LONDON, 3rd August 2026 – Ignite Specialty Risk, a specialist provider of specialty risk insurance, has established its Australian operations with the appointment of Lucinda Stormont-Sainsbury as Head of Australian Operations, based in Sydney.
David Green, Chief Underwriting Officer at Ignite, said:
"Australia is an important strategic market for Ignite and establishing our Australian operations marks a significant milestone in our international growth. We are making a long-term commitment to the market by investing in local leadership and building strong relationships with brokers, legal advisers and strategic partners."
"We see strong demand for our proven expertise and product suite, and we are committed to supporting the market with the expertise and service that have underpinned our success internationally."
Stormont-Sainsbury joins Ignite with 15 years' experience across the insurance ecosystem, spanning underwriting, claims, private practice and in-house insurance law roles. Most recently, she served as Senior Legal Counsel at HDI Global SE, advising its branches across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Dubai. Her work in the insurance sector recently saw her named Insurance Lawyer of the Year 2026 at the Australian Corporate Counsel Awards.
Stormont-Sainsbury said:
"This is an exciting opportunity to join a business with ambitious leadership, a clear vision and a specialist proposition that is well suited to the Australian market. Ignite has made a clear commitment to establishing a long-term presence in Australia, and I am looking forward to building strong relationships across the broker and legal communities as we develop the business."
"Australia is a sophisticated insurance market with an increasingly complex risk landscape. I look forward to working with our partners as we prepare to introduce innovative specialist solutions that help clients manage their specialty insurance needs with confidence”
The establishment of Ignite's Australian operations follows a period of sustained international growth for the business, which has become a recognised specialist provider of litigation risk, tax liability and contingent risk insurance solutions across the UK, Europe and the United States.
Ends
Media Contact
Conor Hicks
Omnia Partners
Conor.hicks@weareomniapartners.com
07435 664190
About Ignite Specialty Risk
Ignite Specialty Risk is a leading provider of Specialty and Contingent Risk solutions. Ignite already provides an extensive range of insurance products to meet the growing demands of the commercial and consumer legal marketplace in the US, UK, Europe and Australia. Founded in March 2022, Ignite provides litigation risk insurance with AM Best Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) capacity to a range of clients including litigation funders, law firms and other lenders.
