Gallagher today announced it has appointed Stephen Smith as Managing Director of Broking & Placement for its UK & Ireland Retail division. Stephen will now join Chief Executive Officer, Nick Harris' UK & Ireland executive team.
Stephen's previous role was Head of Regional Broking & Placement where he led the business's regional broking teams across the south of England. Stephen joined Gallagher in 2019 through the acquisition of Stackhouse Poland where he was Group Placement Director and held several other leadership roles over eight years with the insurance broker.
Stephen's depth of experience, reputation and relationships with Gallagher's insurer partners make him ideally placed to lead the Retail division's broking and placement team.
In his new role, Stephen is responsible for leading Gallagher UK & Ireland's retail broking strategy, as well as overseeing the placement of insurance on behalf of clients across 500 markets. He will lead a team of circa 80 broking and placement specialists across Gallagher's UK & Ireland branch network, working closely with insurers across the industry to deliver the best possible outcomes for clients.
Commenting on his appointment, Stephen said: “Having been part of Gallagher’s success story and broking team since 2019, I’m delighted to be taking on this role to lead the broking and placement strategy right across our UK & Ireland Retail division.
“I am looking forward to working closely with our broking teams, wider Gallagher colleagues and insurer partners, to continue building on our excellent trading capability for the benefit of clients across an extensive range of industries. My focus going forward will be on expanding our broking proposition and further strengthening those client-centric partnerships.”
Simon Collings, Chief Broking Officer, Gallagher UK & Ireland said: “Stephen has a brilliant reputation among our existing insurer partners, and he will play an integral role in overseeing Gallagher’s UK & Ireland retail broking and placement teams and delivering insurance solutions that enable our clients to mitigate their own risks and maximise opportunities to grow.
"Gallagher is committed to nurturing its existing talent and it is great that we have made this key appointment from our existing team."