Diary of an Insurer: Granite’s Luke Marshall

Monday

The week always kicks off with a strong coffee and a quick walk with my two dogs – Hugo, who is a cockapoo, and the latest addition, Winston, a German shorthaired pointer. 

I tend to skip breakfast (unless there’s a full English on offer), but the fresh air and chaos of the walk are energising enough. 

I jumped on an early train to London, the first two hours spent making calls to brokers and warning everyone that I’ll probably lose signal due to the number of tunnels on route. I’m sure I am not the only one who has this on long train commutes.

Once in London, I met with some of our broker partners for performance review meetings and to discuss new opportunities. 

There’s no substitute for face-to-face conversations when it comes to building and maintaining relationships in our industry, so I try to make these visits as often as possible.

After a busy day on the road, it’s time to get home to feed the dogs before I have two less-than pleased friends greeting me at the front door.

Tuesday

Another early start, but this time I’m headed to Liverpool to visit one of our new group offices, which overlooks the Royal Albert Docks. It was a clear day so great views of the docks! 

It’s a fantastic location with a great buzz about it. The morning was spent meeting with some of the team, and in the afternoon, I caught up with our marketing team to discuss Granite’s  communication strategy. How we communicate as a brand is important, so we’re always keen to find better ways to keep the market updated on our developments and deliver our message.

Much of the day was also spent  with some final planning for BIBA 2026. We’re excited to showcase some innovative tech investments that will make trading with us even simpler for our broker partners. 

I rounded off the day with a session with our projects team, focusing on how technology is shaping our new ways of working. Growing our tech capabilities to augment our team and best serve our partners is a central part of Granite’s strategy, so it’s an exciting time on the tech front.

Wednesday

Waterproofs at the ready as I set off for Manchester, the city where it always rains. I drove this time from my home in Leeds, visiting several of our northern brokers to discuss some fresh opportunities for the new year. 

The afternoon included a particularly interesting meeting with a new broker who brought a truly niche proposition to the table – exactly the sort of specialist area we’re eager to support. Non-standard insurance is our bread and butter. 

If you’ve got a niche, we want to hear about it. Our expertise is there to help brokers in unique corners of the market grow and succeed.

Thursday

Thursday was spent in Birmingham. My weeks involve a lot of travelling, but the role wouldn’t be what it is without its social nature, and the change of location keeps me on my toes! Most of Thursday revolved around meetings with brokers and internal teams.

That evening, I popped into an industry event before heading home, providing a valuable opportunity to connect with both familiar and new faces, exchange insights, and keep abreast of wider market developments.

Friday

Fridays are my official work-from-home days, so it’s another long dog walk to start the morning and clear my head. 

Today I’ve got a bit more time to focus on strategy and catch up on the inevitable admin that accumulates across the week. 

I spend much of the day catching up with the business development managers in my team, debriefing on their week, their broker visits, new opportunities, and planning for what’s ahead. 

These calls are invaluable for agreeing strategies and ensuring we’re aligned as a team heading into the new week.