September 2016 heralds a new journey for the Colmore team with the beginning of some very ambitious expansion plans. Colmore are establishing offices in Cornwall their first office opening since the Birmingham branch was established 2 years ago and following that they are opening in the Black Country and have hired a team in Wolverhampton to develop business in the industrious heartland of the Midlands.
Joseph Betts joins the Colmore team and will be developing the Cornwall business by working with local businesses and niches which he feels have not had any healthy competitors for many years:
“There is a major opportunity to offer customers something new in the area and challenge the market place. The Cornish economy is one of the most vibrant in the UK but remains largely ignored by large national brokers and in some cases, local brokers with an eye on an exit. With the backing of Colmore and our Insurance Network partners, there is real potential to grow a thriving business, differentiate ourselves from the norm and make a real contribution to the local Cornish economy. I am excited and enthused about joining the Colmore team and championing the brand and business in Cornwall but most of all, am looking forward to working with local businesses and providing them with sound risk management advice to ensure that rather than just being a broker, we act as a real strategic partner mitigating risk from the business and not just turning up once a year to collect a cheque!”
Jon Chance, Director at Colmore who manages all of the recruitment and people development “it is great to have someone like Joe choose Colmore as his next step in his career. He is a high calibre insurance professional and has a great history and background. He comes from Bluefin and has worked at Jelf and Towergate gaining valuable experience in varying roles. The market will see this as a very strange decision to open our fist branch in Cornwall over 200 miles away from HQ but actually this is a perfect statement of intent on how our business model works for exceptional individuals – location is not a barrier. We look for talented individuals who are capable of standing on their own feet and delivering growth and managing a business model with full control. Joe fits this bill and has the entrepreneurial drive to deliver in our model and I have no doubt he will be a major success in Cornwall and will build a great business under our stewardship. This is the first of many branches we will be establishing over the coming years and our unique approach to people and rewards will simply attract a great deal of talent.”
On the back of the Cornwall deal Colmore have signed up a team of three headed by Ian Davis to establish Colmore in the Black Country. Based in Telford the team will be targeting businesses within the area and looking at developing schemes and specialist niche products. Ian Davis Director “It’s great to be joining Colmore and the team, we have some ambitious plans for the business and some great products that we want to distribute. We also have taken on Lucy Taylor to provide a personal claims service to all Colmore customers both in the Black Country and Birmingham. We have ambitious plans which include selling our services through all types of platforms in particular the digital world.” Ian brings a wealth of experience to the business having spent over 25 years in the broking industry.
Andy Smallwood Director Colmore “with Joe and Ian and the team joining us we now have two new operations established that will drive organic growth and bring a wealth of new clients into the business. We are privileged to have such experience joining us and I have no doubt they will build very successful businesses within Colmore. With the acquisition of Webb Holton in August this takes the business to another level and these are just the start and 2017 should be an exciting year ahead. This is just the start and we will be opening more offices in the near future and are looking for opportunities and individuals all the time”