Insurance Times Advent Calendar: Mike Edgeley

1. What was your insurance highlight of 2024?

There has been so much progress made at The Clear Group this year that there are a number of proud moments worthy of mention.

The one that made me stop and take stock was when our employee numbers ticked over 1,000 people recently. I could have mentioned gross written premium, revenue, policies or the build out of our strategic pillars.

We are a people business and it is just fantastic to see the quality and breadth of our business now. Of course, we have a structure that goes with that scale. But at heart, we remain a very informal business. The fewer layers the better.

On 5 December 2024, we held a decades lunch for employees who have been with us for 10, 20, 30 and 40 years. People are what we’re about and it’s great to be surrounded by those who have made our business what it is today, to celebrate with them and thank them.

2. What is your Christmas message for your insurance colleagues?

Be proud of what you do.

We’re a profession where the universal comment I hear is: “I never intended to go into insurance, I just fell into it”. And yet, we have such an important role to play in the economy.

Whether people sit in a broker, an MGA, an insurer, a reinsurer, loss adjuster or claims company – we’re all working together to help people and businesses in the face of adversity. That’s a role to be proud of.

I would love it if everyone really vocally promoted what we do – we’re a hugely underrated profession.

3. What do you hope to find under the industry’s Christmas tree for 2025?

A very simple card from the FCA.

Don’t get me wrong, I think the changes the FCA has undertaken in recent months and years has been implemented for all the right reasons. The Consumer Duty, multioccupancy building insurance regulation and premium finance review to name a few.

But I would love to receive a small Christmas card this year that simply said: “Enjoy 2025, with best wishes”. Having a whole year to focus on what we already have would be fantastic.