ProtectZ, our conference where every speaker is under 30 but everyone is welcome

ProtectZ 2026 is on 11th June 2026

We are excited to announce Emily McCarthy as the Keynote Speaker for ProtectZ 2026.

A Brighton and London-based presenter, Emily has built an impressive portfolio with brands including ITSU, Iconic London, Hairburst and Crocs. But her talk goes deeper than brand deals.

Emily will explore the "alternative career" landscape, sharing how she turned a period of uncertainty into a thriving professional path. She’ll also address the growing pressure for age limits and restrictions on social platforms. By weighing the real concerns of online safety against the undeniable power of digital creativity, Emily offers a perspective the protection industry cannot afford to ignore.

All ages welcome. All speakers under 30.

Important Details:

Date: 11th June 2026 9:30 - 1:15

Venue: UnderwriteMe, Tower Bridge House, St. Katharine’s Way, London, E1W 1BA

Tickets: Each company gets ONE free ticket. Additional tickets for a small fee. Email us on: [email protected]

Here's what happened at ProtectZ 2025.

ProtectZ - all speakers are under 30 but everyone is welcome.

Chair - Kevin Carr, Protection Review

Nilesh Patel, UnderwriteMe

Keynote Speaker:  Lottie Hayton, The Times/Sunday Times

Panel 1: GenZ Research

• Lottie Hayton, The Times/Sunday Times
• Jivtar Chawla, Alexander Hall
• Laura Mitchell, Guardian
• Jaskeet Briah, Cover Magazine

Panel 2: Tech, AI & Social Media

• Beth Southcott, UnderwriteMe
• Rebecca Campbell, LifeSearch
• Amelia Love, Met Life

Interview

• Hanna McKallip, OneFamily
• Chloe Link, Dynamo

Panel 3: Engaging Younger Customers & Employees

• Gabrielle Best, Cirencester Friendly
• Emma Morris, NMG
• Orlaith Barry, Hannover Re

Keynote Speaker: Akshay Ruparelia, Forbes Entrepreneur Under 30

Closing remarks, Roger Edwards, Protection Review

Networking

Our second ProtectZ took place on 30th June 2024

This was the line up.

Keynote Speaker - Clodagh Griffin.

Clodagh talked about how to build a Gen Z audience.

Clodagh is a social media expert, presenter, keynote speaker and currently a journalist at The News Movement, 

A major milestone in Clodagh’s career so far is her appearance on BBC Panorama: Is TikTok Safe? She completed an undercover investigation into the safety of TikTok and shared her findings on the show.

Panel 1 - Engagement & Communications

What does the industry need to do to better engage with young people and how can we communicate with them to make our products more desirable?

• Clodagh Griffin, The News Movement
• Lucia Jarvis, National Friendly
• Juliette Meads, Vitality
• Britney Trussler, Dynamo
• Nina Brown, Pam Brown Mortgages

Panel 2 - Technology

What software and apps can help us give better service to our customers? Can AI genuinely make a difference? What's in development and what do we want and what can we expect to see in future?

• Gus Timpson, Legado
• Claudie Francis, iPipeline
• Cameron Zegeling, Scor
• Flora Macleod, Guardian
• Lewis Evans, Cirencester

Panel 3 - Product & Process

Are we developing the right products for GenZ customers? Are we involving them in developments? Do we need to ask fewer questions during processing now everyone is on a mobile device?

• Freddie Mansfield, Hannover Re
• Tabitha Lambie, Protection Reporter
• Annaliese Lincoln, Cura
• Nathan Burrows, UnderwriteMe
• Ellie Collis, The Exeter