Listings
GWP less treaty: £615.7m
Address:
Fortis House, Tollgate, Eastleigh, Hampshire SO53 3YA
t: 023 8064 4455
f: 023 8064 1146
e: talkback@fortis.com
w: www.fortisinsurance.co.uk
Year established: 1939
Number of UK offices: 2
Number of UK employees (2003): over 1,000
Number of UK general insurance agents: 5,000
Main lines of business:
Personal lines: private car, household - buildings and contents, travel, caravan and camping. Commercial lines: home workers, Semploy (a self employed liability product), property owners, manufacturers, distributors, office and surgery, commercial choice, and shopkeepers.
Company history:
Fortis Insurance in the UK is part of the Fortis group, which operates in the fields of insurance, banking, investment and bancassurance.
Rated Api by Standard and Poor's, Fortis Insurance remains focused on developing profitable underwriting structures, expense control and investment for consistent growth, demonstrated by the company's achievement of steady growth while maintaining key operating ratios. Fortis Insurance is totally committed to the intermediary market and has a proven track record for providing outstanding customer service.
With two offices in Hampshire and Gloucestershire, Fortis Insurance operates its own in-house 24-hour services: Onecall claims helpline and Assistance International, a medical emergency service for overseas travellers.
Chief officer: Barry Smith, chief executive
Biography: Barry Smith took on the role of chief executive for Fortis Insurance in November 2001.
Smith has a BA (Hons) degree in business studies, and a post-graduate Diploma in marketing. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (FCIB).
Before joining Fortis, Smith was a director of AXA Insurance UK and executive director of AA Insurance Services. He is chairman of the ABI motor committee, a member of the ABI GIC management committee, chairman of the ABI Greenaway Review into uninsured driving, and immediate past president of CII in Southampton.
Other key personnel:
Julian Harvey, chief financial officer; Shaun Astley, operations director; Paul Chaplain, underwriting director, Chris Dobson, distribution and development director; Rob Smale, claims director; Lyn Nicholls, HR director; Matthew Thomas, head of strategy and planning; Mike Cranston, executive director.
