McCarron Coates Shortlisted for Two National Insurance Awards

McCarron Coates, has been shortlisted for two awards in the prestigious National Insurance Awards, recognising the support we have provided to clients during the pandemic.

Our dedicated insurance broking team, led by directors Ian McCarron and Paul Coates, is a finalist for Commercial Lines Broker of the Year and Commercial Lines Specialist Broker of the Year, in recognition of our outstanding work in the field of fleet transport insurance and specifically coach insurance.

The two award nominations have been achieved on the basis of the commitment that McCarron Coates has shown to its clients during UK lockdowns and the additional insight and tools that we have provided, to help our courier contractor clients and individual couriers – from start-up to somewhat established – manage their rapid growth, with robust risk management still in place.

We  conducted our own independent research, to assess attitudes towards couriers and van fleet operators, discovering how much goodwill had been generated by van fleet operators and what we called ‘The Class of Covid-19’, during lockdown.  We have channelled insight from this research into a new booklet, which is designed to assist the growth of courier businesses, in a controlled and well-managed way and which will launch soon.

Furthermore, we have forged relationships with third-party providers of compliance and accounting services for courier companies, whilst also helping to control the costs associated with van rental claims.

Additionally, given the lack of Government support for coach operators, we at McCarron Coates launched our own lobbying campaign named, ‘Wish You Could Hear’, creating a retro-style postcard, with a cleverly worded message, to highlight the crisis affecting the sector and to draw upon memories of past coach holidays enjoyed by many.

Thousands of cards were distributed and our McCarron Coates’s campaign was even mentioned at the start of a Parliamentary debate.  Photos with giant versions of the postcard were arranged with influential industry figures and McCarron Coates’s own local MP, Andrea Jenkyns, MP for Morley and Outwood.

McCarron Coates director, Ian McCarron, says: “The past 12 months have been challenging, with many of our clients being in a fast-growing sector that could not have anticipated the demand that couriers would be in during the pandemic and others in a sector unable to operate at all.  We have had to think on our feet at every turn.”

Paul Coates adds, “We are delighted to have our deep level of support for our clients recognised by the National Insurance Awards.  It would be fantastic to scoop one or both of the awards and bring it back to a team that worked so hard to not just keep our brokerage running but to also develop solutions that matched the needs of all our fleet transport clients, down their individual and differently impacted niches.”

The National Insurance Awards’ winners will be announced at a gala dinner at The Waldorf Hilton, London, on July 14, 2021 – an event which will recognise all those who have shown excellence in their field and the very best in insurance provision and management.