My Perfect Broker Week: IRL’s Ed Gaze

What constitutes the ideal start to your working week?

Monday is probably the day I have fewest meetings. So it’s nice to be able to make progress with the things that were bugging me over the weekend.

In terms of working in the office to home/other, what does your working week now look like?

We currently don’t have office space, but I still spend three to four days a week in the City. I base myself out of a members’ club, client offices, and sometimes the Lloyd’s building. I think it is really important to be in the City meeting people face-to-face.

What does a productive in-person, in-office meeting with your own team look like to you?

Well, there’s only two of us at IRL and we’re barely in the same place at the same time. So when we meet it’s nice to just speak face to face over a coffee. The work we do together is normally remote.

What does a productive in-person, in-office meeting with an insurer partner look like to you?

Much the same as above. Face-to-face is for relationship building, and for the occasional workshop.

What does an ideal lunch break look like to take your mind off the day job?

I almost always bring my own food into the City. Over summer I like to eat in one of the little park gardens so I can get a bit of sun and fresh-ish air.

We all know evening meet-ups are important for networking. What is the best after work event you have recently attended?

Can I cheat and go for the best before work event? In which case, the Tour de Insurtech run by Genasys. I led the stage one ride around London, which was during the morning, and got to meet a bunch of new people. Great fun too.

Team bonding is also key to a successful broking business. What have you found is a successful way to keep team spirits up?

We’re only small, so at the moment sharing mini wins has been great at keeping my own morale up.

Have you had a ‘workation’?

No but I tend to work on almost all holidays, does that count?

What would the ideal ‘workation’ look like for you?

Somewhere sunny, warm, and quiet. There needs to be a BBQ nearby, and a lake or sea.

On Friday evening how do you like to wind down after a busy week?

Dinner – ideally steak, and maybe a movie.

Ed will be part of the panel Friend or foe? How can the broker community integrate and capitalise on artificial intelligence (AI) tools? at Broker Expo on 12 October at the NEC Birmingham. 

To join him, click here.