Q&A with Leigh Langton, Head of Regional Markets, South-East
08/31/2022
Leigh Langton, Head of Region Markets, South-East talks about the opening of Zurich's new Chelmsford office and how we’re supporting regional brokers.
How did you get into the insurance industry, and what is it you do now?
Upon completing my A-levels I had a choice of three jobs – Micro-fiche salesman (you may need to google that one), a retail management training scheme and the chance to join the Royal and Sun Alliance as an apprentice.
My mother worked as an Aviation Loss Adjustor and continually advised me that the world couldn’t function without Insurance. I took my mum’s advice and accepted the role with Royal and Sun Alliance, and I have been working in the sector ever since.
I joined Zurich 18 months ago to be the Head of Region for the South-East, within the Retail Division. Geographically this covers East Anglia, East Hertfordshire, London and then the traditional South-East. To facilitate our brokers and customers we operate out of two offices - Croydon and our newest office, Chelmsford, which opened in April this year.
Can you tell us a bit more about why you decided to open an office in Chelmsford?
Regional brokers are an essential part of our growth strategy, and we recognise the value and importance of local trading and relationships. To support our regional brokers and their clients, we wanted to give them access to local, empowered decision makers with a desire to trade, a broad appetite, and a strong customer-centric proposition with fast responses.
To support this, we’ve hired individuals with both distribution and underwriting expertise, and something that I’ve found of great importance - knowledge of the area - leading to stronger relationships and a better understanding of the brokers we’re working with, especially in the East Anglia area.
Our new office space includes an eight-person room specifically for Zurich, situated in a shared office with communal kitchen and coffee facilities. This new office space is like our Leeds and Barnwood sites, which means it’s highly flexible – perfect to adapt to us as we grow
What’s something people might not know about the regional teams?
We’ve been transparent with brokers about what our appetite is and what we want to achieve; with that we can help our brokers grow in the region.
Some of the benefits of committing to growth with Zurich may not be so obvious in most partnership deals, we are able to offer our partners added benefits such as: Connected Leadership programme, Business Risk Resilience Review, Broker Training Programme (Sales Academy), Development & CII Support (Diploma) and access to a Young Broker Network - An exclusive LinkedIn group to help expand their peer network.
This for me is a change in how I’ve traded with brokers previously, and it shows real partnership by adding value not in the obvious space.
So, what does a typical day look like for you?
No one day is the same. Our broker partners are all individual in their needs, and we’ve become a lot more attune to listening and responding to their requirements within the Retail space.
Whilst some brokers may be using our e-trade platforms, I have others reaching out for help and advice on how to navigate a complex placement problem. I’m liaising with underwriting, operations, and the sales team to find the best outcome for the customer. Mix this with quarterly business reviews with our strategic partners – I’m kept very busy! (And I love it!)
How do you keep ahead of insurance developments?
One of the main parts of my role is to understand market developments and identify ways we can continue to be relevant in the insurance space. For me, regular conversations with brokers, customers, and those partners interacting with the final consumer are vital to ensure we are staying relevant and customer focussed.
What is the best piece of career advice you've been given?
Take every opportunity you can to learn from other areas of the business, don’t be afraid to take a bold move into unknown territory. If a move exposes you to another part of the business and improves your skill set, then you will be better off in the long run.
Lastly, what do you love about working at Zurich?
100% - The people – the culture and passion to win and trade and support each other at Zurich is fantastic.
I have a fantastic team that I work with that are committed to supporting our brokers and customers and this is encouraged within every part of our business. We have a clear strategy, and we use all of our collective know how to hit our objectives in a competitive marketplace.
We’ve recently employed five apprentices, investing in the future is an important component part of the strategy, all come from very different backgrounds. Their fresh eyes bring new perspectives supporting our growth in the market. I can’t wait to see how they progress and what they will bring to the Region.
I love having conversations with all my colleagues about their experiences, people’s willingness to help and support has been fantastic in my first 18 months here. I have gained so much knowledge as a result and that is token to the quality of people we have at Zurich.
