for founders. Free to watch: https://leader-connect.co.uk/videos/interview-with-brian-gregory

Synpulse appoints Marcel Loetscher as Senior Partner and Joel Smith as Partner, strengthening global leadership in Commercial Insurance and Reinsurance

Marcel Loetscher 

Synpulse, a leading financial service consultancy has announced the promotion of Marcel Loetscher to Senior Partner and Joel Smith to Partner within its Commercial Insurance, Reinsurance, ILS and Delegated Authority (CRID) practice. 

These appointments come at a time where insurers and reinsurers are reassessing their operating models due to mounting cost pressure and the demand for efficiency grows. At the same time, rapid advances in technology - especially agentic AI - are creating new opportunities to transform underwriting, claims, and finance.

Marcel Loetscher promoted to Senior Partner

Marcel Loetscher has been with Synpulse for nearly 16 years and is based in New York. He played a key role in launching Synpulse’s U.S. operation by opening its New York office in 2012, and now leads the firm’s activities across North America. 

Marcel also heads Synpulse’s global commercial insurance and reinsurance practice, steering strategy and delivery across the U.S., Canada and global markets.

Marcel helps clients navigate an increasingly complex risk landscape shaped by climate volatility, wildfires and social inflation. He uses agentic AI to create practical and measurable impact so clients can modernize their operations and move from reacting to disruption to guiding it.

Marcel told That's Business: “I'm honoured to step into this role alongside an exceptional team at a pivotal moment for our clients. 

!Together we will harness agentic AI and deep industry expertise to build stronger, future-ready insurance and reinsurance operations.”

Joel Smith promoted to Partner

Joel Smith

Joel Smith, based in Zurich, has been appointed partner after nearly ten years at Synpulse. Over the course of his career, Joel has supported major reinsurers and ILS fund managers through significant operational and technology transformations and has played an important role in shaping CRID’s global capabilities.

Across the market, companies are reassessing their operating models for strategic, market cycle, and technology driven reasons. 

This is increasing the focus on efficiency, productivity, and new ways to deliver sustained value to cedents and investors. At the same time, recent advances in Generative AI are creating entirely new possibilities for how core processes can be executed.

For the industry, this represents one of the most exciting shifts in decades. Commenting on his appointment, Joel said: “I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity. This is a fascinating time to be working within the space of reinsurance and transformation, with technology and evolving operating models creating entirely new possibilities for our clients. I look forward to continuing to build capabilities with our teams, supporting our clients as they make their operations fit-for-future, and contributing to Synpulse’s growth story in this anniversary year.”

Konrad Niggli, CEO and Managing Partner of Synpulse, commented: “These promotions reflect the strength of our people and the ambition that defines Synpulse. Marcel and Joel have shown exceptional leadership in helping our clients navigate an industry undergoing profound change, while advancing the capabilities and culture that set Synpulse apart. Their appointments reinforce our commitment to combining deep industry expertise with the potential of agentic AI to help commercial insurers and reinsurers to build the future with confidence.”

For further information visit www.synpulse.com.

New National Conference Launched in Response to Growing Demands for Employee Resource Groups to Demonstrate Strategic Impact

A brand-new conference designed to elevate the work of employee networks, resource groups and forums, and those who lead them, is launching in April 2026 in London.

ERG Blueprint, created by iCAN (the Inclusion and Cultural Awareness Network) and people intelligence company Howlett Brown, is a one-day, in-person conference aimed at professionals shaping the future of employee impact and workplace inclusion.

Taking place on Tuesday 28 April 2026 at Leonardo Royal St Paul’s hotel, the conference will bring together ERG leaders, HR and DEI professionals, Executive Sponsors and workplace inclusion advocates from across the UK. 

It will be hosted by TV personality AJ Odudu and feature high profile speakers like Richard Etienne (The Introvert Space), Charlene Brown of Howlett Brown and We Are The City’s Vanessa Vallely.

At a time when employee networks are needed more than ever to mitigate the national decline of employee engagement, as well as facing increasing pressure to demonstrate impact, navigate political tension, and align with shifting business priorities, ERG Blueprint offers future-proofing strategies, practical guidance, real-world insights, and renewed purpose.

“Employee networks are powerful engines for change – but the people running them are often under-resourced, under-supported, and expected to deliver extraordinary impact,” Ajay Mistry, Co-Chair of iCAN told That's Business.

“This conference is designed to change that - giving leaders the tools, strategy and support they need to succeed.”

What to Expect?

ERG Blueprint will offer a series of high-impact sessions on everything from future-proofing ERG strategies and structure, to influence, conflict navigation, data, branding, and resilience. 

Highlights include:

Identifying Challenges and Barriers Workshop

Framing the Value of ERGs for Chairs, Members, DEI Leads and Sponsors

Influence and Persuasion Workshop

Identifying Challenges, Barriers & Solutions Workshop

The day will also explore why ERGs matter and the challenges of leading through turbulent times, while also offering interactive workshops to help networks define their unique value points and capture their impact through better metrics.

“We know network leaders sit at the intersection of culture, strategy, and lived experience, making them the true catalysts of inclusion and belonging,” said Charlene Brown, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Howlett Brown. 

“They aren't merely volunteers, they are also strategists, influencers and connectors. This conference equips network leaders to future-proof their networks, scale their impact, and deliver measurable value aligned to organisational purpose.”

Who Should Attend?

The ERG Blueprint conference is designed for:

ERG Chairs, Co-Chairs and core team members

HR and DEI Professionals embedding networks into organisational strategy

Executive Sponsors advocating for inclusion from the top

Aspiring ERG Founders, leaders and members

Stakeholder groups, partners and consultants working alongside employee networks

Join Them

The conference is open to all sectors and is designed to foster cross-industry learning and collaboration.

Tickets are now available at: https://erg-blueprint.co.uk

FACTFILE:

iCAN (Insurance Cultural Awareness Network) is the UK’s leading independent multicultural inclusion network for the insurance sector, with over 13,000 members worldwide. ERG Blueprint marks its latest cross-industry initiative to support practical, inclusive change.

Howlett Brown is a people intelligence company, specialising in investigations, culture, sustainability, business intelligence, diversity, equity, equality and inclusion (DEEI), workplace training communications, conflict resolution, crisis, and people advisory solutions. Howlett Brown exists to help organisations build an environment where their integrity, inclusion and purpose thrive and their people risk is low.