Vista Insurance has appointed John Garrard (pictured above) as the new head of schemes and affinities at the company.
In his role, Garrard will oversee the development of schemes and affinity partnerships, as well as digital trading strategies. His responsibilities will include expanding digital trading capabilities, refining propositions and aligning trading processes with market demands.
Garrard previously founded and led Wrapper Insure, a digital-first niche personal lines broker, and served as managing director at Fish Insurance, where he focused on revenue growth and operational efficiency. He has experience in digital transformation, niche insurance markets and business growth. His background in digitalisation, strategic partnerships and product development is expected to support the company’s approach to schemes and affinity trading.
Commenting on his appointment, Garrard expressed his excitement in working with key partners within the sector. “The market is evolving rapidly, and I look forward to building on the strong foundations already in place to deliver real value for our customers and stakeholders,” he said.
CEO Gavin Rubin, who stressed the importance of expanding in the schemes and affinities sector, said he was looking forward to working with Garrard and discovering opportunities the company have in the market. “Schemes & Affinities are critical to our growth strategy,” he said.
Garrard is not the first hire the company has made that aims to make a real difference in the sector. Previously calling itself a challenger brokerage, the company hired Gary Brotherton as head of recruitment insurance in February last year, followed by Samuel Marriott as head of its health and life insurance division in July – both of which expressed a desire to change the industry.
In his appointment statement, Brotherton said he was excited to work at a company “created to shake up the insurance industry.” Marriott also seemed to have the same sentiment, as he said that the company would not be following the “insurance norm” but instead would create a new approach. “Breaking the mould won’t be easy but with support from the wider Vista team I am confident we will succeed,” he said.
Vista Insurance was founded in 2014. It is a business-to-business independent insurance broker with clients in the UK and around the world.
