Diary of an Insurer: Brokerbility’s Julie Gregory

Monday

It’s always an early start for me. I’m definitely a morning person. A lark not an owl. That’s useful when you’ve got horses to look after.

I get up to see my two girls, Nora and Naomi, at first light to give them breakfast and make sure they’re OK.

It’s great to be up and about early with them though. Very therapeutic and grounding, except in the winter when you have to break the ice on water troughs.

Monday is an office day, so it’s into Leicester to review last week’s activities and set the scene for the week ahead. I review my diary appointments and meetings schedule, and make sure I have enough planning and preparation time.

My role is very much about getting out and about, engaging with our network members and partner insurers, liaising with suppliers and other key contacts. It’s really busy at the moment, with updates to our refreshed Brokerbility proposition and new members joining, so there’s plenty to talk about.

Tuesday

This is our team day, so all my Brokerbility colleagues are in, and we get together to share our priorities and feedback on our respective initiatives.

It’s a great way to keep inspired and motivated, as well as check in to make sure everyone’s happy and clear on our network targets.

It sometimes ends up as back-to-back meetings all day though.

Wednesday

Wednesdays and Thursdays are generally my days to be on the road,

Today, I visit one of our regional broker members in the north, and take time to meet both the director, plus the placing manager and a couple of executives.

It is important for me to touch base at all levels within a brokerage to really understand what makes them tick, and chat through what they need from us as a broker community to make their life better.

Our Brokerbility proposition is evolving all the time, with new partners, suppliers, facilities and opportunities coming on board, which makes it an exciting environment to be in.

One of the classes I am currently focused on is the mid and high-net-worth client, which is proving to be a challenge.

The market has tightened up considerably and, while some of our members are generally commercial brokers, all of them have at least some connected HNW clients. Getting this wrong could be hugely damaging for the broker and client relationship, so having access to a great insurer partner is critical.

I chair a forum for our members where we share market intelligence, opportunities and best practise, while also taking advantage of the undoubted expertise from those members with dedicated mid-net-worth and HNW experts.

Thursday

Today, I have my regular monthly review with one of our insurer partners. I meet via Microsoft Teams with our strategic account manager, plus two of the regional business development managers.

This particular insurer is going great guns with the network as a whole, which is down – in no small part – to the energy and drive from this manager plus a real desire to trade and make a difference.

We discuss trading relationships, appetite, any friction points and future growth plans.

Friday

My day to review actions from the week, write up any reports or meeting notes, follow up actions and make calls.

It’s a chance to take stock of anything outstanding and consider how to move things forward if anything needs further attention.

It’s also the day when I try to catch up with my colleagues for a quick chat about their week – just to touch base, especially if I know they’ve been having a busy time.

After that, it’s back to the horses for the weekend.