BROKERTALK
●
Speaker’s Corner - Ian Gosden
●
BIBA Conference
●
Moorhouse
●
MMA
●
How to sell your business
Speakers’ Corner: Ian Gosden
It is vital that all brokers look into their staff development offering
and strive to enhance this area of their organisation. So often this aspect
Staff training: more important than ever
of a business can fall by the wayside – especially in an uncertain economic
Insurers shedding staff has resulted in a brain drain of large numbers
climate – but any investment into this area will be repaid twice-over by
of experienced, qualified staff from the industry. While their influence on
the new found enthusiasm, knowledge and passion of your team members.
the industry has grown, aggregators have not seen the same need to invest
Some training, such as NVQs, are available through government funding.
in professional training and development, because they do not give advice.
Unfortunately, unless brokers begin to invest seriously in staff
This is a worrying trend for the future which, if it remains unchecked,
development, consolidation within the industry will be inevitable. This will
could lead to the loss of the underwriting technical skills which are the
be due to a chronic lack of succession planning – staff-wise – within the
foundation of the entire industry.
broking community.
Against this backdrop, I am a strong advocate of the need to develop
Ian Gosden is managing director of Higos Insurance Services
highly qualified and experienced broking staff. This underpins our focus on
staff development and a clear and exciting future within our organisation
Professionalism is BIBA theme
and the industry as whole.
The British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) has announced its
Psychologically, we have found from
2010 conference will be held on 19 and 20 May at London’s ExCel, under
our experience the overwhelming majority
the theme of Professionalism in a changing world.
of staff are self-motivated and willing to
The event will be run under a condensed new format of a full two day
undertake personal and professional
conference and exhibition to be held over a Wednesday and Thursday - the
development, if – and that is the
previous format also encompassed a Friday.
important word – they are given the
Entry to both the conference and exhibition will be free to all BIBA
opportunity.
members and all intermediaries can attend the exhibition at no cost.
In the process of acquiring existing
Eric Galbraith, BIBA’s chief executive, said: “BIBA 2010 will address
High Street brokers as part of our
the business issues for all segments of the broking and intermediary
expansion programme, our approach is to
channel, as well as providing the best networking experience available in
insist all new members of our team begin
the industry and the largest insurance exhibition in the UK.”
Ian Gosden working towards their CII exams.
Far from being met with a negative
response, we have found the opposite to be true. When presented with the
opportunity of enhancing their prospects within the company and also
within the industry, they are keen to become involved.
The more time and effort we invest in them, the more they invest in
their career, and ultimately the more professional job they do for the
company. The need for qualifications also acts as a filter for the less
motivated.
Brokertalk in association with
2 Insurance Brokers’ Monthly
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40