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A responsive partnership secured timely, tailored cover for an expanding nursery group.
Published on 26 February, 2025
David Jones speaks with Shona Dalgliesh of James Hallam Insurance Brokers
Shona’s firm, James Hallam Insurance Brokers, were anxious not to lose the business, but knew that the potential leap in premium might mean their client went elsewhere. The fact that the client had employed their own architect, not normally included under a nursery policy, added to their worries. “The client was concerned that we wouldn’t get it on time,” remembers Shona. “I then spoke to a business development manager from Markel.”
“Typically, on a case of this size, you’re probably talking about at a minimum a six-week lead,” explains David Jones, Large Client Underwriting Lead at Markel. “Shona reached out to us on this case about two weeks before the renewal was due, which on a case of that size is quite unusual.”
A race against time
With the deadline a matter of days away, David and his team were pushed for time, but they’d spotted the opportunity to showcase the best of Markel. “This is Markel in action, demonstrating what we can do as a business in a very short timescale,” he says, recalling how he instructed his team to “pull out all the stops”.
Meanwhile, unaware that the Markel team were viewing the situation as a challenge rather than a problem, Shona wasn’t holding out much hope. “My gut feeling was, let’s give them a try, but I think probably this isn’t going to come to anything,” she remembers. One phone call with David was all it took to turn her confidence levels around.
“From the very first moment I spoke to David on the phone, I got the impression that, yes, this guy knows what he’s talking about, and he’s going to try and help me,” she says. “When he came back confirming that they could do all the various extensions that I needed, it was a relief if I’m honest. With an extra seven nurseries, we’ve got a premium at exactly the same premium as last year, or close to it.”
“We have legal and risk management services built in-house,” adds David. “This was not purely an insurance solution for this client. From my own personal perspective, I feel a great sense of pride that we were able to pull it out of the bag.”
The sense of trust the situation fostered between Shona and Markel cemented the partnership.
Shona Dalgliesh
I knew I could trust David right from the word go.
Shona recalls, “I felt that there were lots of specialisms within Markel. They understood the sector, they understood our client, so I knew that I would be placing it with the right insurer. I’ve been in insurance for so many years that I can’t remember having such a good partnership with an insurer.”
“With Markel, I’ve always got the impression that they are putting people first – not only their staff, but their customers as well, and their brokers,” she concludes.
