News & Views

The mergers and acquisitions market for independent insurance broking businesses has rarely been stronger than it is now.

There’s an old African proverb which says that smooth seas do not make skilful sailors.

Martin Luther King Jr said the ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where they stand at times of challenge and controversy.

If these last few months have taught us anything about insurance, it’s the importance of knowing exactly what you’ve bought and where you stand legally when things go wrong – whether it’s ambivalent advice from your insurance broker, a business interruption policy that doesn’t cover your particular business interruption, or a contract with a major customer that imposes insuring obligations on you that you can no longer perform.

Spartacus (or maybe Kirk Douglas) once said: “I believe in opportunity and the power of reason to seize upon it. Whatever happens, it happens because we choose for it. We decide our fate.”

Contracts with suppliers, customers and others are the lifeblood of business. The commitments and rights contained in them enable businesses to trade and, hopefully, make money.

Three weeks into my ‘5K to Couch’ program and, according to my training schedule, I should be slumped in the lounge in my PJ’s eating Maltesers and binge-watching BBC Box Sets by now.

The impact of the coronavirus crisis continues to dominate all forms of media. Although the information is plentiful, the fast-moving guidance and initiatives emanating from the UK Government often generates more questions than answers.

Last week was not a good one, finishing off with a call from your insurance broker on Friday afternoon with the news that:

This boardroom briefing takes you behind-the-scenes of the insurance industry and highlights the risk management and insurance techniques that businesses use to protect and strengthen their balance sheet.