![\"Michelle](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/123526_michelleoreilly_74491_crop.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe UK general insurance market (UKGI) has been accused of struggling to open its arms to new talent, with opportunities for young people to gain first-hand experience of the industry often scarce.<\/p>\n
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But, if ever there were a testament\u00a0to the mileage of providing work experience opportunities, it would be Michelle O\u2019Reilly, managing director at add-on provider Alps, who first experienced the industry at 15-years-old in the same firm she now leads.<\/p>\n
And, following qualifying as a solicitor in 2010, O\u2019Reilly went on to contribute to the launch of one of the first alternative business structures in the UK, Alps Legal Practice in 2014, while simultaneously becoming one of the youngest managers to be authorised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority at the age of 25.<\/p>\n
Fast forward seven years and she became operations director at the MGA<\/a>, where she\u00a0oversaw the claims team until December 2024, when former managing director Ian Micklewright left the firm and \u201cthe opportunity arose\u201d for O\u2019Reilly to take on the mantle.<\/p>\n Nearly two years into the role, growth has been firmly on O\u2019Reilly\u2019s agenda, with Alps hitting \u00a37m in gross written premium (GWP) in 2025 and experiencing a 13% increase in its ebitda over the last 12 months.<\/p>\n Seeing this growth as a partial result of the increasing demand for add-ons in a softening market, O\u2019Reilly expects to see this growth trajectory \u201cdouble\u201d its GWP within the next three years by \u201cexpanding distribution, signing up more new accounts, new business acquisition and product development\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe soft market is impacting add-on insurance in a positive way,\u201d O\u2019Reilly tells Insurance Times.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re seeing a lot of brokers tending to add it as a differentiator to their customers.<\/p>\n \u201dWe\u2019re even seeing, in some instances, that brokers are either including that as a free product for their customers, or they are charging a lot less in terms of commission than they previously have, so [the soft market is] driving the price down while the demand is up.\u201d<\/p>\n New demands\u00a0<\/p>\n Originally starting with add-on insurance in motor market as its primary product, O\u2019Reilly says that Alps \u201ccontinued to develop the product range to expand into the let property, commercial and personal add-on markets as well\u201d.<\/p>\n And, in 2026, the MGA has already launched eight products so far, with O\u2019Reilly \u201caiming to launch another six new products this financial year\u201d to meet \u201cnew demands and markets\u201d for brokers.<\/p>\n One of the biggest product demands for the firm was its rent guarantee and landlord legal expenses add-on covers, which she explains was \u201ccompletely restructured and evolved to cater and meet the demands of the Renters\u2019 Rights Act 2025\u201d that came into force in May this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n The legislation introduced reforms including the abolition of Section 21 \u2018no fault\u2019 evictions and laid down greater rights for tenants in England.<\/p>\n With a boom in interest in the product following the abolishment of Section 21, Alps saw landlord legal sales increase by 50% in Q1 this year in comparison to 2025.<\/p>\n Despite the popularity of renter\u2019s products, O\u2019Reilly says that the \u201cfastest-selling new product that\u2019s come to market\u201d was the launch of pothole cover on 31 March 2026 which saw \u201cthe first policy sales taken out within 48 hours\u201d.<\/p>\n This includes single vehicle pothole cover and bespoke schemes for self-drive hire, she explains, with plans to launch fleet pothole cover \u201ccoming soon\u201d.<\/p>\n One product line proving less lucrative, however, is the MGA\u2019s guaranteed asset protection (gap) insurance. The optional add-on covers the shortfall between a motor<\/a> insurer\u2019s settlement after a vehicle is written off or stolen and either the vehicle\u2019s original purchase price or the outstanding finance owed.<\/p>\n Returning to the Gap market following FCA-mandated suspension of sales in February 2024<\/a>, O\u2019Reilly says \u201cthe volumes haven\u2019t returned to what they were prior to the regulatory<\/a> intervention\u201d which saw around 80% of the market temporarily suspend sales due to widespread fair value concerns.<\/p>\n However, she adds that the MGA is continuing to \u201ceducate the market\u201d that it is a \u201cfair value product if sold in the correct manner\u201d and believes that broker distribution \u201cwasn\u2019t the issue with gap \u2013 it was the dealerships\u201d.<\/p>\n She continues: \u201cBrokers are a little bit nervous about reselling gap as a product, but there\u2019s definitely opportunity because a lot of the dealers are not selling it anymore, they\u2019ve moved away from it, which gives the broker the opportunity if they\u2019re selling the insurance.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a product that I\u2019ve purchased myself so I have faith in the product and I don\u2019t think that customers should risk that underinsurance from a finance point of view, especially with electric vehicles it\u2019s becoming a real issue that people are owing more on their finance agreements.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Lawyer\u2019s eye\u2019<\/p>\n