Broking break: And finally

My hidden talent

My ‘hidden talent’, now buried under a few extra kilograms, was fencing. Not garden perimeters variety, nor the activity undertaken by purveyors of stolen goods, but with swords. I was first drawn to fencing by the relative warmth of my school’s gymnasium, by comparison with the playing fields outside. February 1963 saw my initiation to the game of rugby, amid arctic winds, sleet and snow. Therefore, I escaped into the optional fencing class on Thursdays, because I didn’t much fancy boxing and woodwork had already proven itself beyond me. Happily, I progressed swiftly and by the following winter, fencing had become my full-time sport. Indeed, I continued to play sporadically until my mid-30s, occasionally winning County Championships with my trusty sabre. So, that is why corporate invitations to rugby matches, at any level, are wasted on me.

James Sharp, director at Ten Insurance Services

Why I chose insurance

Insurance found me! it was a fluke and a very lucky one. I left school at 16 with a C in woodwork and my dear father was a broken man having spent his hard-earned money on my education. Mowing the lawn one day, he got chatting with our neighbour. Bemoaning his idiot son, the neighbour turned out to be Don Taylor the Lloyd’s underwriter. He took pity on my dad and got me an interview at Stewart Wrightson and I got the job. The 70’s was all about who you knew! By pure chance I ended up in an industry I absolutely love and that has been very good to me. Thanks Don (and Dad).

John Sims, managing director, Vizion Group of Companies

Pet of the month - Roxie and Kingston, The Progress Partnership’s office dogs

“Roxie, 8, is a Greyhound and Kingston, 6ish, is a Lurcher. They are both on their second careers having been retired from racing and being a stray respectively. Roxie is head of client engagement, she loves cuddles and meeting new people. Kingston is head of security, he’s not very good at it as he dislikes confrontation but he is excellent at looking moody.” 

On the spot

Russell Scanlan’s Simon Winiarski on the family business and football

▶ My favourite book is…

…either my CII Insurance Law textbook (seriously, this would be a Desert Island Discs option) or any of the Harry Potter books (multi-generational fans of all things HP in our household) depending on what mood I’m in.

▶  When I was a child I wanted to be a…

…footballer (not original maybe but certainly heartfelt) preferably for Nottingham Forest. I am still a staunch fan.

▶ The funniest person in insurance is…

…without compare, in my eyes, is my dad, Edward Winiarski. He’s been a guru and mentor over the course of my career. Insurance runs in the blood in our family.

▶ The three foods I could not live without are…

…a chicken biryani, chilli con carne and beans on toast – a satisfyingly culturally diverse choice looking at the list now.

▶ My dream job would be…

…again a footballer. I am still helping to coach the teams my children are on, so living the dream from the sidelines, and managing the odd game myself. Failing that I’ve always fancied being an ombudsman. Dispute resolution is a fascinating process for me – really appeals to my sense of fairness.

▶ My best moment in insurance (so far!) was…

…being made a director at Russell Scanlan. We are still a fiercely independent firm and I think the best at what we do, and I will celebrate 10 years with the business this month. Flowers, cards, chocolates and beer sent to…

Simon Winiarski, director at Russell Scanlan in Nottingham

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