TBIG’s Chris Clacy on why one day out of the office really can create opportunities that last for years

Chris Clacy, business development director, The Broker Investment Group explains why Broker Expo is a great opportunity to step away from the day to day and have the conversations that can create genuine opportunities for the year ahead.

For TBIG, the key message we want to bring to Broker Expo 2026 is simple, we are one division but with multiple specialist capabilities across property, complex liability, professional indemnity and financial lines, including D&O, cyber and med mal.

We have the breadth of expertise and A-rated solutions to provide meaningful options across a wide range of risks.

Our broker partnerships are paramount. We don’t see ourselves simply as another market to approach when a risk doesn’t fit elsewhere, we want to be a genuine partner to independent brokers, understanding their challenges, supporting their growth and helping them find solutions for their clients.

Our A-rated capacity means that TBIG can be a viable option for independent brokers right across the UK.

Don’t just collect pens

That’s also why events such as Broker Expo matter. Our advice to anyone attending would be simple: don’t just walk around collecting pens. Come with a plan, but leave room for the unexpected conversation.

Some of the most valuable opportunities can come from five minutes spent talking to a new market, a specialist underwriter, or a broker you’ve never previously met. One day out of the office really can create relationships and opportunities that last for the next 12 months and beyond.

I expect we’ll hear plenty of the usual insurance buzzwords at Broker Expo like AI, consolidation, capacity, growth and changing market conditions among them. But hopefully one phrase we hear repeatedly is “how can we work together?”

The market will always change and strong partnerships and access to the right solutions are what help brokers navigate those changes.

Technology and AI

Technology and AI are clearly transforming parts of our industry, and the innovation that interests me most is where technology removes administration and gives brokers more time to do what they do best, which is build relationships, understand their clients and win business. Insurance remains a relationship business, and technology should enhance that rather than replace it.

That principle also applies to the next generation of broking professionals. If I could offer one lesson through The Insurance Academy, it would be that relationships are your biggest asset. Learn the technical side of insurance of course, but be curious about the whole process. 

Understand what your client needs, what your broker partner is trying to achieve and why an underwriter will or won’t write a risk. Pick up the phone, meet people face to face and build relationships. Markets and products change but those relationships endure.

Peaky Blinders

And because Broker Expo is in Birmingham, there has to be a Peaky Blinders reference somewhere.

If we could bring a famous superstar into the business, Sir Alex Ferguson would be an interesting choice. Not because we need someone to tell our underwriters how to play a 4-4-2, but because he understood people, preparation, culture, teamwork and getting the best out of specialists. Insurance is a team sport too.

When it comes to who has “played a blinder” over the last 12 months, I’d point to the independent broker community. They continue to navigate changing rates, capacity, competition, consolidation and increasingly complex risks, while still delivering for their clients every day. 

The brokers who continue to invest in relationships and seek specialist solutions are creating opportunities despite the challenges around them.

Complexity

Looking towards 2027, that complexity is actually one of the things that gives us plenty of optimism. Businesses are facing increasingly varied and sophisticated risks, creating a real need for specialist advice and solutions. That creates opportunities for independent brokers who combine strong client relationships with access to specialist markets.

For TBIG, that is exactly where we want to sit, one division, multiple specialisms, A-rated solutions and a partnership led approach. When an independent UK broker has a difficult risk, a new opportunity or simply needs another option, we want TBIG to be one of the markets they think of first.

Broker Expo is therefore about much more than one day at the NEC. It is about starting conversations, developing relationships and creating partnerships that continue long after everyone has left the building.

Sign up to attend the Broker Expo on 8 October at the Birmingham NEC

 

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