Agricultural business Rural in regional push

Rural Insurance has hired three new regional development managers as part of a growth drive across the UK.

Barry Wicks, head of sales and marketing for Rural, said the move followed a strategic business review.

The new appointments cover the North West, North East and Southern regions of the UK.

  • Gareth Rushton will look after brokers in the North West region. He was one of the founder members of Rural Insurance in 1995.
  • Tim Forward will cover the Southern region. He was previously worked for RSA, BUPA and ACE, and more recently spent 3 years as a chartered broker.
  • Mark Feathers who will look after the North East region, an internal appointment from Rural’s underwriting team in Harrogate.

Wicks said: “We believe there are new opportunities in the rural sector, beyond traditional agribusiness. They include the huge growth in lifestyle farming, as well as steps taken by farmers to diversify into other areas, such as environmental stewardship and leisure.”

Rural, the agricultural business insurance brand of UK General, has existing business in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and central England.