The People Behind the Claim: Meet Consilium’s Claims Team

At Consilium, Claims is not simply a process that starts after the insured event or loss. It is an extension of the broking relationship, built around one clear principle: advocacy first. That means stepping in as early in the process as possible, challenging assumptions and, when it counts, driving successful outcomes, because that is often the difference between a ‘no’ and a ‘yes’ for clients. 

In recent years, the Consilium Claims team has grown into a powerful entity. With over 200 years of combined experience across the team, they bring together extensive technical expertise across Property, Casualty, Financial Lines, Reinsurance and Specialty risks - alongside fresh talent that is shaping the future of claims. However, experience alone is not what defines our team. That lies in how the experience is applied, decisively and with a clear focus on outcome.

A Team Built for Outcomes

At the centre of the team is Nick Woodward, Chief Claims Officer. Nick leads Consilium’s claims strategy with a background that combines 20 years in insurance and a decade in legal practice. Specialising in P&C and Specialty (re)insurance, he brings global experience across both first and third party risks - and is actively involved when claims require direction, challenge or escalation. 

Alongside him is Duncan Childs, Head of Technical Claims and Coverage. A qualified solicitor with over 25 years of experience, Duncan is the team’s technical anchor on complex claims and policy wording. His expertise spans Professional Risk, D&O, PI, Crime and Cyber, with a particular specialism in offshore financial institutions. Duncan brings both precision and perspective to the most challenging cases.

Together, Nick and Duncan form the early escalation point for complex claims. Through structured referral triggers, they get involved sooner, strengthening insurer negotiations and shaping optimal outcomes from the start.

Specialists Who Know The Field

Across the team, each individual brings a clear area of expertise, ensuring all claims are managed by people who understand the relevant legal and regulatory context behind them.

Nicole Crowhurst | Associate Partner | Property and Speciality

With over 30 years of London market experience, Nicole has worked across Marine, Property, Cyber and Financial Lines in both direct and reinsurance environments. She brings depth, perspective, calm authority and enhanced customer service to complex claims, drawing on decades of deep industry relationships.

Dan Boughtwood | Associate Partner | Professional and Financial Lines

Dan specialises in Professional and Financial Lines, Executive Risks and Cyber Liability, with 15 years of international claims experience. He operates across the UK, Europe, North American and Australasia markets, supporting policyholders including financial institutions, corporate service providers, architects, engineers and law firms, where claims often intersect with legal, financial and reputational exposures.

Louise Biddell | Senior Associate | US & International Casualty and Construction

Louise specialises in US and International Casualty, Construction and Reinsurance claims, with over 20 years of claims experience across insurer and broker environments. Her ability to understand claims from both perspectives helps to negotiate complex liability issues and drive practical outcomes, assisted by strong working relationships with insurers and TPAs.

Kristin DeSouza | Senior Associate | Reinsurance, Cedant Facultative

With over 20 years in the London market, Kristin manages complex international and reinsurance claims across multiple classes. Having cultivated strong, lasting relationships with clients and reinsurers, she brings structure and control to claims that often span jurisdictions, markets and policy layers, keeping everything aligned and moving forward.

Peter Enguell | Senior Associate | UK Property and Casualty

Having been with the company for 13 years, Peter brings over 40 years of experience handling Property and Casualty claims across the UK and Ireland. His specialist knowledge in areas such as Waste and Recycling, Combined Liability and Property losses makes him a trusted expert for more technical and niche risks.

The Structure That Keeps Everything Moving

Supporting the team is Claims Operations Manager, Hannah Westaway. Hannah plays a critical role in how the Claims team operates day-to-day, driving efficiency, improving processes and ensuring a consistent, high-quality experience for clients and brokers. With a background in claims support and administration, she connects the technical side of claims with the practicalities of delivery, ensuring nothing slows down unnecessarily.

Building the Next Generation

Alongside experience, the team consistently invests in future capabilities. Luke Nash, Claims Technician Apprentice, is developing his expertise across UK and North American claims, bringing an international perspective from time spent living in Canada. Luke is currently working towards his Cert CII professional qualification.

Apprentice, Gabriel Flemmer, is gaining experience across Financial Lines while building a broader understanding of multiple classes of business and working towards his Cert CII professional qualification. They are part of a team that actively shares knowledge, ensuring expertise is continuously developed.

Technology That Supports Better Outcomes

Behind every claim sits Quantum, Consilium’s proprietary claims platform. Designed specifically for claims handling, Quantum provides a single source of truth across the entire lifecycle, from first notification through to settlement. It brings real-time visibility, structured workflows and greater transparency for both brokers and clients.

More importantly, it removes unnecessary manual work. That means less time spent processing and more time spent advising, challenging and advocating, where the real value of a claims team is felt.

A Team You Want In Your Corner

The Consilium Claims team is built around a simple principle: be involved early and stay involved throughout. Through early referral triggers, complex claims are escalated quickly to senior specialists. That early input allows the team to shape the narrative, challenge potential claim denials and engage insurers as soon as possible. 

Achieving optimal outcomes relies on several key factors. Clear communication keeps clients informed, and specialist expertise ensures claims are handled properly. Every claim is different, but the need for clarity, speed and strong representation remains constant.

That is what this team delivers - not only through over two centuries of combined experience, but through how that experience and know how is applied. Individually, each person brings their own specialism. Together, they create a claims function that is responsive, connected and focused on meaningful outcome over checkbox process, because when a claim arrives, the question is not only what cover is in place, but who is there to ensure our clients receive the support and outcomes that they rightly expect.