Top 50 Brokers 2011: 17th Miller

Management: Despite being having been at Miller since 1982 and becoming chief executive a decade ago, Graham Clarke insists he is not complacent.

In an interview at the end of 2010 with Insurance Times, Clarke said he planned to take on the UK’s top four biggest brokers.

That sounds ambitious, but a look at the corporate statistics bears him out: the company has increased its staff count by 50%-60% over the past two years.

Strategy: Miller’s growth strategy has focused heavily over the past two years on reinsurance, where Clarke sees opportunities in contrast to the tough conditions in the wholesale market.

The merger of Aon Re Global with rival reinsurance broker Benfield in 2008 allowed Miller to beef up its business with 38 former Benfield staff.

The company is also seeking to counterbalance its reinsurance and wholesale business by boosting its UK and European retail book. This is designed to hedge against the largely US-dollar income from reinsurance and wholesale.

Expertise: Miller’s main lines of business include commercial contingency, corporate risks, marine, property and reinsurance. It says its services are better suited to firms with more complex risk needs and high expectations of service levels.