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At this time of the year, my job becomes more of a trial of endurance and recovery than the nuts and bolts of everyday trading. Everyone has a party and you can trip from bar to restaurant to bar in the City from noon till midnight, often rubbing shoulders with the same brokers and competitors, all taking their turns to host and be hosted. On one level, this all seems a bit old-school and somewhat removed from these straightened times but on another level it meets that deep psychological need to draw the line under one year and start preparing for the one to come.

Someone once said that success is when preparation meets opportunity and we are certainly well prepared for 2010. You know when you have market momentum and we are in that happy position on a number of fronts – Corporate Risks, Personal Lines, Fast Trade, Independent Brokers and open market trading. This time last year, the recession was just hitting us – clients/brokers/insurers were reeling but this year we know what it means and are trading through it alongside our broker partners. So when at the XV Club Dinner last week, I had the opportunity to ‘drink from the loving cup’ with august colleagues from the industry, it wasn’t just a cold that I caught, it was the whiff of better times ahead for us and our brokers – you may think I’ve had a little too much Christmas cheer on my rounds in the City but just try a little optimism this New Year, it might – like the loving cup – prove contagious.

Best regs,

Phil Bayles (Broker & Key Partners Director)