The 2025 WSIA Annual Marketplace conference reflected how dynamic the wholesale and specialty market has become. Our Carrier Practice Team shares highlights and takeaways, including the leading opportunities and challenges in the industry and the strategies that help organizations stand out.

Over the years, cyber threat actors have evolved beyond phishing and ransomware. Today, their attacks are more sophisticated, shifting their strategy in response to new pain points. Kirsten Mickelson, Cyber Claims Practice Leader, examines the top 5 cyber threats in 2026 and how organizations can bolster cyber resilience.

MGAs and PAs face growing pressure to grow profits, develop new products, enter new markets, and keep pace with technology–all while delivering exceptional service. Gallagher Bassett consistently evaluates these demands to understand the unique challenges that develop as a result and how they affect claims management. Let’s explore four key trends and strategies to address them.

Discover three ways partnering with a claims and risk management expert can help carriers effectively handle high-volume, low-severity claims while ensuring quality outcomes and aligning with strategic business priorities.

Irina Simpson, EVP — Workers’ Compensation, and Jon Stambaugh, SVP — Carrier Practice, discuss new challenges shaping claims management and how GB continues to provide a strategic edge with our dedicated team of claims professionals, ongoing investment in innovative technology, and commitment to achieving superior outcomes for insurance carriers, managing general agents (MGAs) and program administrators (PAs).

Culture starts at the top. When it comes to creating a culture of service, a leader’s actions can demonstrate the value of giving back and set a standard that permeates throughout an organization. For Mike Hessling, Gallagher Bassett’s (GB’s) CEO, North America, this responsibility is a welcomed aspect of his role, one that he embraces as a privilege and a personal mission.

Having recently celebrated its fourth year, the RISE Leadership Summit & Awards Gala has now become a flagship event—a three-day gathering that celebrates innovation, fosters connections, and cultivates career growth.
We caught up with Amy Cooper, Founder of RISE and VP — Carrier Practice Sales, to hear about this year’s highlights.

The insurance landscape is constantly evolving, and mutual and mid-market carriers are experiencing growing pressure to maintain pace. From the increasing threat of cyber-attacks to the battle for talent, regulatory complexity, and rising customer expectations, the demands have never been higher.

MGAs and PAs struggle to attract and retain talent due to industry-specific demands, competitive pressures, and evolving expectations, compounded by a shortage of the specialty expertise needed to expand their portfolios.

As we enter the second half of 2025, many of the challenges carriers experienced throughout the first half of the year are set to persist. Social inflation is high among those challenges, with its influence on the industry continuing to rise and the impact on insurance losses set to intensify without effective intervention from carriers.

The rapid growth of generative AI in the insurance industry is undeniable. According to Gallagher Bassett’s (GB’s) recent report, The Carrier Perspective: 2025 Claims Insights, 63% of North American carriers use generative AI as part of claims resolution, which is a 24-percentage-point increase from 2024.

The 2025 RMIS Report by Redhand Advisors has recognized our Luminos RMIS platform as the most comprehensive offering in the bundled TPA space for the eighth consecutive year.