Skip to main content

Newbie News: Senior-led personal touch – Hardings Insurance Brokers

Hardings Insurance Brokers - Tom Butler L, Martin Billington R.

Tom Butler and Martin Billington have launched Hardings Insurance Brokers, Insurance Age can reveal, as the pair explain how they are looking to build a senior-led trusted broker in its space, achieving organic growth through “cold hard prospecting”.

What were your careers in insurance prior to setting up Hardings?

Butler, pictured left: I started in 1992 as an apprentice broker and handler at Schofield Insurance. I progressed to being a partner there in 1999 and a director in 2003. We sold, in 2021, to Ardonagh and I left there at the end of December 2025.

Billington, pictured right: I started in insurance in 1996 – my first role was selling home insurance for the Halifax.

I moved over to Swinton, and then to SME Insurance Services. It was

Only users who have a paid subscription or are part of a corporate subscription are able to print or copy content.

To access these options, along with all other subscription benefits, please contact info@insuranceage.co.uk or view our subscription options here: https://subscriptions.insuranceage.co.uk/subscribe

You are currently unable to copy this content. Please contact info@insuranceage.co.uk to find out more.

Sorry, our subscription options are not loading right now

Please try again later. Get in touch with our customer services team if this issue persists.

New to Insurance Age? View our subscription options

Register

Sign up and gain access to five complimentary news articles every month.

Already have an account? Sign in here

Show password
Hide password

ManyPets confirms social media clone

Pet insurance managing general agent ManyPets has confirmed a customer was contacted by an X account impersonating its brand and has issued a warning on how increasingly convincing scammers can appear.

Q&A: Pen’s Nick Wright

Nick Wright, chief business development officer at Pen Underwriting, tackles its recent M&A quietness, capacity in the market and the benefits to brokers from niche products. He updates on the goal of hitting £1.75bn GWP by 2030, streamlining its agency base and shares why he thinks the Gallagher-owned MGA will “go from strength to strength”.

McCafferty leaves chair role at BDH

Brendan McCafferty has left Top 100 Broker BDH, Insurance Age can reveal, with the business confirming it was an ‘amicable’ departure and there are no plans to replace the now former chair.

Most read articles loading...

You need to sign in to use this feature. If you don’t have an Insurance Age account, please register now.

Sign in
You are currently on corporate access.

To use this feature you will need an individual account. If you have one already please sign in.

Sign in.

Alternatively you can request an indvidual account here: