Wow, how good is this!  53 years old and I’ve actually been asked to write a piece for Janice’s Blog!

My name is Alan Drury and I work with the Broker Trading Teams across the North West of England, Nottingham and Northern Ireland.  I’ve operated in most markets in the UK but now ‘almost’ feel an honorary Northerner having lived in the North West since 1993.   I actually still like Eastenders though rather than “The Street” as my PA calls it..! It helps me keep in touch with my Essex roots.

Over the last couple of years my role has extended to pick up the teams in Northern Ireland and Nottingham and it has been great to meet a wider spectrum of our broker partners from different territories as well as some great underwriters doing a super job in very aggressive and competitive market conditions, (I’ve seen a few cycles come and go as well and this is a tough market to trade in, make no mistake!)

Our industry is blessed with a predominance of fantastic and interesting people and most broker entrepreneurs I meet are working really hard to stand still as the economy remains tough and I suspect will do for some time as those green shoots we keep hearing about emerge into increased trading confidence across all the sectors of UK business. 

Good Independent Brokers providing great local service supported by committed and skilled teams offering both risk advice and choice of products have little to fear as most of them have built a strong enough platform to weather any economic storm.  Over the last couple of months, I have just started hear a bit more optimism and confidence about future trading that augurs well for 2011 anyway.

You have to be resilient in our business especially as a soft southern Essex boy trying to carve out a living in a harsh Northern landscape.  My sophisticated knowledge of quality football has helped me through the tough times being able to watch my beloved Colchester United when they visit this hot bed of soccer at many a venue, like Rochdale, Bury, Tranmere and Stockport!   Another season’s hopes are however dashed as we hit the play-off places and then got the usual nosebleed dropping down to mid table mediocrity.  Gutted, but I’m feeling good about next season though…(heard that before, anybody…?)     

Alan Drury – Head of Trading (North-West & Northern Ireland)