Biba 2011: My Manchester Q&A - Part Three

To give you an idea of what to expect we asked Robin Darby, head of Manchester office, and Mark Mansfield, M&A team, of Heath Lambert to give us their thoughts on the local marketplace.

1) What would you say distinguishes Manchester from other UK insurance markets?

RD: The Manchester market is more personable in the way it deals with its brokers and clients. There is greater sense of enthusiasm to both meet and build relationships with clients, than there is in the London market for example.

MM: Manchester has the critical mass to do some huge deals, whilst still being small enough to know each other. There's always a lot of innovation here which gets taken up in other regions.

2) What have been the most notable changes in the local Manchester insurance market since the Biba Conference was here in 2009?

RD: I wouldn't particularly say that a lot has changed since the BIBA Conference in 2009, other than the fact that people now recognise Manchester as a reputable market place.

MM: More competition, more capacity, lower prices - business as usual.

3) What are your views about the role of social media in insurance and will you be tweeting from the conference?

RD: I am still undecided on the merits of social media, particularly in insurance. I do not currently subscribe to Twitter.

MM: There's clearly a role for it in the personal lines market, but I've yet to see the added value in the corporate world. I'm sure there'll be a time where everyone has adopted it - just not yet.

4) Lord Alan Sugar, star of the Apprentice, is one of the keynote speakers at the conference. With this mind who would you most like to tell "you're fired"?

RD: Alan Sugar.

MM: Whoever commissioned Daybreak.

5) The 2011 Biba conference is titled "Opportunities in Adversity". Where do you see the most potential in the Manchester insurance market between now and 2013?

RD: New offices are opening, both in the broker and insurer arena will create greater competition and appetite for risks. It will depend however, on the effects that the recent events in Japan etc, have on market rates.

MM: The greatest opportunity will be where brokers and insurers can clearly articulate and demonstrate to clients the role and value of the renewal process and the benefit of our work over the years to achieve such things as contract certainty

6) The Biba Conference should be Manchester every year because?

RD: I don't think the Biba Conference should be in Manchester every year. We should be able to learn off each other, and to do this we need to be open to suggestions and change. We are not going to learn if we always do what we always did.

MM: It's really convenient for me.

To read how other local industry figures from a raft of insurers and brokers including Allianz, Aviva, NIG, Chartis, LV, Groupama, Carole Nash, CCV, Swinton, Bridge and Arista responded to these questions. Plus all the latest news and views from the Conference, remember to pick up your Biba Daily on Wednesday and Thursday.