Management: As part of chief executive Peter Winslow’s restructure of the multi-brand group in July, Kal Atwal and Martin Overton joined the main board. Paul Galligan, previously director for BGL bike insurer Bennetts, replaces Atwal as boss of the meercat-marketed Comparethemarket. She will now run Bennetts and Courtanet, the French aggregator acquired in November 2010, while Overton, who joined BGL in 2006, becomes group director, legal services.
Strategy: BGL launched into life insurance in July, with its home and motor insurance brand Budget announcing a new level-term life cover product, Budget Life Insurance. BGL claims it is the UK’s first ‘instant’ life insurance policy to be made available to customers buying general insurance.
This development came after solid results announced in October 2010: BGL made a pre-tax profit of £62m for the year to 30 June 2010 – up 15% on the £54m profit it made the previous financial year. It also increased the number of customers from 3.5 million from 2.7 million.
Big story: Winslow has taken a robust stance on claims farming. He says the firm takes referral fees but is not involved in either conditional fees nor the after-the-event arrangements slammed in 2010’s Jackson review of personal injury claims.
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