Press Room

Macbeth adds new head to private clients team

18/01/2012 in Press Room

Jeremy Edwards has been appointed to the new position of Head of Private Clients at Macbeth Chartered Insurance Brokers in Reading and takes responsibility for the firm’s specialist division looking after the insurance needs of high net worth individuals.

A key aspect of the role will be to develop Macbeth’s offer in this niche market and strengthen the firm’s position as a leading broker of private client business, both in the high value homes and motor insurance sector as well as in fine art and antiques, jewellery and watches.

“Jeremy brings over 20 years’ private client management experience, all of it at senior management level,” said Managing Director Paul Macbeth. “We’ve specialised in this area for a number of years and with Jeremy leading the team I’m confident we can become the largest private client broker in the Thames Valley.

“His appointment reflects our ambitions in this market in readiness for our pending office move to new, bigger premises in Theale.”

Jeremy joins Macbeth from Bluefin where he was Head of VIP Client Services for the Private Clients Division. His responsibilities included the development of new business, supplier relationships, branded products and staff development. Jeremy also recently attained an accreditation to be a member of the Institute of Leadership and Management.

His insurance career began in 1980 at Guardian Royal Exchange and also includes senior management roles with Worrell Fry & Co, Stackhouse Poland and Stuart Alexander Ltd.

For further information:

Paul Macbeth ACII

Managing Director

Macbeth Chartered Insurance Brokers

0118 945 2944

07976 815069

-end-

Note to editors:

Established in 1992, Macbeth is a privately owned, boutique insurance broker, one of an elite band with chartered status. It specialises in bespoke solutions for both commercial organisations and wealthy individuals in the Thames Valley, London and internationally. The firm combines absolute professionalism with a well-honed service ethic to provide clients with a highly responsive and informed approach to their insurance requirements. The management team is led by Paul Macbeth, son of Malcolm Macbeth who founded the business.

Macbeth insurance feature in the launch video for new Microsoft Office 365 product

17/07/2011 in Office Insurance, Press Room

Mann Joins Macbeth

20/09/2010 in Press Room

Reading based Macbeth Chartered Insurance Brokers (MCIB) announces the appointment of David Mann as Senior Client Manager. Prior to joining MCIB, David was Commercial Account Handler at Jelf Group. He has 25 years‟ experience in the insurance sector having also worked for Axa as a Motor Fleet

Underwriter, and for BJP and AON in commercial account handling roles. Commenting on the appointment, Paul Macbeth, Managing Director of MCIB said, “This is a terrific appointment for us as David brings a wealth of experience and expertise with him. He will be an important asset to our business as we strive to become recognised as the specialist insurance broker for both wealthy individuals and commercial organisations in Berkshire and surrounding counties, including the M4 and M3 corridors, and London.

“MCIB prides itself on providing a very high level of service to our clients and providing them with suitable professional advice on their insurance needs – underlined by our Chartered status.”

David Mann said, “MCIB is a professional modern business with a fresh approach to insurance that offers experience, integrity and an extremely high level of personal customer service, and I look forward to being part of that team.”

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Businesses ignore Social Media at their peril

29/04/2010 in Press Room

There is little doubt businesses in Reading, and SMEs(small and medium enterprises) in particular, should be really embracing social networking sites according to local company, Macbeth Chartered Insurance Brokers.

Social media can reach out to huge audiences, which the average business would never be able to reach, and Macbeth believes that is their real potential. The number of people a business can connect with and the number of people it can start to build relationships with online. And for little or no cost. Social media in the US has changed many customers‟ needs and businesses there have had to adapt to ensure they do not fall behind. In the UK, social media is also growing at an incredibly fast pace and Macbeth believes UK businesses will also have to adapt, especially as new generations of consumers are already using social media as part of their everyday lives.

Facebook alone currently has over 400 million active users worldwide and each user has an average 130 friends on the site (source Facebook). The viral potential is considerable as groups overlap with other groups and then onto other social networking sites and beyond.

However, these sites should not always be viewed for direct selling. For Macbeth, the use of social media is regarded as a slow-burn process. It is very much an additional brand builder and an opportunity to create a reputation.

Managing Director, Paul Macbeth says “If businesses in Reading ignore the possibilities of social media then they do so at their peril as they will potentially lose touch with their customers. Like any good, long standing relationship, it takes time to establish a rapport and trust – this rule applies as much with social networking sites. Social networking has to be worked at and be committed to. Nobody should think that sending out a few tweets here and there will generate business. It just doesn’t work like that.

“We are using social media to enhance our brand and build awareness. In my view, the key to it lies in becoming a trusted source of information and advice. Then we hope that the next time people within our network think about professional indemnity or personal high net worth insurance, they will think about us.”

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Homes over £500K may have insurance gaps

19/03/2010 in Press Room

Hundreds of people with homes over £500,000 in Reading and the surrounding area could be leaving themselves open financially when it comes to insurance according to Reading based specialist insurance broker Macbeth.

This especially applies to people who also have contents worth over £75,000 plus jewellery and watches over £10,000.

Paul Macbeth, Managing Director of Macbeth‟s said, “You can basically divide the home insurance market into two – higher value home and standard policies. They are very different in both scope and design, and in today‟s market too many people do not understand there is a difference and select on price alone without realising they are leaving costly gaps in their cover.”

Higher value home insurance is designed for higher than average sums insured or for people seeking a better quality form of insurance for their homes, possessions and valuables. Typical features of such policies are included in the notes to editors.

Standard, off the shelf, insurance is designed for an average type of risk and is very much price driven. Cover is restrictive in many respects and conditions will be applied. Typical limits of cover being £300,000 for buildings, £50,000 for contents and £5,000 for jewellery/watches although it may be possible to insure an additional, expensive item that exceeds the single article limit but charges to do so are usually expensive.

Paul Macbeth added, “And when it comes to claiming, the insurer‟s service will generally be quite rigid with claimants being directed to the insurer‟s own suppliers and repairers. There is no doubt standard insurance policies are great value for money if you have the average sums to insure. However, if you have an expensive home, contents, jewellery etc then a higher value home policy will be the most effective and competitive way to insure and avoids the tears.”

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Higher profile for Reading’s Macbeth

05/03/2010 in Press Room

Macbeth Chartered Insurance Brokers has hired specialist agency Concise PR to handle its public relations activities.

Reading based Macbeth specialises in insurance for wealthy individuals and commercial organisations, and is looking to expand further throughout the Thames Valley and London areas.

Macbeth’s Managing Director, Paul Macbeth said: “Concise specialise in the insurance and financial services sector and we look forward to working closely with them to raise Macbeth’s profile as a provider of modern and professional insurance solutions which are tailored to each client’s requirements.” Macbeth’s spokespeople are keen to provide comment for journalists on a range of topics including:

• Re wealthy individuals – homes, additional homes (UK and overseas), jewellery, art, antiques, cars (expensive, classic, super cars)
• Re commercial organisations  – business, property, professional indemnity, management liability, cyber liability.

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Macbeth Achieves Chartered Insurance Broker Status

21/07/2009 in Press Room

The Chartered Insurance Institute has awarded the prestigious ‘Chartered Insurance Brokers’ title to Macbeth, one of Reading’s leading providers of insurance advice and support.

Chartered status is an exclusive title only awarded to firms which meet rigorous criteria relating to professionalism and capability. All Chartered Insurance Brokers commit to the CII’s Code of Ethics & Conduct reinforcing the highest standards of professional practice in their business dealings.

Macbeth Insurance Brokers specialises in providing independent, professional advice on all types of insurance for businesses and affluent individuals.

Paul Macbeth, Managing Director, who holds the individual Chartered Insurance Broker title, says that securing Chartered Insurance Brokers status is a landmark for his company: “Our business has been built by providing exceptional customer service in an industry which isn’t always renowned for doing so, and we have always prided ourselves on being very professional in everything we do. To receive external recognition in this way is fantastic and it compliments our existing Investor in People accreditation. As Chartered Insurance Brokers, we can signal our commitment to providing the highest levels of service and advice to our customers.”

To date, only some 50 firms have achieved Chartered Insurance Brokers status, indicating that this is a highly exclusive and prestigious award reserved for the leading firms of the broking industry.

For further information, contact Paul Macbeth on: 0118 9452 944