THE AVIATION EMPIRE STRIKES AGAIN: THE INTERVIEW
A conversation about risk and intuition
by Maxine Premium (better known in the market as “Max” Premium)
We meet in a room that seems engineered for important thoughts: soft light, deliberate furniture, and a view that suggests markets rising and falling somewhere in the distance.
Martolda arrives without ceremony, but with the unmistakable energy of someone who very clearly got out of bed on the wrong side.
We begin. May the force be with me.
Q: Martolda, it's such a pleasure to meet you. You operate at the intersection of logic and intuition. Which one gives you more satisfaction?
A: Thank you for inviting me. What distinguishes our aviation empire from the competitors is our intuition, not our logic. What logic??? We are 3 females. Most of our decisions are driven by my (Female 1) instinct, backed by Morpheus (Female 2) and Mars (Female 3). We are risk taking animals.
Q: Be honest. Are we expensive because we're good, or good because we are expensive?
A: LOL this sounds like the chicken‑or‑egg causality dilemma. Evolutionary biology has an answer: the egg.
Q: What do you think is the impact of AI on broking activities and, more in general, in the reinsurance industry?
A: In February 2026 UC Berkeley published a research on the so‑called “Chatbot Psychosis” phenomenon. It suggests AI may breach our inner boundaries by unintentionally creating more workload through the acceleration of our working pace, leading to - aaahhhhh I’m bored, let’s change question
Q: Is "soft market fatigue" a recognised medical condition yet?
A: soft market fatigue, hard market anxiety, war in the Middle East, everybody says Social Media is bad for our mental health but what about Excel??? There are plenty of reasons for brokers to load up on carbs.
Q: Rumors say you have brokered the full hull war cover for the Greyhound during the Battle of the Atlantic. Did you hit your head somewhere before you accepted the appointment from the client?
A: When Ernest Krause, Captain of the U.S. Navy destroyer Greyhound, approached me a few days before crossing the North Atlantic (hunted by German U‑boats and with no air cover) I knew it was a high‑risk contract: a certain total loss, a career‑ending negotiation, a totally irrational request. Perfect risk to be brokered in the market by a fiery beast like Martolda!!
That day I didn’t hit my head somewhere, I was just being me.
Q: We are confused, you say you insure flying objects but the Greyhound is a Navy destroyer and Red October is a submarine. Can you help us to clarify
A: I like everything that flies or swims/dives.
Q: Are you a morning person or a night person?
A: During the usual peak periods of May/June and November/December I'm barely even a person.
Q: Is that true you insured the Millennium Falcon?
A: I tried but I did not make it!! Han Solo failed the pre-inception questionnaire on four separate grounds and he started ghosting me. To be fair I had called him a couple of times, Chewbacca picked up, I asked him to repeat twice but he was saying GAaHhhh GgAaaggGgHhh and I replied with a sort of Uga! Uga! even if I didn’t understand anything of what he said I pretended to and then for the shame didn't call back anymore. We still haven’t received the signed proposal form. That was in 1977.
Q: Last question. We are aware you are going to donate the fee we paid you for this interview to charity; well done! What is your relationship with generosity?
A: I actually had to pay you to get the cover and this interview, heeehhhhh