Bad move by Biba

We refused to entertain joining Biba because it appeared to deliver drivel year after year.

Constrained by stakeholders disparate views on the way (for that matter anyway) forward, it sought to be politically correct and not being contrarian at all.

Personally I was so frustrated by their lack of appreciating how the 21st century worked and perennial stance of quiet constraint - when brokers all around them were looking for leadership from the body they were, after all, paying for! - I wrote in and said my piece.

I was by return, graciously invited in and explained my position which I believe they empathised with. I said I could see little value in being a member unless they stuck their head above the parapet and really showed they were representing their members.

“Bibas own comments on cyber operators, and the iniquitous basis of operation when compared to terrestrial brokers, should not be forgotten.

Things started to change and it looked as though either they had overdosed on multivitamins or realised that in today’s world of sound bites and bullet points, spin and PR appear to matter way more than delivering overviews.

Things got exciting and we joined as a Company, Biba appeared on a roll and were quoted everywhere. Not as a poor relation but very much an equal.

Aggregating membership
Then they allowed an aggregator to join. Ok, not as a full member, but join all the same, and if my conversations with contemporaries are correct they blew it, big time!

Biba’s own comments on cyber operators, and the iniquitous basis of operation when compared to terrestrial brokers who continue to suffer from hyper levels of excessive FSA regulation, should not be forgotten - yet they still went ahead and welcomed them.

“Perhaps they felt like Eisenhower when he said it was better to have them in the tent peeing out, than on the outside peeing in.

Perhaps they felt like Eisenhower when he said it was better to have them in the tent peeing out, than on the outside peeing in.

What absolute arrogance, if not stupidity; if aggregators want to set up their own Association to protect their own interests then fine, but this move was an extreme error by Biba and serves no value to its members. In fact, it singularly undermines the whole membership and what it stands for.

We can only hope that in a moment of weakness, a door left ajar for discussion only was blown wide open. The back tracking started almost immediately but it has fallen on deaf ears. Hopefully, the door’s hinges are now sorted and it stays firmly closed, and no renewal when due will be invited.

Robert D Marshall is director of Trident Insurance.