After opening an office less than a year ago in Cockermouth, TL Dallas has appointed Heather Wood and also plans to recruit several new team members over the coming years, as well as offering apprenticeships to young people in the local area.
Heather will work alongside experienced insurance brokers, Lynne Taylor, Emma Irving and Philip Jackson, and in total the four brokers have over 130 years combined industry experience specialising in general commercial insurance and agricultural business insurance.
Heather has worked in the insurance industry for more than 30 years, but most recently worked at a family business based in Cockermouth. Philip Jackson said: “Heather is a former colleague and we’re delighted and privileged that she has decided to re-join the industry and to work with the three of us again. She will be a huge asset to our business.”
Lynne Taylor added: “Heather believes that a strong community presence and a local service is of the upmost importance to all businesses in Cumbria, which fits perfectly with our values at TL Dallas.”
All four industry stalwarts previously worked for many years at C H Jeffries, which was the largest independent insurance broker in Cumbria, before it was acquired by a national firm and went through several mergers and subsequent acquisitions.
Emma said: “Since opening the office in the heart of Cumbria we have won many clients who want a personal and bespoke face to face service, and we are enjoying providing our insurance broking services to all types of local businesses in every sector.”
Philip added: “As TL Dallas has 11 other offices across the UK, our team and our clients in Cumbria can also benefit from the experience of the wider network, as well as the range of other TL Dallas services on offer too. The fact we have an in-house claims team is another major benefit.”
Lynne added: “As we grow our client base, we hope to attract other insurance professionals to our business, as well as encouraging talented youngsters to pursue a career in insurance, via our renowned apprenticeship scheme.”
Polly Staveley, managing director at TL Dallas, said: “Cumbria is a really important area for our business and with such an experienced and well thought-of team at the helm, we are confident that we can grow the business and create more jobs for local people.”