New offices thanks to regional development grant
Autonet Insurance Services and is taking on nearly 250 new staff, the Birmingham Post reports.
The recruitment drive comes after the firm, based in Burslem, Stoke on Trent, moved into larger office space following a £750,000 grant from regional development agency Advantage West Midlands
Craig Ball, director of finance said: "We are delighted by the support we received from Advantage West Midlands, which gave us the help we needed to further accelerate our growth and cement our strong position in the industry.
"We can now grow even faster and be a firm fixture in the area, creating hundreds more jobs for local people.
Targets met
The Staffordshire Sentinel added: Managers say targets for the 2009/2010 financial year have already been met with bosses envisaging that the firm will meet figures again in the next financial year.
Autonet, which specialises in van insurance but also provides several other services, including car, home, travel, business and pet insurance, had just 45 members of staff in 2004 when it moved from offices in Newcastle to a new base in Hobson Street, Burslem.
Director Ian Donaldson said: "We've got a very robust training scheme from day one for new recruits. Training is a big part of what we do. The majority of our staff come to us without any insurance experience but it's mainly about attitude and the way they can work themselves.
Autonet is now one of the UK's largest independent insurance brokers since being formed in 1998.
