ERS, a specialist motor insurance provider in the UK, has confirmed the promotion of Annie Ward (pictured) to head of bespoke personal lines and agriculture. Ward, who joined ERS in 2014, previously held the position of product manager for bespoke personal lines.
In her new role, Ward will oversee the underwriting strategy and performance of both the bespoke personal lines and agriculture portfolios. These areas include insurance cover for a wide range of vehicles such as prestige, high net worth, collections, and overseas vehicles, as well as agricultural and estate vehicles and those used for leisure and recreation purposes, including golf courses and zoos.
Ward will report to Scott Tillbrook, active underwriter at ERS. Her appointment follows Tillbrook’s recent transition from his former role as head of agriculture, commercial lines and bespoke personal lines.
“Annie has consistently demonstrated her ability to drive growth and profitability in the Bespoke Personal Lines sector,” said Tillbrook. “Her focus on end-to-end underwriting, which consistently provides Prestige quotes in under two hours, and the build-out of a specialist Prestige claims proposition, has been instrumental in our success – delivering excellent underwriting results year-on-year. The addition of Agriculture to her remit is a natural progression.”
He added that the company continues to focus on promoting internal talent where possible.
“I’m excited to add the agriculture class to my role. Whilst our agriculture and prestige propositions might seem quite different, they are similar in many ways,” said Ward. “Both are service-led propositions, supported by expert broker-facing teams, our latest, enriched, real-time pricing models, and their own specialist claims teams.”
She noted ongoing developments in digital trading for specialist risks in both sectors, which aim to enhance quote response times.
The announcement comes as the UK personal lines insurance market has seen notable trends. Following a period of price hikes, particularly in motor insurance, the market is generally softening, leading to more competitive pricing and opportunities for consumers. According to a report from Aon, this is due to stronger financial performances by insurers, increased competition, and a rise in available capacity.
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