Lion Underwriting

What Lion Underwriting does

Lion Underwriting Pty Ltd is an Australian underwriting agency founded in March 2015 by Kurt Nilsen and headquartered in Loganholme, Queensland, with an additional Sydney office. The firm operates as a Lloyd's coverholder and holds a binding authority agreement with China Taiping Insurance (HK-listed, Grade A AM Best/S&P rated), giving it access to global reinsurance capital. It holds Australian Financial Services Licence 491793 and is structured as a privately held Australian company with 11-50 employees.

The company provides broker-placed commercial insurance capacity across General & Excess Liability, Property ISR (up to AUD 20 million per risk / AUD 50 million total declared values), Professional Lines (Professional Indemnity, Management Liability, Medical Malpractice up to AUD 10 million per risk, Cyber, and Life Sciences), Marine (underwritten with China Taiping capacity), Commercial Legal Expenses, and specialist Tattoo Liability. Its core technology is the Lloyd's binding authority platform with multi-capacity partnerships, and pricing is quote-based through brokers with annual billing rather than publicly listed.

Revenue is generated through commissions and profit-sharing on premiums collected on bound policies placed by licensed Australian general insurance brokers, including national cluster groups such as Ausure, smaller broker associations, and authorised representatives. Distribution is exclusively B2B via brokers, with no direct-to-consumer or direct-to-business channel; marketing and pipeline generation is concentrated on industry events (UAC Market Exchanges across 9 Australian cities, NIBA conventions, CQIB events, Ausure conferences) augmented by LinkedIn, Facebook, monthly email campaigns, and website content. Underwriting authority, niche appetite for hard-to-place risks, and senior underwriter accessibility are the core competitive levers.

Name

Lion Underwriting

Legal name

Lion Underwriting Pty Ltd

Website

https://lionunderwriting.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lion Underwriting is an Australian Lloyd's coverholder underwriting agency founded in 2015 that provides broker-placed commercial insurance capacity across liability, property, professional lines, marine, and specialty classes exclusively through licensed Australian insurance brokers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Insurance Underwriting

NAICS

Direct Property and Casualty Insurance Carriers (524126), Direct Insurance (except Life, Health, and Medical) Carriers (52412), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Insurance Carriers (5241)

SIC

Insurance Carriers, Nec (6399), Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance (6331), Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Excess Casualty (Lead/Umbrella/XS) (FSAJAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Excess Liability Insurance (FSAJANAC), Commercial Umbrella / Excess Liability (FSAJADAL)

Keywords

• Underwriting agency services
• Lloyd's coverholder distribution
• General liability insurance
• Commercial property insurance
• Professional indemnity insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Loganholme

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Underwriting Agency – Broker-Placed Insurance: Lion Underwriting operates as a Lloyd's coverholder and underwriting agency, providing insurance capacity across General Liability, Property ISR, Professional Lines, Medical Malpractice, Tattoo Liability, Legal Expenses, and Marine. Revenue is generated through premiums collected on bound policies placed via licensed insurance brokers, with income derived from capacity provider (Lloyd's and China Taiping) commission and profit-sharing arrangements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Lion Underwriting is a Lloyd's coverholder underwriting agency that provides licensed Australian general insurance brokers with insurance capacity across multiple classes, including General & Excess Liability, Property (ISR), Professional Lines (Medical Malpractice, Tattoo Liability, Commercial Legal Expenses), and Marine. Brokers place commercial risks with Lion, which binds coverage under binding authority agreements with Lloyd's syndicates and China Taiping Insurance, supported by direct access to decision-making underwriters.

Product overview

Lion Underwriting is an Australian underwriting agency established in March 2015, providing insurance capacity across multiple classes including General & Excess Liability, Property – ISR, Professional Lines, Marine, and specialty products. The agency operates as a Lloyd's coverholder and offers solutions ranging from traditional mainstream risks to hard-to-place occupations. Core offerings include General & Excess Liability coverage, Property insurance (ISR) with capacity up to $20M liability and $50M declared values, Professional Lines encompassing medical malpractice, tattoo liability, legal expenses, and professional indemnity, and Marine insurance backed by China Taiping capacity. The company targets brokers through UAC market exchanges and provides both standard and bespoke policy solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• General & Excess Liability Insurance product providing general and excess liability protection for licensed Australian brokers across numerous occupational classes, including civil construction, cleaners, hospitality, engineering, manufacturing, mining, property owners, scaffolders, transport operators, and wholesalers. Includes contingency liability, excess liability, umbrella liability, and multimedia liability, underwritten by Lloyd's.
• Property – ISR Property insurance for brokers placing Industrial, Commercial, Strata, and Retail (ISR) risks including accommodation, breweries, childcare centres, function centres, hotels, licensed clubs, medical centres, retail, industrial strata, supermarkets, warehousing, and hard-to-place property risks. Limit of Liability up to $20 million per risk and Total Declared Values up to $50 million, with co-insurance capacity available, backed by Lloyd's.
• Professional Lines Comprehensive professional liability coverage including professional indemnity, directors & officers, management liability, medical malpractice, cyber, and miscellaneous PI for brokers placing cover for traditional professions through to hard-to-place occupations, with standalone or combined placement options.
• Medical Malpractice Insurance Claims-made professional indemnity insurance protecting medical and allied health professionals (physiotherapy, psychology, podiatry, beauty therapy, aesthetics, complementary therapies, and allied health establishments) from malpractice exposure including that arising from injectables, laser treatments, and clinical procedures. Maximum limit $10 million per risk with higher limits on request; Excess starting from NIL; standalone or combined placements; underwritten by Lloyd's.
• Tattoo Liability Combined Liability & Treatment Policy for tattoo studio operators, sub-contractors, and expo-only operators covering cosmetic tattooing, laser removal, piercing (including genital piercing), and named sub-contractors. For businesses with turnover up to $200,000; Limits of Indemnity $10 million and $20 million; Excess $1,000 ($2,500 Malpractice); 100% Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's security.
• Commercial Legal Expenses Insurance Legal expenses cover for SMEs placed by brokers, addressing commercial contract disputes, criminal prosecutions, employment disputes, property disputes, data protection, statutory licence appeals, employee restrictive-covenant enforcement, and ATO tax investigation protection, sold through licensed brokers.
• Marine Insurance Marine insurance coverage for brokers placing risks including agriculture, Australian inland transit, bulk commodities, carriers and transport operators, fresh and frozen goods, livestock, meat export, mining cargo, stock throughput, and specialised cargo, supported by China Taiping Insurance capacity as an alternative to Lloyd's.

Quantifiable outcome

• Virtually no staff turnover over 10 years, indicating strong team culture and retention
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• China Taiping Insurance CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2019Lion Underwriting signed a two-year binding authority agreement with Hong Kong-listed China Taiping Insurance Company to write marine-related risks in Australia, including agriculture, exporters, livestock, stock throughput, and cargo. This is China Taiping's first binding authority agreement in Australia. Lion sought China Taiping as an alternative capacity partner after frustrations with Lloyd's inconsistency in the marine sector. The partnership provides access to China Taiping's Grade A AM Best and S&P rated capacity for Australian marine risks.
• Lloyd's of LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLion Underwriting is a Lloyd's coverholder, holding binding authority agreements that allow them to underwrite and bind insurance risks on behalf of Lloyd's syndicates. This is the primary capacity partnership underpinning the majority of Lion's insurance products across liability, property, and professional lines. Coverholder status requires stringent capital, governance, and reporting standards, providing brokers with Lloyd's security backing.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• QBE Insurance Australia: One of Australia's largest general insurers, writing commercial P&C, liability, and specialty lines directly and via brokers; sets the competitive baseline Lion undercuts on hard-to-place and SME segments.
• Insurance Australia Group (IAG): Australia's largest general insurance group (NRMA, CGU, WFI), writing commercial property, liability, and specialty lines through broker and direct channels; the dominant incumbent Lion competes against for mid-market broker business.
• Allianz Australia: Major Australian general insurer writing commercial property, casualty, and specialty lines through broker networks; a tier-one incumbent Lion benchmarks pricing against and competes with for larger commercial placements.
• Hollard Insurance Australia: Australian subsidiary of Hollard Group, partnering with underwriting agencies and brokers to write commercial and specialty lines; a major capacity provider and competitor in the Australian underwriting agency ecosystem.

Direct peers

• ProRisk: Australian underwriting agency focused on hard-to-place commercial liability and professional indemnity risks, with similar specialist-appetite positioning to Lion Underwriting's excess liability and professional lines books.
• Honan Insurance Group: Melbourne-headquartered Australian underwriting agency and broker group writing commercial property, liability, and professional lines through broker and direct channels; overlaps Lion's product mix and broker-led distribution model.
• Resilium: Australian underwriting agency distributing through brokers, operating as a Lloyd's coverholder across liability, property, and professional lines — a direct functional peer to Lion Underwriting in the Australian agency market.
• Catalina Insurance: Australian underwriting agency and Lloyd's coverholder writing marine, liability, and specialty lines through brokers — directly comparable to Lion's marine book underwritten via China Taiping capacity.
• Cobalt Underwriting: Australian underwriting agency writing commercial liability, property, and specialty lines for brokers — comparable in size, Lloyd's coverholder positioning, and broker-distribution model to Lion Underwriting.

Emerging players

• Emergence Underwriting: Australian underwriting agency focused on cyber and technology professional indemnity, distributed via brokers; an adjacent specialist agency competing in Lion's professional lines segment for similar broker relationships.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lionunderwriting
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lionunderwritingptyltd
• Xx.com/lionuw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lion Underwriting