Rokstone appoints senior leaders to agri and SME units
Specialty (re)insurance MGA Rokstone has announced senior appointments to its specialist agricultural and SME businesses, iFarm Underwriting and iSure Underwriting. The MGA, part of the Aventum Group, revealed that Adam McWilliams and Gurjot Bagri will join iFarm as underwriters. McWilliams joins the firm from NFU Mutual, where he most recently served as a commercial package underwriter. Bagri moves to Rokstone from Markel. In a separate development, Lee Ellis, who has led the iFarm and iSure propositions since 2022, has been promoted to a newly created role as digital prioritisation and change lead. Rokstone said this move reflects its “continued investment in digital capabilities across its specialty underwriting businesses.” Ellis is succeeded by Shane Mustill, who joined the business in 2025 as its head of distribution. Mustill’s 14 years of industry experience includes time spent in both agricultural underwriting and broker development roles.
Talent acquisition and internal promotion
Mustill said that Ellis has played a significant role in iFarm and iSure’s success over the past four years, expanding the product offering, strengthening broker relationships and driving improvements in service and operational efficiency. His move into a broader digital leadership role within Rokstone is well deserved and demonstrates the value the business places on the expertise it has developed. “For our broker partners, this is very much a story of continuity alongside continued investment,” Mustill said. “We’re adding experienced underwriting talent, promoting from within and continuing to invest in the technology and data capabilities that support better underwriting decisions.” The appointments come as the group continues to build out its digital infrastructure. Mustill noted that the proposition remains unchanged, combining specialist underwriting expertise with digital innovation and A rated capacity. The firm is also focusing on its award-winning digital capabilities, enhanced data analytics and increasingly sophisticated pricing capabilities.
These changes suggest a strategic pivot toward data-driven underwriting across both divisions. By shifting Lee Ellis to a broader digital leadership role, the company signals a focus on backend infrastructure that supports the front-line underwriting teams. This is a common move for MGAs looking to scale, but the specific emphasis on digital prioritisation and change lead highlights a desire to accelerate technology adoption rather than just maintain legacy systems.
Technology and market positioning
While the human resources shuffle grabs headlines, the underlying driver appears to be technological. The group is explicitly investing in digital tools to improve pricing accuracy and segmentation. The ability to deliver more accurate, segmented pricing and responsive underwriting support for brokers is the stated goal. This requires significant investment in data infrastructure and software development. The market for agricultural and SME insurance is competitive, and the ability to use data to price risk more precisely is a key differentiator. Rokstone’s focus on A rated capacity alongside these digital tools positions it to compete with larger players in the specialty space. [1] AI edge lies in better judgements, particularly regarding risk assessment.
Insurers must handle a complex setting where digital tools are no longer optional but essential for survival. The group’s strategic focus on backend infrastructure supports the front-line underwriting teams. [2] Unveiling the Gemstone Odyssey from Earth’s depths to dazzling showcases serves as a metaphor for the discovery of high-value, specialized assets underwritten by these businesses.
