Gloucestershire businessman launches new national insurance advisory business

Published by

Nicky Godding

Gloucestershire resident Phil Barton, formerly the Chief Executive of insurance company Jelf which was bought by Marsh Commercial in 2015 for £258 million, has launched a new insurance advisory business, Partners&.

Phil, who was recently described by Insurance Age magazine as a ‘sector heavyweight’, is well known in Gloucestershire and the South West following his 40-year career in the insurance and financial services industry. He says the new business marks a turning point in the way advisers engage with clients, explaining the focus of the business is on high quality, seamless insurance, risk management and employee benefits advice, supported by a culture of partnership between their people, their clients and their ecosystem.

Partners& is formed of six respected insurance broking businesses which have come together to form the platform of the new enterprise including High Wycombe-based MRIB, Wokingham-based Independents, La Playa, CGI, Versatile and most recently, Focus ORM – a combination which creates a team of 250 people, based in eleven locations across the UK and which control approximately £70 million GWP (gross written premium).

Since its launch in April, the management team has progressed its strategy focusing on the attraction of talent and selective M&A activity.

Phil said: “The insurance broking sector is ripe for a re-set. We want to create a better way. Our unswerving focus on clients and colleagues will prove vital to our success. We have built an incredibly talented team and we’re creating a vibrant, collaborative culture. Our ambition is not to be the biggest – our focus will be on striving to be the best insurance advisory business in the UK.”

He added: “Since the day we launched, we have all been working in lockdown. I’m really proud of the way our team has pulled together and our business and culture has developed. Most importantly, throughout the pandemic, we’ve remained true to our core purpose: to challenge the market and make a difference for our clients and our colleagues. The Partners& strategy combines the best traditions of broking, including exceptional technical advice and client service, with modern thinking and intelligent use of technology.

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.