Case Study

Apollo Group - Building a State-of-the-Art Finance Function with Phinsys for Future Growth

Apollo is an innovative integrated insurance group dedicated to providing high quality 
products and services to clients, brokers, and capital partners at Lloyd’s.

In 2015, Apollo partnered with Phinsys on its journey to build an advanced in-house finance function using the Phinsys product suite. Since this collaboration, challenges such as data quality and manual processes have been successfully addressed and overcome.

The Challenge

The establishment of its own managing agency and transition from being a third party managed syndicate highlighted challenges such as multiple data sources and the development of new internal systems.

Apollo needed a unified data system to consolidate data previously stored in spreadsheets and the underwriting system (Xuber) and enhance overall data integrity.

The Solution

Apollo implemented the Phinsys suite aligning with their operational model, enhancing data consistency across the organisation and supporting decision-making with high-quality management information.

The solution facilitated the integration of additional syndicates and has supported growth since.

Key products in scope:

Tandem

An enterprise data warehouse and close management tool that enhances data integrity, produces regulatory reports, automates financial close processing, and accelerates financial processes.

Rapport

A rules-based calculation and allocation engine automating premium ceded premium allocation, IBNR calculation, expense allocation, and business forecasting.

Postbox

An accounting rules engine that ensures the integrity of financial accounts, manages accounting journals, and supports different time zones and multiple ledgers.

Comply

A regulatory and bordereau reporting and reconciliation system that manages and validates bordereau uploads, creates new reporting formats for evolving regulatory requirements, and delivers real-time output of system-to-system reconciliations.

Inform

A reporting data layer, offering granularity for business performance analysis, and facilitating the transition from management to statutory to reconciled regulatory data submission.

Implementation Process

This involved a systematic approach to integrate Tandem with existing underwriting systems, configuring Rapport for precise financial operations, and deploying Postbox, Comply, and Inform to streamline accounting, regulatory compliance, and data visualisation.

The Results

The implementation of the Phinsys suite has brought significant benefits for Apollo Syndicate Management:

Integrated Reporting

Creation of a single, robust data model supporting syndicate and managed syndicate reporting.

Consolidation of Data

Fast and accurate mapping of all data sources into a single model for simplified ongoing management and reporting.

Control of Financial Data

Enhanced management information accessibility with granular detail for informed business decisions.

Streamlined Close Processes

Implementation of consistent and accurate finance close processes, reducing operating costs.

Fast, Consistent Reporting

Consolidated reporting across the entire portfolio, including Lloyd’s Solvency II Pillar 3 and UK GAAP.

Faster Processing

Automatic calculation and allocation of premiums, IBNR, and ceded. Automatic posting of accounting entries and reconciliation across the portfolio and to a single ledger.

The Conclusion

Apollo Group's deployment of Phinsys products not only addressed immediate operational challenges but has supported the business in its strategic development. With a state-of-the-art finance function, Apollo has efficiently managed multiple syndicates and made informed decisions for long-term success.

Since we started working with Phinsys we’ve been able to create a function that delivers accurate and timely data for our management, finance and actuarial teams. We’re building an increased capability to scale our business without introducing manually intensive processes and increasing our operating expenses.”

Jamie MacDiarmid
Finance Director, Apollo