Gallagher has appointed Derek Henry (pictured above) as managing director of micro SME and personal lines within its UK retail division.
In his new role, Henry will lead the global broker’s UK micro SME and personal lines offering. This includes a key objective of enhancing the firm’s digital distribution strategy in order to improve the customer experience, Gallagher said. He will report to Gareth Birch, managing director of SME and personal lines.
“Derek is a fantastic addition to my leadership team and brings a passion, expertise and vision that will be critical in the next stage of our micro SME and personal lines growth strategy,” Birch said. “Digital innovation is an essential part of our roadmap for these customers, and it’s great that Derek has joined us to lead its delivery.”
Henry joins Gallagher from Brightside, where he was most recently managing director of broking. Prior to this, he held senior roles at Aviva, Towergate and BGL, having started his career at The RAC.
“I’m very pleased to be joining Gallagher at this exciting time,” Henry said. “Our micro SME and personal lines product ranges were enhanced by the acquisition of Bollington earlier this year, giving us a great platform for further growth. The opportunity to work with a respected team in one of the biggest global brokers and develop Gallagher’s proposition is a powerful combination and I look forward to delivering a great customer experience.”
Bollington completed its rebrand to the Gallagher identity last month. The deal saw 420 new employees and 230,000 customers in the mid-market commercial, niche lines and micro-SME businesses, as well as personal lines.
