Who We Are
Empower Development is an award-winning training consultancy specialising in helping insurance professionals achieve their potential. We are a team of 10 dedicated and passionate training specialists.
We pride ourselves on knowing what it takes to succeed in our industry. We use this knowledge to develop training and resources that provide individuals and organisations with the skills needed to thrive today and in the future.
Between them, our trainers hold decades of experience in the industry as well as recognised qualifications. They use their specialist technical and behavioural expertise to ensure that learnings from the classroom are immediately transferable to the day-to-day roles of insurance professionals.
What We Do
We provide a wide range of training and development products and services for organisations and individuals in the insurance industry.
Our range of in-person and virtual offerings includes early careers, management and leadership, team building events, CII study support, soft skills courses, technical training, and 1:1 coaching.
Our game-changing online CII revision platform has made getting CII qualified simpler and more accessible than ever before.
Supporting the Industry
We care deeply about the industry. As part of our mission to help insurance professionals achieve their potential, we offer free support to improve entry-level access to the industry and encourage networking and career development. This includes regular free industry events, free revision webinars, a YouTube channel, free CII exam aids, a regular insurance HR roundtable and a podcast focused on lifting the lid on insurance careers.
Our Awards
We are extremely proud to receive recognition for the work we do. Our awards show that we are a trusted training and development partner to the insurance industry
Message from Samantha Lydon, Founder and Managing Director of Empower Development
“After many years working in HR and L&D in the insurance industry, I found that it was almost impossible to find trainers and courses that truly understood and catered to the needs of insurance professionals. I figured that if I had this need, other companies would surely have it too, so in 2018, I launched Empower Development to fill the gap.
The rest is history! Over the past 6 years we have grown to a team of 10, all passionate about helping professionals across the market progress and enjoy their careers.
I am proud that as well as helping those already in the industry, we are also able to do so much to spread the word about insurance careers, making the industry more accessible to people from all backgrounds.
I love hearing from people in the industry, so please connect with me through any of our social channels.”
Trainers
Samantha Lydon
Samantha specialises in supporting insurance professionals develop their personal effectiveness and highlight their career potential. After starting her HR career in private banking, Samantha first discovered the insurance industry as an HR professional at Liberty Syndicates in 2010. Eager to understand more about the industry she worked in, Samantha completed her ACII and began supporting colleagues through their CII revision which is when she discovered her passion for Learning and Development. Through a merger with Liberty International, the organisation grew quickly, and Samantha progressed to Learning and Development Manager where she delivered training and coaching internally across the globe including Dubai, Brazil, Cologne and Dublin. Within the London Market, Samantha supported development through her voluntary position on the LMA Academy Committee and as Chair of the LMA Academy Sub-Training Group.
After identifying a need for high-quality training that was tailored to the unique needs of the insurance market Samantha launched Empower Development in 2017. Since then, Samantha has delivered training across the market and regularly speaks at industry events. Keen to continue to support development for industry professionals, Samantha has a voluntary role on the CII Education and Learning Committee.
“Samantha is an awesome speaker, presenter, storyteller”
“Samantha Lydon is a great mentor with vast knowledge”
Qualifications
ACII, CII Accredited Advance Level Trainer, member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, BA(Hons) Human Resource Management, Myers Briggs Step I, Myers Briggs Step II, ILM Level 5 Coaching and Mentoring Diploma, Strength Deployment Inventory Practitioner.
Antonia Roberts
Antonia is Head of Training & Development at Empower Development. She has spent over 11 years in Learning and Training including time spent as a L&D manager in insurance, experience leading learning and change projects for complex global organisations with Deloitte and heading up an in-house L&D team for a UK law firm.
Antonia is a passionate L&D professional who loves all things learning. She is an expert facilitator, a qualified coach and holds multiple psychometric accreditations.
She prides herself on her track record of combining a consulting approach with an understanding of on-the-ground L&D to design and deliver practical learning solutions that lead to actual performance improvement. She supports clients with a range of skills topics, specialising in Strategy, Projects, Leadership and Management.
“There was a nice balance between theory, break–out sessions, and time to reflect with my own thoughts on course material. I thought the coach Antonia was excellent in all aspects, particularly her smooth and confident delivery”
“I really enjoyed the 3 courses I did with Antonia/Empower Development. The way she presents and engages the group, and the content, of course, make it very worthwhile.”
Qualifications
Strengths Deployment Inventory (SDI), MBTI Step I & Step II, Neo PI-3, Hogan HPI, HDS and MVPI, Strengths Profile, APM Project Management Fundamentals (PFQ), BPS Test User Ability & Personality, ILM Level 5 in Mentoring and Coaching, Award in London Market Insurance
Claire Shepherd
Claire has over 20 years of commercial business experience, including five years specialising in insurance. She combines a pragmatic approach with the latest thinking in business performance to design and deliver engaging, high-impact training programmes. Claire is an expert communicator and facilitator, with a particular focus on business skills, early careers development, and technical insurance topics. She holds the Award in London Market Insurance from the CII.
Claire is known for her energy, clarity, and ability to connect with audiences:
“You were awesome Claire — the enthusiasm and style of delivery really worked for our audience.”
“Ever since your course, I haven’t been the same person and feel as if I’m growing day by day.”
“Thank you for sharing your passion and knowledge about insurance with us — your enthusiasm was enjoyed by all who attended.”
Melissa Lucy
Mel is a Senior Training Consultant at Empower Development. She has spent most of her career working in the insurance industry, specialising in learning and development for the past 12 years.
Mel’s L&D experience includes time spent in senior learning roles, business partnering, workplace coaching, designing and delivering apprenticeships and managing training teams.
Mel balances an approachable and energetic style with a business-focussed, strategic approach to designing and delivering L&D that makes an impact. She has experience training at all levels from Early Careers to Exec.
Mel has a dual focus at Empower, specialising in soft-skills topics including leadership and management as well as introductory insurance topics.
“Mel was really good at explaining everything. She was very clear and went at a good pace. The content was structured well.”
“A very interesting training, which Mel gave in a very refreshing, lively and enthusiastic way.”
“Mel was a great host and trainer, friendly, personable and knowledgeable.”
Qualifications
Level 5 CIPD Intermediate Diploma in L&D, Level 3 ILM Award in Effective Coaching, ILM Level 3 Certificate in L&D, Strengths Deployment Inventory (SDI), Trained DISC Facilitator.
Louise Pergande
Louise has over a decade of experience in early careers recruitment and development primarily in insurance. Her experience includes recruitment, as well as designing impactful graduate, intern, placement, and apprenticeship programmes.
Passionate about supporting early career talent in insurance, Louise is dedicated to helping the next generation of insurance professionals find their feet and build meaningful, rewarding careers.
Grace Maxted
Grace first entered the insurance market 15 years ago as Professional Claims Support at Devonshire Claims Services. Building her expertise as a claims professional, Grace worked at Xchanging, where she completed her ACII and law degree at evening classes. Grace went on to QBE, where she identified her interest in training through the delivery of internal technical training at their offshore office in Cebu, Philippines. Grace became an external trainer and consultant in 2015 and has supported hundreds of students through their CII revision and assisted their understanding of technical subjects with her engaging and supportive delivery style. Grace is well-known across the insurance industry; with recent projects taking her to the United Arab Emirates where she supports insurance professionals through their compulsory exams.
Qualifications
FCII, ACII, LLB (Hons)
Matt Hopkins
Matt is a Training Consultant at Empower Development with over 13 years of experience in the insurance industry. He began his career at Aon in London, spending five years as a broker and completing a placement in New York, before moving into underwriting at Munich Re. Matt progressed to Senior Underwriter in 2020 and was appointed Head of London Market Distribution for Munich Re Specialty in 2023.
Alongside his commercial roles, Matt consistently championed mentoring, coaching, and training, bringing a strong people-development focus to his work. At Empower Development, he now applies his hands-on experience across broking, underwriting, and distribution roles to deliver practical, market-relevant training. Matt supports professionals at different stages of their careers on a range of insurance and business skills topics, including negotiation skills.
Matt is an experienced mentor and is currently completing his accredited coaching qualification. He holds a BSc from the University of Southampton and is ACII qualified.
Emma Corcoran
Emma Corcoran
Emma is one of Empower Development’s trusted global associates, based in the US.
Before moving into consulting, Emma Corcoran spent 15 years in the insurance industry, with many of those years in senior distribution leadership roles. She led partner and agency initiatives at national level and designed and delivered practical programs for independent agents focused on customer experience, team effectiveness, and leadership. Passionate about supporting women’s careers, Emma also created and led the Women’s Agency Leadership Initiative, improving the development and visibility of women leaders across the agency channel.
Through her consultancy, Emma now brings this experience to a wider audience, helping organisations build capability through transformative growth experiences. She partners with Empower Development to deliver our award-winning training courses to insurance audiences across the US, including the award-winning Women with Presence programme.
