Biba awards Francis Perkins and Young Broker trophies

Francis Perkins, the first chairman of the British Insurance Brokers’ Association, instigated the award to give recognition to Biba members who give their time and energy to promote the causes of the insurance broking sector.

The judges selected Finch because of his contribution to Biba and broking through 12 years of longstanding commitment on its main board and regional committee.

During a career spanning 60 years, [Alec Finch] was described as a visionary. He offered wise counsel and guidance and demonstrated great passion for our sector.

Steve White, Biba

Finch also helped establish, and was a member of, the initial steering committee of the Insurance Broking Standards Council – later incorporated into Biba.

Steve White, Biba’s CEO, said: “Alec absolutely deserves this recognition. During a career spanning 60 years, he was described as a visionary, an accolade he lived up to from his twenties, when he set up his first business, going on to develop the Worldwide Broker Network and being instrumental in the development of broker standards, now incorporated into Biba as the Insurance Brokers’ Standards Committee.

“In his time on Biba’s greater Manchester and West Pennine Committee and our main board, he offered wise counsel and guidance and demonstrated great passion for our sector.

“He is a worthy winner, and the insurance industry has been lucky to have him.”

Young Broker

The association also named Green, chief operating officer of Capsule Insurance Services, as its Young Broker of the Year 2023.

This year, the award has been renamed in memory of the late Oliver Rose, who sadly passed in March 2023.

Rose was awarded the Young Broker of the Year award in 2016, and according to the association he made some great contributions to the sector and his employer.

His mother, Helena Rose, presented the award in his memory to Green at the Biba Conference 2023 in Manchester.

The two runners-up from a field of exceptionally high quality were Niki Facey from Marsh Commercial and Heather Cave from Marsh.

The award recognises the performance of younger brokers and encourages commitment to the future professionalism of insurance broking.

Recognition

Speaking about the finalists, White said: “The candidates were fantastic, and all deserve recognition for their efforts and achievements, which put our industry in a strong position for the future.

“Liam has an excellent attitude and great work ethic, which is evident in his own words: ‘any ability I lack I make up for in effort’. However, we saw that Liam has the ability, and it will be exciting to see him, and his company grow over coming years. Liam will no doubt be one of our next generation of leaders.

“Niki clearly has drive, determination and genuine care for the profession and the future of it and is a D&I champion. There is no doubt Niki will be pivotal in the betterment of our industry over the coming years.

“Heather has used her own experiences and challenges to really develop and grow to allow her to be the best she can be for herself and her team. Although Heather is already in a management role, she will be a highly effective leader and role model of the future within our industry.”

The Oliver Rose Biba Young Broker Award is judged by a range of independent insurance professionals and recognises the career progression, sector participation, professional education and development of Biba member brokers aged 35 years or younger.

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