#41
Berry Palmer & Lyle
Chairman: Charles Berry
Brokerage: £27.8m
Management
Lloyd’s broker Berry Palmer & Lyle is chaired by co-founder Charles Berry, a specialist in insurance for political and emerging market risk. Fellow co-founder Anthony Palmer is deputy chairman.
Supporting them are joint managing directors Sian Aspinall, also a political risk specialist, and James Esdaile, who joined the company as a graduate trainee in 1997.
Strategy
As its chairman’s experience suggests, BPL majors in political, credit and emerging market risks.
In June 2016, the company announced that it had made “significant hires” in response to increased demand for credit and political risk insurance from clients engaged in international trade, investment and lending.
The company said it boosted headcount by 12% in a 12-month period, taking the total staff number to 80.
#42
Carole Nash
Chief executive: David Newman
Brokerage: £27.5m
Management
Motorcycle insurance broker Carole Nash is led by chief executive David Newman. The company appointed compliance expert Sara Smith as head of compliance and risk in January.
Strategy
Carole Nash opened a new office in Dublin in April and is looking to further invest in local staff for its Irish operation. From June this year the motorbike books for Ageas Retail brands express, Kwik Fit Insurance and Green Insurance transferred to Carole Nash. Newman said in May that the deal bolsters the company’s leading position in the UK motorcycle market, and that the company is looking for similar deals.
#43
Abbey Protection
Chief executive: Colin Davison
Brokerage: £26.1m
Management
Abbey Protection has slipped back three places in this year’s ranking despite holding its revenue steady at the £26m mark.
The Markel-owned professional fees broker’s legal expenses unit, Abbey Legal Protection, is headed by Richard Candy, while the tax fee protection insurance business is run by Colin Davison, who is also Abbey Protection’s group chief executive.
Strategy
Abbey Protection mainly targets the SME market with its insurance products.
Abbey Protection was bought by US insurance group Markel in 2014. Most of the business the company generates is now written by Markel.
The Abbey Legal unit also operates a legal practice, LHS Solicitors, which provides clients with both legal advice and full contentious and non-contentious legal services.
#44
The Granite Group
Chief executive: Alan Keating
Brokerage: £23.2m
Management
New entrant Granite Group, which includes motor broker Acorn Insurance, broking brand Motorcade Insurance and managing general agency Granite Underwriting, is run by Alan Keating. He is supported by director Martin Gowing.
Strategy
In May 2016, 60% of the Liverpool-based company was bought by private equity house Marlin Investments.
The group offers a range of specialist motor policies, including taxi, motor fleet, motor trade and private car.
Some of the group’s motor policies are underwritten by Gibraltar-based insurer Haven, in which Keating and Gowing have an interest through their minority shareholdings in Pine Hill Holdings, which owns 100% of Haven.
The group has nine offices in total – five in London and one each in Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds.
#45
CFC Underwriting
Chief executive: David Walsh
Brokerage: £23.1m
Management
Specialist managing general agency CFC Underwriting, best known for its expertise in technology risks, is run by founder and chief executive David Walsh. Other members of the senior team include chief financial officer Michael Grist, chief innovation officer Graeme Newman and chief underwriting officer Andy Holmes.
Strategy
CFC started life as ClickForCover.com in the late 1990s, selling online commercial policies. The MGA now has three main areas of focus: emerging risk, niche and underserved insurance markets and partnerships with specialty lines brokers. The company says it has developed a number of proprietary IT systems to help brokers transact business more efficiently. Recent product launches include transaction liability and product recall.
#46
Crispin Speers
Chief executive: Crispin Speers
Brokerage: £22.4m
Management
The specialist Lloyd’s broker is led by its eponymous founder and managing director Crispin Speers, who has been a broker since 1965. He is supported by production and broking head David Stirling, finance head Raj Rupal and operations head Andrew Rutty.
Strategy
Crispin Speers specialises in accident and health, employee benefits, travel and leisure, aviation, reinsurance and special risks. It also operates a dedicated binding authority division. The group includes travel insurance and schemes provider PJ Hayman & Company, specialist risk appointed representative Apex Insurance Services, security industry insurance brand Security Industry Specialist Services and travel insurance provider Travel Insurance Facilities.
#47
Stackhouse Poland
Managing director: Tim Johnson
Brokerage: £21.6m
Management
Stackhouse Poland is led by Tim Johnson, former chief executive of Towergate-owned broker Paymentshield. Jeremy Cary is executive chairman.
Strategy
The broker has edged closer to controlling £125m in gross written premium (GWP) following its acquisition of specialist professional indemnity broker Chris Frost Insurance Services (CFIS). The acquisition also forms part of Stackhouse’s plan of building a specialist commercial and private client broking group. The broker’s overarching strategy is organic growth in its chosen sectors and acquisitions of like-minded companies.
#48
Staysure
Chief executive: Ryan Howsam
Brokerage: £21.3m
Management
Chief executive Ryan Howsam founded specialist over-50s broker Staysure in 2004. The firm offers travel, motor, home, health and life insurance.
Strategy
Earlier in 2016, Staysure tried to form referral partnerships with travel agents. The move followed criticism that the firm was freezing agents out of holiday bookings it had worked on. But Staysure said it was a response to the growing trend of price comparison shopping.
In 2015 Staysure launched Talk to Tim, a travel insurance comparison site where customers tailor policies to their health needs.
Earlier in the year, the Information Commissioner’s Office fined Staysure £175,000 after hackers raided its customer data. The regulator found that the company had failed to update its security systems and broke rules by keeping credit card security numbers.
#49
One Call Insurance Services
Managing director: Nik Springthorpe
Brokerage: £21.0m
Management
The personal lines broker was set up in 1995 and is now run by managing director Nik Springthorpe.
Strategy
One Call specialises in home, van, pet, travel and car insurance. The firm employs over 300 people who are mainly based in the Doncaster office. One Call Insurance also has a big focus on fighting fraud. It has released a real-time fraud alert system to enable a greater level of fraud prevention for its panel members.
As well as its personal lines business, the broker now also offers OC commercial lines ranging from public liability to property owners cover.
#50
Barbon Insurance
Chief executive: Martin Totty
Brokerage: £20.6m
Management
Private rental property broker Barbon has been run by former Cigna UK chief executive Martin Totty since November 2013. PIB chief executive Brendan McManus became a non-executive director in March 2016. PIB and Barbon have a common private equity backer: Carlyle Group.
Strategy
2016 marks a return to the Top 50 Brokers for Barbon for the first time since the 2013 edition. Barbon was originally a much bigger broker, but it sold its property and commercial business to Arthur J Gallagher in May 2013, leaving it to specialise in the private rental sector. It has three brands: HomeLet, Letsure and Rentshield Direct.
Hosted by comedian and actor Tom Allen, 34 Gold, 23 Silver and 22 Bronze awards were handed out across an amazing 34 categories recognising brilliance and innovation right across the breadth of UK general insurance.
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