Natasha Barrow Employee Spotlight

Affinity partnerships play an important role in helping businesses and individuals find insurance that works for them. These partnerships help ensure that businesses have a broad range of support at their fingertips, and can make finding insurance services easier.

Natasha Barrow , Head of Affinities at Gallagher, tells us more about her role and the importance of affinity partnerships.

Can you give us a summary of your role at Gallagher?

Within my role as Head of Affinities, I support a team of Account Directors based across the UK to manage our key partners. Delivering for our partners and their customers is our top priority, and I am always working on ways to improve the service we offer; this ranges from the way data is sent to us, to the products we provide. The types of affinity relationships we have are incredibly varied, but it is my responsibility to create synergy and efficiency in what can sometimes be a fairly complex model. I am based in London, although within my role I travel across the UK.

Can you tell us more about Gallagher’s affinity partnerships? ?

Membership organisations represent a key segment of our affinity partnerships, where we develop tailored propositions to meet the specific needs of their members. Another crucial sector for us is our partnerships with banks. These affinity relationships are an excellent example of us building a customer journey that ensures businesses are matched with the appropriate person within Gallagher.

Additionally, our affinity relationships extend to the insurer and broker out-of-appetite sector. Thanks to our placement capabilities at Gallagher, we are an ideal fit for insurers and brokers with more specialised appetites. We have a proven track record of success in this area and continue to expand this model with our partners.

Why are affinity partnerships important?

Many SMEs require guidance when it comes to their insurance needs. Our partners are frequently sought out by their members, customers, or clients for advice on where to obtain suitable insurance. By partnering with Gallagher, they can confidently recommend us as a reliable solution for fulfilling their clientele's insurance requirements. Without this facilitation, many businesses could waste significant time searching for the right solution and, in the worst-case scenario, end up with inadequate coverage.

What role do affinity partnerships play in insurance and how do they benefit clients?

The nature of the relationship between our partners, their customers, and us varies depending on the type of affinity partnership. For instance, in the membership organisation sector, we strive to offer bespoke solutions tailored to the specific needs of their members. This often includes exclusive member benefits that enhance the coverage for their particular activities. When collaborating with out-of-appetite partners, we provide solutions for more challenging and complex insurance risks. Customers can often feel frustrated or concerned when they are unable to obtain an insurance quote. By having a referral provision to Gallagher, our affinity partners can effectively address this potential challenge, ensuring their customers receive the necessary coverage.

In your words, what is the role of the insurance broking industry in supporting UK businesses?

Insurance plays a crucial role in ensuring businesses can continue operating with minimal disruption when unforeseen events occur. Financial support from insurance during incidents is vital not only for covering costs but also for alleviating the stress associated with resolving these issues. When considering the role of brokers specifically, the advised service we provide at Gallagher is essential in helping businesses ensure they get the right cover. It can be challenging to navigate the right products you require, when insurance isn’t your area of expertise.

We have extensive experience in partnerships and an incredible team working at Gallagher. We are able to be dynamic and adapt to the needs of our partners but are also able to give recommendations on where simplification could improve the services that we both provide. Getting the right result for our common customer is at the forefront of everything we do at Gallagher, and this certainly should make it easier for a business to decide to let us take over and handle their customers’ insurance needs.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I love that my job enables me to work with so many different parts of Gallagher, across a variety of affinity partner and customer types, and all over the country. I feel privileged to have a role that is so diverse.