Broker Q and A with Broking Director, Karl Sutcliffe

With more than 20 years of service at Cowens, we caught up with Broking Director Karl Sutcliffe to find out more about his career and a few market insights.

How did you get into the insurance sector?

I had just finished college and was looking for full-time employment, Cowens was advertising for an “Office Junior” role at the time, so I applied. I realised that they were insurance brokers and decided to research the industry. It wasn’t my intention to work in insurance, but I’m still here 21 years later.

What do you do at Cowens, and what is the main focus of your role?

I am currently the Broking Director. My primary responsibility is managing the placement strategy insurer relationships and ensuring our products are being offered to meet the demands and needs of the customers in terms of both cover and competitiveness.

How do you keep ahead of risk management developments?

There are many ways to keep ahead of risk developments, such as insurer relationships, internet blogs, insurance press, LinkedIn, etc.

Are there any market insights that people should look out for in 2022?

Professional Indemnity, Management Liability, and Cyber markets remain very volatile, whilst insurers concerns on the operations of unattended machinery and processes will come into focus a lot this year.

What do you love about working at Cowens?

The culture, my colleagues, our attitude towards our clients, and we are and remain a trustworthy independent broker.