Meet the Team: Gary Newlyn, Managing Director of JM Glendinning Community Risk Solutions

How did your career in insurance begin?

After a year of studying design and architecture at university, I decided it wasn’t for me. I then worked in various jobs such as training, call centres, sales and customer service before applying for a job with Eagle Star Insurance as it had a strong reputation locally as a good local employer.

And how did it continue?

I progressed through the business from a position in the call centre to a junior management role and then worked on the bid management team for our affinity partnerships, before moving onto the Zurich Municipal side of the business. That’s where I started working with non-profit and public sector organisations. These ranged from local authorities to charities, to those involved in education, but I developed a real expertise for care and social housing. My ability to support these sectors by making sure they had the right insurance made me feel as though I was doing my small part for the communities we all live in. I spent the last seven years as the National Sales Manager for the Social Housing segment at Zurich, responsible for a team that specialised in bidding for and account managing insurance for all sizes of social housing providers and those organisations involved in care.

What brought you to JM Glendinning?

After almost two decades I was ready to develop my career with another organisation, and it was really important that my next move would be to somewhere that combined a good cultural fit with what I wanted to achieve professionally and the values I hold dear. I was introduced to the JM Glendinning team at the start of 2022 and was presented with the unique opportunity to build and become the managing director of a new brokerage. The chance to build a successful business that could offer greater choice and alternative options with regards to insurance for the social housing sector and to local communities really appealed to me.

What do you enjoy about your role?

Working with a great bunch of colleagues from whom I learn a lot, while also offering my expertise to the benefit of the wider group. I like that we are entrepreneurial with true customer-centricity at our heart and we are constantly looking at how we can solve problems for our clients. Our growth success is linked to doing a fantastic job for our customers and building great reputations.

I have really enjoyed spending the initial months of the business focusing on establishing a presence within Hampshire and getting to know some of the great businesses and non-profits in my local community. I have admired and been inspired by the stories from those organisations of how they have grown and have spoken with businesses involved in all manner of activities from care, to supporting young people, who are entrepreneurial by nature or offer skilled trades.

I’m delighted to now be in a position to start building a team with some new appointments and have the chance to reacquaint myself with people I’ve previously supported, looking at how my new business can assist them and their organisations going forwards.

What’s the secret to your success?

I think a good work ethic, investing time in building good relationships and trying to keep things a little light-hearted are the secrets to my success. I benefited from some great mentors at points in my career and try to make sure I pay that back by being encouraging and supportive to those that need help with their careers as well. Making sure you build a good reputation and good relationships will mean people recommend you and will want to continue working with you. Whether you’re building a team, trying to win new business, or retaining existing clients; it is a lot easier if you have a well-established reputation and credibility that you’ve built up over time.

What advice would you give to someone starting their career in the industry?

As someone who is celebrating 20 years in the insurance industry this month, the best advice I could give is to be open to the opportunities that the industry and sector can offer, because they’re plentiful. It’s also important to find good mentors and role models early on. Having people you respect and who conduct themselves in the way that you wish to conduct yourself as examples is so important. I have been lucky enough to have lots of people at different points of my career that have invested their time and effort with me to help me progress and become more successful and that’s something I’m looking forward to doing in return with the new generation of people joining the insurance industry.

What’s next for JM Glendinning Community Risk Solutions?

My aim is for my business to become a well-established boutique broker with an excellent reputation for supporting those organisations that have complicated risks or large property stocks. Many are trying to balance being both commercial and having a social purpose and this is something I can relate to with my business. I’m looking forward to broadening the service JM Glendinning Community Risk Solutions offers to organisations involved in social housing and those working in the public sector and feel the time is right for a new entrant to the market that can support these types of organisations. These risks can be complex and come with challenges which means they need support from those with a credible track record and the right experience and expertise. Doing this alongside developing strong relationships with good businesses in local communities really excites me and I can’t wait to see my business grow further.

What Group MD, Jake Fox, says:

“When we first got to know Gary, we were incredibly impressed not just with his connectivity within his chosen marketplace, but also with his integrity and clear focus on doing the right thing. It goes without saying that he’s a fantastic insurance professional and beyond that he also has a very strong moral compass. When building a business that manages the risks and insurance requirements of organisations delivering services to our communities, you want someone like Gary who does everything in a manner which supports those communities. His approach definitely mirrors the JMG Group’s and he is a natural leader who is more than equipped to be a very successful Managing Director.”