Arch’s Approach to UK Specialty Lines, Mike Bottle, Managing Director, UK Regions Transcript

Hello. My name is Jonathan Swift. Welcome to this latest Insurance Age video, which is part of a series highlighting Arch’s expertise in specialist lines, specifically product liability. For the first episode, I’m delighted to welcome to the studio Mike Bottle, the Managing Director of Arch Insurance’s UK Regional Division. Hello Mike. Morning Jonathan.

So Mike, can you start off by giving us an overview of Arch’s UK Regional Division and the story to date?

Absolutely, yeah, I mean we’re six years in now since we created the UK division. It’s fair to say it’s been a very busy period. I think when we established our presence in the UK we had a very clear strategy and that was about bringing the expertise and the knowledge that we had in the London market out to the regions. We felt there was a real demand from our brokers, our customers, to have more direct access to that.

The plan has been very clear, we’ve invested heavily in underwriters, experienced underwriters who can quote and support brokers in the regions without the need to facilitate the traditional sort of wholesale route into London. So yeah, it’s been a very busy time and I think at the heart of what we’ve been doing is putting that customer experience at the forefront. A lot of communication with the brokers, a lot of listening to brokers, what is it that they want from market and I think, yeah, I mean we’ve been very pleased with the progress we’ve made to date but still a lot to go.

You mentioned brokers a lot there Mike, what has been the response from brokers and what USPs do you think you’ve bought to the UK regions that make Arch stand out?

Well I think as I say, I think what brokers want in the main, and we spend a lot of time talking to brokers and listening and understanding what is the challenge, I think what they want is access and they want clarity around appetite and I think first and foremost and what we’ve done, look to do is to deliver that to brokers so they know exactly what our appetite is, where we can help and I think we’ve backed that up with underwriters who are prepared to sit in brokers offices, discuss risks, help with brokers who are sort of looking at emerging markets and saying, know, is that something we can help you with and give you some confidence? So I think the USP is really building on that customer experience, that service led proposition with unique products that aren’t necessarily that easy for brokers to access.

Mike, given how competitive the mid market is, how is Arch UK evolving to meet the needs of the UK regional brokers? And again, what USPs do you think you have bought to the UK regions that make Arch stand out here?

Well, casualty business is a key pillar within Arch International, so we’ve got an awful lot of experience there and as I say the strategy was to bring that out to the regions. I think what it’s done for us and the opportunity that we see is that this is a dynamic emerging market really. There’s a lot of new industry setting up.

We’re having lots of conversations around robotics, EV, renewable energy, all those sorts of exciting things. I think for us the opportunity is to work with brokers to maximise those opportunities. If they’ve got clients in the local area that they want to talk to, can we work in partnership? Give them the confidence that there’s a market that’s genuinely interested in that. We had one recently with some life science business, the broker’s got a significant life science business on their doorstep.

We were in talking to the broker, joint visit with a client, able to reassure them that we understand that and the challenges facing that industry. And we think that’s what the brokers want.

Okay Mike, well thank you very much for your time.

Thanks Jonathan.