Chartered firms come in various shapes and sizes – but they all share a commitment to achieving the highest standards. These profiles of leading Chartered organisations highlight the building blocks of professionalism
Cowens Survival Capability
Cowens, established in 1973, attained Chartered Insurance Broker status in 2007. The Midlands-based firm, which has offices in Mansfield and Peterborough, provides tailored insurance and risk management solutions to commercial clients drawn from across the business spectrum.
According to Stuart Williams, joint managing director, the company’s success flows from the importance it attaches to building long-term relationships with its customers: “We look to build partnerships. We want to be doing business with our clients in 10 years and beyond. That means delivering a professional service to the highest standards – which is what the Chartered concept is all about.”
The firm is enthusiastically deploying its Chartered status in its marketing and promotional activity, as Grant Scott, associate director, explains: “We are finding that it is opening all sorts of doors. It reassures new clients, and it also helps us establish relationships with likeminded professional firms. We are securing referrals from solicitors and accountants who respect the fact we adhere to the same sort of disciplines they do in terms of qualifications, continuing professional development, ethics and discipline.”
Cowens was also one of the first firms to sign up to the CII’s Aldermanbury Declaration: “It’s clearly the right thing to do. The insurance sector as a whole needs to up its game in terms of professionalism and we are proud to be pioneers,” says Mr Scott.
(an except taken from The Journal, www.cii.co.uk/journal )
