The Insurance Times Awards 2019 is just around the corner, with more than a 100 finalists attending at our fabulous new Grosvenor House venue on November 22

Here we feature BHIB Insurance Brokers entry for Independent Broker of the Year. To see more fantastic Q&As from finalists, click here

What key achievement did your entry highlight?

As BHIB, last year we had the best financial year of all time. Our key achievement was acquiring a multi-million-pound-book of “affinities/SME” business from a national broker and employing a specialist team in Leicester. This included becoming the official insurance partner to the National Association of Local Councils (the national body representing 10,000 councils). We have become a top three specialist broker in the country for local councils. Our growth in the not-for-profit sector has been excellent – we have had consistently high retention rates and strong new business growth due to the technological efficiencies within our in-house technology firm.

Can you share data or testimonials to back up your bid to win?

“When we approached BHIB, we felt all our doors were closed. Our claim was in limbo and we were unsure of where to turn. However, within 48 hours of getting in touch with the team at BHIB, our claim was well on the way to being settled, and we had a more comprehensive programme of cover in place – I can’t thank them enough.” – Mo Bros (client).

What sets your firm apart from the other shortlisted contenders?

Becoming the first UK commercial insurance broker to be using Applied Epic – a Google-backed back-end policy management system. We’ve recently won a Global Pinnacle Award, which saw BHIB collect this award in front of 4,500 people in the US in October 2019, which is a huge achievement for a regional Independent UK insurance broker. Growing from a standing start in 2017 with our councils insurance brand to now being a top three specialist in the country. Our investment is continuing to grow – we have hired an in-house design agency to develop our online offering.

How will you celebrate if you are the victor?

This win would be more than just a trophy for us. This renowned award will give our wider business customers even more confidence they have made the right insurance decision. This will reinforce our insurer relationships and partner relationships with Applied, NALC and others. This would certainly boost morale to the teams who work tirelessly serving our clients. As this year celebrates 10 years since our MBO, the business is rewarding staff with free extra holidays and financial incentives, this would be an excellent icing on the cake to a phenomenal year.

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