CTC 005: A Horizontal View of Transformational Change with Gary Burke

We are very pleased to be speaking with Gary Burke, Founder of Rabbits From Hats, about the distinction between transformation and change, and how businesses can smoothly implement transformation projects. In conversation with Sarah Myerscough, Gary highlights the importance of adopting a ‘horizontal view’ of change if transformation projects are to achieve their intended goals for a given business.   Quote of the Episode “Companies look at this stuff far too narrowly, far too vertically. They really need to just pause and look sideways, so they get more of a horizontal view. The organization does not exist in a bunch of disparate silos. It's all connected.” When contemplating transformation projects, Gary postulates, it’s very easy for business leaders to view their organisations in terms of their composite parts, rather than as a cohesive whole. This misperception can lead to disaster; if a given transformation is not considered on a broader, company-wide basis, certain considerations may be left forgotten. As such, throughout the episode, Gary emphasises the need for a ‘horizontal’ view of change which considers how it might affect the business from every conceivable angle.   Key Takeaways Gary pinpoints two fundamental issues typically encountered when insurance businesses implement transformational change: A lack of understanding about what transformation will involve Insufficient capability and expertise to deliver it For Gary, both of these issues are generally derived from there being no overarching, wholesale, holistic view of the business and its innerworkings. This is further underpinned by a common misconception that ‘change’ and ‘transformation’ are functionally synonymous. Businesses adopt small-to-medium-sized change projects all the time, be it the adoption of a new software or the restructuring of a team. Such projects can impact how the business operates, hopefully to drive efficiencies, but without fundamentally altering it. Conversely, transformation projects impact the business at every conceivable level. As such, to tackle a transformation project with the mindset of a change project can never be successful. Gary suggests that the senior leadership team must set the tone for how the company must behave throughout the transformation process. If several groups, perhaps with conflicting views and ideas, are to be involved in this process, a collective consensus on the intended outcome of the transformation project must first be reached. This establishes a base goal which everyone across the company can defer to. Subsequently, each team can collaboratively work backwards from this goal, to understand the key things needed to achieve it. Once the points of uncertainty about the nature of change have been smoothened over, this can be a non-contentious process – what will be the most effective way to achieve this transformational outcome given the resources held by the business? To determine the success of a transformation project, a wide array of metrics must be consulted. A holistic approach to measuring success must also be adopted. This must be derived, first and foremost, from the baseline of what the business already has, prior to the implementation of the project. The success of transformational change can only be understood by reference to how the business previously used to function. There is a lot of hesitance, particularly in insurance, to attempt transformation projects. Gary argues that there is no empirical evidence to suggest that such programs inevitably lead to failure. Instead, he suggests, businesses must always understand in detail what exactly they are getting involved in by undertaking them, and consider how their innerworkings will be fundamentally altered as a result.   Best Moments/Key Quotes “As long as you know the outcome, then that's the thing to focus on. The technology is an enabler. It enables you to do something in the best way possible, the most efficient way possible. So, as long as you can agree what needs to be done, then you can have conversations about how it needs to be done.” “If an organization's doing anything, the whole point of doing it is for a reason. The specific outcome that you want from doing the stuff you're doing. So, if you've got a dozen people or a dozen different groups involved, you should be able to all agree on the outcome you want.”   “Calling something that's quite small… a transformation project gives the wrong impression, because it creates the idea that transformation is easy; you just do this and this and this. So ‘transformation’ is badly used [as a term].”   “There's a lot of stuff that companies can do and should do themselves to put themselves in a really much better position to actually start any transformation, rather than getting an army of consultants in from day one. The things that they [consultants] ask to be done, the organization should be able to do themselves at a fraction of the cost. They are just not aware that they are good things to do beforehand.”     Resources A Transformation Lens: The Savvy Business Leader's Approach to Transformational Change by Gary Burke Rabbits From Hats: https://www.rabbitsfromhats.co.uk/   About the Guest Gary Burke is the Founder of Rabbits from Hats, a transformational change advisory and consulting firm. He has been working on projects in this space since the mid-90s, primarily in insurance but also in other sectors. In the last decade he has been focused first and foremost on general insurance and the London market, and in 2023, his book ‘A Transformation Lens’ was published. Gary’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-burke-transformational-change/   About the Host Sarah Myerscough is the Chief Ideas Officer at Macaii, formerly Boston Tullis. She hosts/co-hosts several podcasts and is known for her knack in connecting with people. Sarah excels in bringing out the best for video, podcast, and live events, helping clients showcase the human side of their business. Sarah is passionate about the evolving dynamics of the insurance industry and enjoys conversing with innovators, trailblazers, and long-term advocates of change. Website: www.macaii.co.uk    

What are ‘fronting’ and ‘hybrid fronting’? How do they differ? And what unique opportunities can these solutions afford MGAs and the wider UK insurance market? In this episode of Changing the Conversation, we are thrilled to be speaking with Paul Jewell, CEO of Bridgehaven Insurance, the first hybrid ‘fronter’ in the UK. At the forefront of this alternative distribution solution’s introduction to the UK market, Paul is well-placed to discuss the disrupting influence of fronting, having already made a sizeable impact across the pond in the US. He elucidates why fronting presents such a powerfully unique and profitable option to MGAs, and its benefits to the wider market.   Quote of the Episode “Simplistically, [fronting] is just a term for capacity or an insurance solution… An insurance company acts on behalf of somebody else, usually a single, or multiple reinsurers. it’s very common for international companies, [such as] Pepsi Cola, a US-based company who may want an insurance solution in the UK, but they may have their own insurance solution provided by a US company. So, what they do is they have a ‘fronting partner’, a ‘fronter’, in the UK that ‘fronts’ for that business, i.e., issues the insurance policy, and they reinsure back to the US under the master agreement. That’s traditional fronting. It’s most common for multinationals and those types of organisations.” Fronting is a hugely beneficial market solution, enabling multinationals to streamline their insurance provisions to ensure a continuity of cover across the various markets they operate in. Equally, this presents a big opportunity for those insurers, namely MGAs in the UK, who can provide this solution, as it grants them access to unique capacity derived from alternative markets they wouldn’t otherwise have operated within.   Key Takeaways Hybrid Fronting slightly differs from the traditional approach outlined above. In contrast to the Pepsi example, in which the fronting company would reinsure 100% back to the US, a hybrid fronter would retain a variable amount of that risk themselves. Thus, through this model, the insurance company issuing the policy retains risk to their balance sheet. Furthermore, the hybrid fronting model is more focused on underwriting profit. Fronting for Pepsi and issuing a policy to reflect their US-based cover is a matter of compliance, as you’re not allowed to issue American policies in the UK. Meanwhile, a hybrid fronter retains some amount of that risk, so premiums and claims stay in the UK with that insurance company. Thus, hybrid fronters can benefit from hugely diversified portfolios, and a focus on profitability through partnership with a broad range of reinsurers. Paul anticipates that fronting and hybrid fronting will become an increasingly powerful disruptor in the UK market. He argues that MGAs are particularly well-suited to operate in and benefit from this space by providing unique services and distribution in a more flexible and agile manner to traditional insurers, which aligns with the aims of prospective fronting partners such as Bridgehaven. Additionally, he suggests that reinsurers themselves can also benefit from this type of distribution. If a reinsurer has relationships in other jurisdictions, and wishes to provide capacity to a particular customer group in an alternative market whilst remaining compliant in the UK, a partner can front for and retain risk on their behalf. Paul also notes that captives may be interested in this solution, particularly given the government’s recently asserted interest in making the UK a jurisdiction of choice for those subsidiaries. Paul anticipates that many more fronters are likely to emerge in the UK in the next few years. The profitability of this approach has enormous potential in bringing new, diverse capacity to the UK market. He dismisses the notion that hybrid fronters will compete with one another for this capacity; by contrast, the disruption they will cause to the broader market through this solution will more powerfully hit the traditionally big insurance players.   Best Moments/Key Quotes “MGAs are growing at a much faster pace than the traditional insurance sector because they're providing unique services, unique distribution, unique products, they're meeting customer demands, they're much more flexible and agile... So, we feel that over time, the hybrid fronting solution will actually be a quite an interesting disruptor for the UK market in providing different solutions that will fit some of the partners in the UK, particularly MGAs, which is growing space.”   “We have a dedicated model that supports MGAs. We are not attracting or targeting customer groups directly. We don’t service brokers directly, we only support through MGAs, so there’s a reduced conflict of interest.”   “I think hybrid fronting can bring alternative capital [and] advantages from additional commission profit shares. I think it gives much more flexibility to enable [MGAs] to grow the alignment of interest because there's reduced conflicts of interest with other distribution. I also think there's a potential better of transparency… Each party sees the same level of information. There’s no mystique.”   “Talk to us or talk to other fronting partners directly. There's nothing wrong with direct engagement. We don't have a prescribed way of doing it. The only thing I would encourage your listeners to understand is that there is a process to go through. Often, there needs to be things like business plans, data sharing, and information… [so] they need to be prepared for the conversation.”   Resources Bridgehaven Insurance: https://www.bhvn-ins.com/   About the Guest Paul Jewell is the CEO of Bridgehaven Insurance, with 35 years’ experience across various roles both UK-based and internationally.   About the Host Sarah Myerscough is the Chief Ideas Officer at Macaii, formerly Boston Tullis. She hosts/co-hosts several podcasts and is known for her knack in connecting with people. Sarah excels in bringing out the best for video, podcast, and live events, helping clients showcase the human side of their business. Sarah is passionate about the evolving dynamics of the insurance industry and enjoys conversing with innovators, trailblazers, and long-term advocates of change. Website: www.macaii.co.uk

In this episode of the Changing the Conversation, we are thrilled to be speaking with Phil Denman, Co-Founder and CEO of four-section MGA, Capacity Insights! In conversation with Macaii’s Sarah Myerscough, Phil explains his philosophy for establishing partnerships with experts external to the insurance industry, and how these can help us to keep apace with customer interests and regulatory demands. Is it possible for any insurance company to address customer desires without delegating any tasks to external experts? As we rapidly transition towards digitisation, how do we keep an eye on the unintended consequences of new digital practices, particularly with new regulatory measures to consider? Having established what your company is good at and what your customers want, how can you align both of those propositions?   Quote of the Episode “I see this modern, fast moving insurance market that we work in being a sort of an ecosystem of partnerships. Whether that's technology, whether that's people providing parametric claim settlement, or data services, whether that's partnering with different claims providers where we can. Instead of trying to be everything to everybody, being a leader in the delivery of high-engagement, subscription-type services, as a fully regulated entity, with all of the cost and rigour and robustness that comes with that. We may be compartment with people for some of the faster-moving engagement services, certainly in terms of digital health, digital assistance, digital claims services. We will come outside of our own organisation and partner with people for that, for that engagement layer.” Phil suggests that the insurance market today will flourish or flounder on account of how quickly and effectively we can partner up with and incorporate the insights of experts external to our industry. Particularly with regard to technological proficiency and digital services, it is key that we can provide a platform that is easy and user-friendly whilst also mitigating any potential unintended consequences to satisfy the regulators. It’s impossible for us to be experts at everything, and outsourcing certain processes to people who can provide those areas will, Phil argues, be the differentiating factor that eventually keeps some companies afloat, and leaves others in the dust.   Key Takeaways Our buying cycles have been completely reoriented by the high-speed nature of the Amazon business model and others of its ilk, fuelling an ‘I want it yesterday’ mentality underpinned by getting products quickly, with as little administrative hassle as possible. Yet, insurance is a complicated product. Phil suggests that delivering a such a simplistic customer journey necessitates a significant amount of complex work and technological expertise. Great products, he notes, are complex products, masked with a veneer of ease and simplicity from the client’s perspective. To facilitate this, Phil argues, it is essential that we begin to collaborate more with digital partners who can provide the expertise you might not have in-house. ‘We can’t be everything to everyone,’ Phil notes, and as such developing such partnerships will become a core means by which our industry can begin to meet these aforementioned customer expectations. Capacity Insights themselves have made many changes in this regard. Phil notes that the company has re-engineered its product process to begin with customer needs, and with regulatory expectations in mind, thereby deploying a 360-degree view of the various levels that products need to deliver on. Data management is a crucial aspect of delivering a smooth customer journey. While we have access to more data than ever, its oversaturation can often prove a hindrance rather than a help. Phil argues that data should be perceived as a pillar of support rather than an illuminator in determining customer outcomes. The need to carefully navigate the use and implementation of data perfectly exemplifies Capacity Insights’ partnerships-based business model. The company has recently signed a contract with an external actuarial consultancy providing data storage and analytics. This brings huge benefits to a business of Capacity Insights’ size. The company simply wouldn’t have been able to build a data warehouse and insight function internally with nearly the same functionality, let alone the extensive cost considerations. Phil considers outsourcing in this manner to be a theme that will become increasingly significant across insurance in years to come, particularly with regard to AI. To keep ahead of the curve, insurance companies must remain nimble, highly technically proficient, and empowered by technology, which can be externally provided. If you’re an intermediary in the UK or Europe looking to deploy medical, dental, travel or personal accident insurance, consider getting in touch with Phil, whose contact details are linked below!   Best Moments/Key Quotes “We are constantly challenging ourselves to say, ‘What is it that we are good at?’”   “I'm not even sure the experts in AI are truly experts in tomorrow's AI. It is such a complex, fast-moving sector that I just question whether, in the future, we will all be the experts of all that we survey. We're starting to see, being the entity that we are, we will have to partner with people who can provide these areas that we're not experts in.”   ‘Great products aren't simple products; great products are actually complicated things that are delivered in a way that makes them feel simple.’   “And I think the global giants, who obviously are a massive force, in our online marketplaces, I think they will have as many challenges as we do, just at a different scale. Maybe their desire to partner for what they might see as core functionality around technology, AI engagement, there may be less desire, less corporate appetite, and a greater inner inertia to try and be that jack of all trades. They're trying to be experts across this huge gambit of technical proficiencies, which I think will be hugely challenging for them, just as it is for our business.”   Resources Capacity Insights: https://capacityinsights.co.uk/   About the Guest Phil Denman has worked in and around the schemes market for thirty years. He is the Co-Founder and CEO of Capacity Insights, a four-section MGA underwriting travel, medical, dental, and personal accident claims. Phil’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-denman-38188a9/   About the Host Sarah Myerscough is the Chief Ideas Officer at Macaii, formerly Boston Tullis. She hosts/co-hosts several podcasts and is known for her knack in connecting with people. Sarah excels in bringing out the best for video, podcast, and live events, helping clients showcase the human side of their business. Sarah is passionate about the evolving dynamics of the insurance industry and enjoys conversing with innovators, trailblazers, and long-term advocates of change. Website: www.macaii.co.uk  

Welcome to Changing the Conversation: The people in insurance. The brand new, reimagined evolution of The Insurance Broker’s Podcast, brought to you by Macaii Ltd! In this podcast episode, insurance veteran Bryan Falchuk discusses the need for a fundamental reassessment in the insurance sector amidst changing external dynamics like climate change and supply chain disruptions. Brian argues that traditional cyclicality in insurance rates no longer applies due to shifts in global capital, creating challenges for insurers and customers alike. He advocates for re-evaluating risk coverage and pricing models to design products that meet today's exposures. Brian highlights innovative solutions like parametric insurance tailored to specific risks such as tornadoes or hail damage. Additionally, Bryan emphasizes the role of institutions like Lloyd's of London in driving industry-wide change, calling for bolder leadership and operational efficiency. Drawing parallels between personal development and industry evolution, Bryan encourages resilience and a "how might we" approach to overcome challenges and drive innovation in insurance. This podcast offers a succinct yet thought-provoking perspective on the future of insurance, urging industry players to adapt to the evolving landscape.   Quote of the Episode "This is about figuring out a completely new way to address the market. It's not just a cycle; it's a shift. Capital doesn't work the way it used to. It's not just a pot of money in one place anymore; it's totally fungible, moving around globally. So when macroeconomic factors like climate change, supply chain disruptions, or labour shortages affect risk and its costs, capital just keeps flowing. We're in a conundrum where insurance is neither affordable to buy nor to sell at a market-clearing rate. That's the fundamental shift—it's not temporal."   "We need to not tinker; we need to start afresh. We've iterated on policies forever, but we must stop framing ourselves in the old world. We need to ask: What is the exposure? What are the core coverages needed today? Building coverage fit for the actual exposure is crucial. Then, we must reassess how we analyse risk and price for it. Just raising rates won't fix fundamentally broken risk analysis and pricing models."   Key Takeaways Shift in Insurance Dynamics: The interview highlights a fundamental shift in the insurance industry, moving away from traditional cyclicality to a new paradigm driven by global capital fluidity and macro-economic factors like climate change and supply chain disruptions. This shift challenges traditional approaches to risk analysis, pricing, and coverage. Need for Fresh Perspective: There's a call for a fresh perspective in insurance, advocating for a departure from tinkering with existing policies towards a complete reassessment of exposures and coverages. This entails designing coverage tailored to modern risks and leveraging better data and processes to analyse and price risks accurately. Embracing Adaptability and Innovation: The industry's response requires flexibility and innovation, both in creating and adjusting coverage to meet evolving needs and in operational leadership to drive efficiency and effectiveness. Embracing a mindset of resilience, learning from failures, and persisting in the face of challenges is essential for personal and industry-wide progress.   Resources Bryan Falchuck - https://bryanfalchuk.com/ Bryan Falchuck LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanfalchuk/ Insurance Evolution Partners - https://insurance-evolution.com/   About the Guest Bryan is a best-selling author, speaker, and life coach who has overcome major adversities to achieve success. Bryan has drawn lessons from his experiences to inspire others to succeed. His book "Do a Day" has earned praise and awards, including the Literary Titan's Silver prize and 5-star ratings from book reviews. His upcoming book, "The 50 75 100 Solution: Build Better Relationships," focuses on fostering happier, healthier, and more supportive relationships. As a sought-after speaker, Bryan addresses topics such as success, motivation, culture, and innovation at various events. He tailors his presentations to suit both large and small audiences, drawing from his extensive experience and expertise. With nearly a decade of coaching and mentoring experience, Bryan helps individuals and corporations achieve their goals across different aspects of life. He believes in a holistic approach to coaching, addressing leadership, health, career, relationships, and more to inspire overall success.   About the Host Sarah Myerscough is the Chief Ideas Officer at Macaii, formerly Boston Tullis. She hosts/co-hosts several podcasts and is known for her knack in connecting with people. Sarah excels in bringing out the best for video, podcast, and live events, helping clients showcase the human side of their business. Sarah is passionate about the evolving dynamics of the insurance industry and enjoys conversing with innovators, trailblazers, and long-term advocates of change. Website: www.macaii.co.uk

Welcome to Changing the Conversation: The people in insurance. The brand new, reimagined evolution of The Insurance Broker’s Podcast, brought to you by Macaii Ltd! In light of the wide array of changes across insurance we have observed recently, we are shifting the direction of the podcast to speak to those in the industry who are doing things differently, having identified a sticking point which they hope to resist against. This new iteration of the podcast is all about highlighting the people, the passion and the professionalism that drives our industry. In today’s episode we are very pleased to be speaking with Ajay Mistry, Co-Founder of iCAN! Ajay is an expert in all things networking, and throughout the episode, he offers his advice for approaching industry events, and his insights for maximising your presence on LinkedIn.   Quote of the Episode “Networking is all-encompassing… it's all about building relationships, and whether that's through stuff after work, whether that's in meetings, whether that's phone calls you're having with colleagues internally – there's so many different types of networking. One thing that's really fundamental is that things are changing; people are more accessible than they ever have been, because of social media and LinkedIn. There are more networks available than ever to join. So, if you’re ever lonely, there's a really quick way to find people.” Networking has always been closely associated with insurance. It is an inherently people-facing industry. Now, through LinkedIn and other social media platforms, we have immediate access to the very people we could and should be forming promising connections with, There are more networks than ever to join. This can, in one respect, make the prospect of networking feel even more mountainous and daunting than before. On the other hand, digital networking can provide a less pressurised way to get to know a potential contact before meeting them in person. It grants a platform through which an initial layer of trust and connection can be established before that first meeting where it can more organically flourish.   Key Takeaways For most of us, the prospect of networking is profoundly uncomfortable. It can often feel shrouded by a certain seediness; since there is a ‘business’ element underpinning each conversation you might have at a networking event; it can make the process feel inauthentic. Ajay suggests that it is always key to establish a personal connection first and foremost, and not to worry about the bottom line. A mutually beneficial connection can only ever emerge from any given conversation if both parties are genuinely interested in one another, and demonstrate this by actively listening to one another. If you find yourself lost about how to start a conversation at an event, for example, remember that everything is in context. Talk about the event, or a speaker you just heard from. This provides a springboard from which you can transition into a casual, personal conversation. Ajay offers five top tips for networking, all of which can help you to forge more organic and authentic connections: What’s the worst that’s going to happen? The world is full of abundance, not scarcity – there will always be more opportunities to network If you don’t ask, you don’t get Have a plan – come to every event knowing what you want to get out of it You’re the product of your systems, not your intentions – if you want to network, put an event in your diary and go to it Ajay is also an expert in using LinkedIn to effectively distribute your unique message. It provides an excellent form of passive communication, by distributing your message across the homepages of all your connections and empowering them with the choice of whether to engage with it or not. Consequently, regularly posting effectively does the networking for you, even when you’re not in the room. Using LinkedIn to talk about important topics relevant to the industry will clue your connections in to your status as a well-informed and motivated insurance professional. During the episode, Ajay highlights employee resource groups as a great means of promoting networking within businesses. These are in-house, employee-led groups focused on a specific strand of diversity, be it ethnic minorities, the LGBTQIA+ community, young industry starters, and many more. You don’t have to belong to these groups to network with them, and they can both add an extra layer to one’s job, and facilitate good business in-house and in collaboration with another companies.   Best Moments/Key Quotes “People feel there's a seediness or dirtiness that comes with the word ‘networking’, but actually, it's just about building relationships for a benefit to yourself or the other person at some point. If you go in with the mindset of ‘I want to help other people’, or ‘How can I give back?’, all of a sudden it changes from a seedy way of doing things to ‘I'm helping actually’ and therefore, ‘I'll give something give forwards and get something back’.”   “It's hard to quantify, but look at the people who have done very well in this industry. They've done it because of networking. The traditional ‘old boys’ networks, yes, they are antiquated in their viewpoints. However, they started for a reason; there's some good best practice there in terms of people have helped each other and now they’re helping each other later on. That cycle is very important. And the more people that get in that cycle, the more that people can move forward.”   “[With LinkedIn] you're giving people the choice of how they want to receive information, if they don't want to receive it, and they don't want to listen, that's their choice. By putting the power in their hands, it's very empowering for them, because they get to choose. When it comes to direct communication, it’s different. Because then you're forcing someone to make a decision.”   Resources iCAN – Upcoming Events: https://www.i-can.me/events-2 iCAN - Coffee with the CEO: https://www.i-can.me/coffee-with-the-ceo   About the Guest Ajay Mistry is the Co-Founder of the Insurance Cultural Awareness Network (iCAN), the Founder of Gambit Partners and a board member of the CII Broking Board. Ajay Mistry: https://www.linkedin.com/in/1ajaymistry/   About the Host Sarah Myerscough is the Chief Ideas Officer at Macaii, formerly Boston Tullis. She hosts/co-hosts several podcasts and is known for her knack in connecting with people. Sarah excels in bringing out the best for video, podcast, and live events, helping clients showcase the human side of their business. Sarah is passionate about the evolving dynamics of the insurance industry and enjoys conversing with innovators, trailblazers, and long-term advocates of change. Website: www.macaii.co.uk  

How can brokers better advise clients with deficient cybersecurity architecture? What steps can we and our clients take to raise our cyber resilience and reduce the potential damage of an attack? Businesses that haven’t suffered a cyberattack are in the minority, or alternatively, they simply haven’t discovered that it has happened yet. Infoprotect reports that 51% of businesses have suffered from a cyberattack or breach in the past year alone. In this episode of the Insurance Broker Podcast, returning guest Brad Fraser, CEO of Infoprotect, speaks about how we can improve the cybersecurity scaffolding that is so crucial for our data-centric industry, within our own businesses and those of our clients. In conversation with Boston Tullis’ Sarah Myerscough, he explains that while we are all potentially susceptible to a cyberattack, we need not cower in fear of this possibility. He outlines a straightforward and systematic approach for improving your cyber resilience, without deploying any of the jargon that often makes such advice inaccessible.   Quote of the Episode “[Left of bang is] a term that was coined by the military, I think in the Iraq War. It's about being prepared and able to protect yourself before the attack happens. Be aware of your surroundings, have a situational awareness, and make sure that you've taken all the steps, because the last thing you want to happen is an attack to take place, and you're not prepared. Then you have to launch into a survival mode and scramble to get everything sorted out, and you suddenly realise, ‘I didn't do the basics. So, it's about situational awareness. When it comes to cyber, it's really around resilience… Just being resilient, and following the steps that can help you be resilient is so important.” Much of the advice often distributed with regards to cybersecurity is retrospective, and only applicable after an attack has already taken place. Brad emphasises that to truly minimise the risk of such attacks, we must implement an array of systems and procedures by which they can be warded off. He offers a ten-step plan for building cyber resilience, also outlined in a blog on the Infoprotect website linked below, through which both small businesses and large enterprises can assess the state of their cybersecurity and implement measures for improving it. In doing so, you can ensure that your business and your clients can always remain ‘left of bang’ of any potential cyberattack.   Key Takeaways When you’re putting out fires in your day-to-day work, it’s easy to overlook good procedures for maintaining healthy cybersecurity, and to allow any deficiencies within your digital infrastructure to go unchanged. Such nonchalance is exactly what cyber attackers aim to identify and exploit when targeting businesses. Brad asserts that we must take a proactive approach to managing cybersecurity and building cyber resilience. He argues that this must begin with a comprehensive risk assessment of your digital infrastructure, thereby establishing a baseline from which your systems can become more resilient to attack. Data has become the backbone of our industry, and therefore its secure storage and management is paramount. If our data is compromised in a cyberattack, the fallout will not simply be the loss of money and resources attributed to recovering it, but also the reputational damage of having insufficient cyber resilience. Brad argues that good data security is hinged upon several often underexamined areas of cyber resilience: Asset Management – how is your hardware and software infrastructure built to ensure that systems are impenetrable? Vulnerability Management – once you have cybersecurity software, are you keeping it up to date? What condition is it in? Identity & Access Management – who can access the various systems within your business? Instilling cyber resilience is not about raising hysteria about the prospect of cyberattacks. Rather, once you’ve got a plan, you become prepared, and able to respond in the event of an incident. Cyberattacks should be assessed and planned for like any other tangible emergency. To facilitate this, it’s key to de-jargonise the conversations happening within this space, so that brokers and their clients alike are able to more easily comprehend the importance of cyber resilience measures, to prevent the worst from happening. Infoprotect offer a cyber resilience package to help brokers with managing their clients’ cybersecurity. To find out more, visit their website linked below, or contact Brad, who is happy to help!   Best Moments/Key Quotes “Who has got access to your data? And what do you do with it? Do you encrypt it? Do you keep it in a separate repository? Do you keep it offsite? Do you back it up? What do you do with your data? Your data is so important to your business, and if it is stolen and shared, that's the last thing you want to happen.”   “This is not putting fear into people. It's purely saying, ‘Just be ready for this’. It may or may never happen, and if it doesn't happen, well, that's good, isn't it? Who cares if it happens or not? Let's be ready for it. That's the most important thing.”   ‘We need to make the internet and our whole way of communicating over the internet safer.’   “Unfortunately, there's a lot of people out there that are using fear. And they're using jargon and they're using buzzwords and they're saying, ‘You're always going to be in trouble.’ Follow the basics. Get your layers [of cyber resilience], go through those, and you're going to be much better off than people that haven't.”     Resources Infoprotect – Cybersecurity: https://www.infoprotect.co.uk/cybersecurity/ Infoprotect – 10 Steps to Cyber Resilience: https://www.infoprotect.co.uk/blog/10-steps-to-cyber-resilience/ OpenText – What is Cyber Resilience?: https://blogs.opentext.com/cyber-resilience-definition/   About the Guest Brad Fraser is the CEO of Infoprotect, an IT solution provider that designs complex technology solutions for clients. He specialises in Cyber Security and Data Backup as well as having a host of experience in security services and managed solutions. Brad’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradfraserentrepreneur   About the Host Sarah Myerscough is the Sales and Marketing Director of Boston Tullis Group. The founder of The Insurance Brokers Podcast, she brings a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective on communication in the insurance sector. Boston Tullis works with insurance professionals to build effective communication both internally and externally through podcasting, event reporting, videography, and internal communications facilitation. Website: https://bostontullis.co.uk/  Evaluation Link: https://s.bostontullis.co.uk/s/podcastevaluation       

How can LinkedIn be used for reaching your target demographic? What kind of marketing content is most likely to facilitate a return on investment, and how can this be calculated? In this episode, we’re excited to be speaking with Catherine France, an insurance copywriter who specialises in using LinkedIn to help attract and convert clients. In conversation with Boston Tullis’ Sarah Myerscough, she illustrates how you can target LinkedIn content to your intended demographic, and explains the steps you need to take in order to project a trustworthy and reliable brand presence. Quote of the Episode “In terms of sales vs non-sales content, when I'm talking to my clients, and we're building their profile on LinkedIn, we are very much focused on educating, informing, giving value, as opposed to selling. It's probably like the 80-20 rule: 80% of the content we put out is information, and then 20% might be information with a call to action, that's more sales.” It’s easy to assume that the best way to garner sales through your marketing content on LinkedIn is to directly promote the services and products you offer. However, this is more likely to alienate than entice your ideal client, particularly if they have little to no knowledge of the insurance industry. Catherine suggests that a great way to subtly market your business whilst simultaneously capturing the interest of potential clients is to post educational and informative content, perhaps explaining different kinds of policy or common insurance misconceptions. Prior to doing so, you should establish who your ideal client is, and what challenges they might be facing that you can assist with. How much do they know about insurance? Subsequently, you can target your marketing content towards such individuals. Key Takeaways With 875 million people on LinkedIn, all of whom need insurance, the service provides a huge wealth of potential clients that you can attract to your brand. We live in the age of content, and quality posts on your LinkedIn page can be hugely beneficial in capturing the interest of potential clients. However, before you start posting, there are other considerations you should make which will help your content to reach the right demographic. When it comes to social media marketing, the focus is often always on your content and the engagement it receives, but potential clients’ reception of your posts is often entirely contingent on the initial impression made by your profile. If someone sees your post, the next thing they will likely do is to view your profile, to garner a sense of your legitimacy and trustworthiness as a brand. To optimise this, you should ensure that your contact information is clearly visible. Additionally, you should enable creator mode in order to add a link to your business’ website onto your profile. The ‘Summary’ section effectively serves as your business’ digital shopfront. In 3000 characters, you must explain what you do, who you help, and how. Being overly general in this description can be potentially confusing or alienating; thus, it must contain specific details tailored to capturing the interests of your specific ideal client. Having optimised your profile, you must also examine your LinkedIn network. Most insurance professionals’ network will be full of insurance professionals. To change this, use search filters to find people in the particular business sectors you would like to connect with. Connect with as many people as possible, but avoid sending them private messages – this is likely to deter them from your brand. Make those connections, and allow those people to view your profile and determine whether they would like to correspond with you or not. This further emphasises the importance of having a well-curated and informative profile. Subsequently, you can begin to contemplate the type of content you should post. As previously mentioned, deploying educative content, by using simple language and relatable stories from a non-insurance perspective, can be highly lucrative in drawing people to your brand. This enhances your reputation as delivering valuable knowledge. Furthermore, posting a diverse range of content is key. Behind-the-scenes posts shared by company staff often receive the most engagement, as they emphasise the faces behind your brand, thereby humanising the business and further amplifying its trustworthiness. How do you identify a return on investment with marketing? Post likes and shares can be misleading, as they don’t necessarily correspond with new sales. Catherine argues that the key metric with LinkedIn marketing is profile views, either on personal or company pages. If posts lead to profile views, this means that they are drawing people to potentially want to reach out and ask for help or further information. To facilitate this, posting consistently quality posts covering a diverse range of topics, whilst also targeting your ideal client is essential.   Best Moments/Key Quotes “The profile really is like having another webpage. If you haven't got a website, then you can use it like a website. Make sure that you've got a banner image, a decent headshot photo, that your headline is clear, saying what you do and who you help.”   “Think about your ideal client, you know, who are they? What are their challenges, what's keeping them awake at night? Then, talk to those people.”   “I think the key metric for a personal page, and probably a company page as well, is that profile view. It's actually who's gone on there and viewed your profile.”   Resources Catherine France - https://www.catherinefrance.com/   About the Guest Catherine France is an insurance copywriter, who helps insurance executives create consistent quality content to help them attract and convert their dream clients. This ranges from writing blog posts to social media captions, helping them build their website, and more. Catherine’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-france/   About the Host Sarah Myerscough is the Sales and Marketing Director of Boston Tullis Group. The founder of The Insurance Brokers Podcast, she brings a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective on communication in the insurance sector. Boston Tullis works with insurance professionals to build effective communication both internally and externally through podcasting, event reporting, videography, and internal communications facilitation. Website: https://bostontullis.co.uk/  Evaluation Link: https://s.bostontullis.co.uk/s/podcastevaluation       

Are you keen for your business to remain aligned with the latest innovations across the industry? Would you like to learn more about how new digital processes and platforms can energise and streamline your productive output? In this episode of the Insurance Broker Podcast, we are very pleased to be speaking with Merlin Beyts, Head of Content at ITC DIA Europe! In conversation with Boston Tullis’ Sarah Myerscough, he explains what attendees can expect at the business’ exciting upcoming event at the Fira Gran Via in Barcelona, from 27th to 29th June! Uniting leading experts from across the industry, and giving a voice to professionals from adjacent industries, the event intends to further propel the future of insurance, facilitating discussion between insurers, brokers and Insurtech innovators.   Quote of the Episode “What I've noticed working in events… is you sometimes can fall into the trap of having the same conversations about the same things, and you really do need those innovators to sometimes say something that's perhaps controversial, say something that perhaps people don't necessarily want to hear. It's always great to have those innovative opinions so that we can really drive things forward.” The ITC DIA Europe event intends to provide a springboard for innovation, by hosting speakers who will push boundaries and encourage introspection for attending businesses, to evaluate how they can embrace new technology and form partnerships with which to stride confidently into the future. With so much change constantly rattling the industry, precipitated by the necessitated transformations during the COVID pandemic, it is through embracing change and constant innovation that insurers and brokers alike can continue to thrive throughout the unforeseeable.   Key Takeaways The ITC DIA Event intends to promote widespread innovation across the industry, by uniting Insurtech creators alongside traditional brokers and insurers under one roof. There are many businesses out there who can help the traditional insurance industry to drive innovation, and the event aims to facilitate discussions and promote collaboration between the old and the new. This is reflected in the structural hybridity of the conference, combining a traditional approach whereby everyone can move around and meet different exhibitors, alongside a ‘festival feel’ whereby people can sit down, relax, and have meaningful conversations and create powerful connections. Through this approach, the event aims to enable both Insurtech innovators and insurers and brokers to achieve their business goals, attaining the confidence to incorporate new digital practices. Merlin notes that some brokers have expressed a reluctance towards adopting new digital tools, perhaps for fear that it may eventually lead to certain areas of traditional broking becoming obsolete in the face of startlingly adaptable artificial intelligence. Yet, he argues that truly successful businesses will be those that embrace change. The ultimate focus of the event is the future of our industry. Where will insurance be in a few years’ time, and what changes does your business need to make to remain in the running? To book your ticket, visit the registration page on ICT DIA’s website, linked below!   Best Moments/Key Quotes “One of the big things that we are incredibly keen to make sure is on the agenda is just how many enablers there are out there who can help the insurance industry really drive innovation.  That's the whole goal of everything that we do, whether it's an event, whether it's a webinar, is to is to push the industry forward.”   “If you're an insurance provider looking to looking to accelerate your innovation, looking to automate your underwriting processes, improve your claims experience, we've got all of those people that can help you do that. Similarly, if you are looking to engage with those people from a tech provider side, or even from an MGA standpoint looking to partner up with carriers who have a large customer base, we're going to have a lot of those people in the room as well.”   “There's a quote that I read from Andrew Horton, when he was CEO of Beazley and is now the Group CEO of QBE Insurance. [He] said, essentially, change is inevitable, and the truly successful people are going to be the ones that embrace change. I think, hopefully, we're going to see more adoption of digitization at the broker side of things.”   “The key word is innovation. But what we want to make sure we're doing is taking innovation, which is a very broad term, and actually put that into action. How do you get better? How do you actually improve your customer experience?”   Resources Register to attend ICT DIA Europe in June: https://www.digitalinsuranceagenda.com/events/itcdia-europe/registration-itc-dia-europe/   About the Guest Merlin Beyts is the Head of Content at ITC DIA Europe. In this role, he oversees the business’ digital content, including articles, interviews, and webinars. Merlin’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/merlin-beyts-652ab0168/   About the Host Sarah Myerscough is the Sales and Marketing Director of Boston Tullis Group. The founder of The Insurance Brokers Podcast, she brings a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective on communication in the insurance sector. Boston Tullis works with insurance professionals to build effective communication both internally and externally through podcasting, event reporting, videography, and internal communications facilitation. Website: https://bostontullis.co.uk/  Evaluation Link: https://s.bostontullis.co.uk/s/podcastevaluation       

Why is it so important to set Net Zero targets on an individual business level? Is there anything regional or provincial brokerages can do to help curb the impact of climate change? In this episode of the Insurance Broker Podcast, we’re thrilled to be speaking with returning guest Adrian Saunders, Commercial Director of Ecclesiastical Insurance. Ecclesiastical recently conducted a survey investigating brokers’ attitudes to Net Zero target setting and carbon emissions reduction, which has yielded some slightly disappointing, but not entirely surprising results. In conversation with Boston Tullis’ Sarah Myerscough, Adrian shares the highlights from the survey, and emphasises the imperative of raising climate awareness across the insurance industry, and providing greater resources and information for small businesses looking to make a difference.   Quote of the Episode “We need to have a shared responsibility, across business, across society… and recognise and accept that responsibility and do something. Surely we're all better for doing something than saying, ‘That’s too difficult, I can't do anything.’” National brokerages are leading the charge with regards to setting Net Zero targets and announcing climate-conscious commitments. It’s all too easy for smaller businesses to say that there’s nothing they can really do to help deter climate change, as any impact they might have would be negligible or insignificant in the broader scheme of things. Yet, it is only through an acceptance of a collective social responsibility, at every level of industry and society, to cutting carbon emissions and cultivating new, climate conscious ways to conduct our lives and business, that any substantial change can be made, and this crisis can be avoided. No business is too small to set Net Zero targets.   Key Takeaways In the year since Ecclesiastical’s last climate awareness survey, understanding that Net Zero is a good thing has grown by 40%. Alongside this, 39% of brokers nationwide have established targets for becoming Net Zero. Yet, the growth in brokers setting these targets over the last year has been marginal, and the part of the market that seems to be lagging is regional and provincial brokers. Only 10% of regional brokers, and only 4% of provincial brokers, have set Net Zero targets. Perhaps of even greater concern is that only 12% of all respondents to this year’s survey think it’s important to their clients that they have a carbon Net Zero mindset, with no change in this attitude from last year. This is contradicted by the fact that nearly three quarters of brokers have affirmed the importance of climate consciousness. Furthermore, all businesses are increasingly interested in the ethical stance of those whom they are trading and cooperating with. What can we do as brokers to reduce our emissions and become Net Zero? How do we get started? For Adrian, in every facet of a business, you will probably be able to identify a change you could consciously make to become more climate responsible, such as introducing hybrid meetings to reduce travel emissions. Before we implement these changes, we first need to build a climate-conscious environment within our businesses. This must begin with a strong level of understanding about climate change, accompanied by a narrative about what you will do as a business to combat it. We must identify our carbon footprint, both on a business level and an individual level, and the opportunities we have to make a change. Understanding how we can combat climate change is at the very essence of what we do as an industry. Insurance is all about managing risk, and the prospect of climate catastrophe is the biggest risk we all face today. Ecclesiastical have curated several great resources regarding how brokers can become more climate responsible, including a series of webinars linked in the Resources section below.   Best Moments/Key Quotes “What our research shows is that national brokers, therefore bigger brokers with access to more resources have got, got targets and a greater level of awareness. As you come down the scale of size of broking businesses, there is less awareness and target setting. Maybe there is an element of, ‘We're too small for this to be important. We're too small to make a contribution.’ And I think what I would say to that is, ‘Nobody is too small.’” “I think brokers have got a huge role to play. You know, brokers are skilled and trusted advisors. That's what brokers do for their living. They've got the trust of clients, they understand what client's needs are, and they understand what their challenges are. So, by modelling some of this behaviour, I think brokers have got a really, really key role to play in, in business at large.”   “What are those practical actions towards Net Zero? It's about creating that environment. Understanding what your impact is, equally understanding the opportunity, and doing something.”   Resources Ecclesiastical – Practical actions to reduce your company’s carbon footprint: https://www.ecclesiastical.com/brokers/training/practical-actions-net-zero/   About the Guest Adrian Saunders is the Commercial Director of Ecclesiastical Insurance. He’s worked in both the company and broker markets, and specialises in developing new enterprises within organisations, and re-engineering existing processes to develop strategy and increase ROL. Adrian Saunders | LinkedIn   About the Host Sarah Myerscough is the Sales and Marketing Director of Boston Tullis Group. The founder of The Insurance Brokers Podcast, she brings a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective on communication in the insurance sector. Boston Tullis works with insurance professionals to build effective communication both internally and externally through podcasting, event reporting, videography, and internal communications facilitation. Website: https://bostontullis.co.uk/  Evaluation Link: https://s.bostontullis.co.uk/s/podcastevaluation       

How can small brokers navigate the various and insistent industry pressures that have emerged in recent years? Is it possible to sustain a client-first bottom line whilst also incorporating new digital data processing practices and becoming increasingly reliant on remote customer interactions? In this episode of the Insurance Broker Podcast, we’re very pleased to be speaking with Alistair Body, Business Development Director at Momentum Broker Solutions. In conversation with Boston Tullis’ Sarah Myerscough, he discusses the numerous pressures facing small and independent brokerages, including consolidation, the shift to digitalisation, and regulatory red tape. He emphasises the importance of retaining focus on the primary goal of effectively advising clients, and explains how firms like Momentum can help to support brokerages struggling to remain afloat amidst all these aforementioned challenges.   Quote of the Episode “The insurance industry has always been a people business. So, let's try and free up more time for [brokers] to do just that. The momentum proposition is about effectively creating an infrastructure in an environment where you've someone's got your back, whether it be your client’s money, their insurer relationships credit control, marketing, and so on. And just taking all that away from you. And just going back to the bare basics of letting you do what you do [best]: looking after your clients.” Given the rapidity of change in the industry in recent years, it’s become easy to lose sight of our primary aim as brokers: to advise and support our clients through genuine interactions. While this has been complicated due to the shift to remote conversations as a result of the pandemic, these interactions remain our raison d’être. Thus, the opportunity for small brokerages to consign some of the challenging behind-the-scenes processes that enable fruitful client relationships to supportive businesses like Momentum is certainly worth considering.   Key Takeaways Beyond the broader everyday challenges that have accompanied the past few years, this period has also brought considerable changes to how brokers conduct their business. This whirlwind of rapid change includes vast market consolidation, the increasingly urgent importance of carbon emissions reduction, and additional regulatory constraints. These, alongside the fundamental service challenges wrought by the shift to digitalisation and the emergence of new, highly efficient data processing software, have placed enormous pressure on small, independent brokerages. What is the solution to this, other than selling up and getting out of the industry altogether? Alistair suggests that, first and foremost, we must return to the basics, and remember what our primary function as brokers is: to look after clients. Yet, our increasing industry reliance on data arguably conflicts with the desire to be a people-centred business. Is it possible to work in accordance with the data, whilst also fulfilling the needs of clients on an individualised, personal level? For Alistair, there is always a need to drive towards greater efficiency, in insurance and every industry. However, not all clients fit in the boxes that data-processing software may create. We must therefore remain flexible and versatile, finding ways to write risks that may not necessarily be ideal. Another key issue is the ever-expanding red tape of compliance. Regulatory demands are often one-size-fits-all, and fail to account for the specific needs of small or niche brokerages. This is where firms like Momentum can lend a hand. Momentum specialises in supporting small and independent brokers to persevere through issues surrounding compliance, and the various other industry pressures that have emerged in the past few years, including the mounting necessity of carbon emissions reduction, profound economic turbulence, and changes in client behaviour. Momentum will be at stand G20 at this year’s BIBA conference. To find out more about how they can support your business, find them and have a chat!   Best Moments/Key Quotes “When you look at what's been thrust upon independent small businesses these days, you've got additional compliance concerns, you've got more talk around equality and diversity, we've got the DSG, we've got net zero, it just keeps going on and on and on. I think for a lot of these businesses, they simply don't have the internal resource or the internal knowhow to manage these things.”   “It's about looking after clients. It's about supporting them and their businesses or their personal insurance requirements, and giving them the advice and seeing the value that they created. I think it's just really going back to basics and focusing on what they're good at, and then ultimately using the services of Momentum or others to provide them the support [that will] allow them to get on with it.”   “Pre-pandemic, we would probably have a lot of brokers considering the move to direct authorization. Whereas it seems very much now that it's the other way around.”   Resources Momentum - https://momentumsolutions.co.uk/   About the Guest Alistair Body is the Business Development Director at Momentum Broker Solutions. Momentum provides support to small, independent and startup brokerages, helping them to grow and thrive. Alistair’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alistair-body/   About the Host Sarah Myerscough is the Sales and Marketing Director of Boston Tullis Group. The founder of The Insurance Brokers Podcast, she brings a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective on communication in the insurance sector. Boston Tullis works with insurance professionals to build effective communication both internally and externally through podcasting, event reporting, videography, and internal communications facilitation. Website: https://bostontullis.co.uk/  Evaluation Link: https://s.bostontullis.co.uk/s/podcastevaluation