Speaker Profiles

Charles Crawford, Managing director, NIG

In 1993 Charles Crawford joined Churchill as motor underwriter, eventually assuming the position of technical services director with responsibility for underwriting, pricing and e-commerce. He also assumed responsibility for IT and the offshore IT facility in India in his capacity as director of information technology. In 2003, Crawford was appointed RBS Insurance managing director of intermediary broker business. He is an associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute and has been actively involved with several Association Of British Insurers committees.

Jim McGuinness, Chief executive officer, insurE-com

Jim McGuinness has 16 years of insurance industry experience, having previously held the post of financial and IT director at Axa Insurance, before setting up a consultancy business in 1999. He has also worked as project director and interim financial director with the Financial Services Authority.

Eric Galbraith, Chief executive, British Insurance Brokers' Association

Eric Galbraith's career spans more than 35 years in the insurance market. In 1994, with experience of both retail and commercial insurances, he was headhunted by the Royal Bank of Scotland for the post of managing director of Royal Bank Insurance Services, with responsibility for the life and pensions business. He became MD of Hill House Hammond in November 2000. He has worked in a number of specialised areas, including business interruption, marina and professional indemnity, in addition to gaining extensive experience in managerial and client servicing roles.

Sandy Scott, Director general, Chartered Insurance Institute

Sandy Scott was appointed director general of the Chartered Insurance Institute in September 2000. Additionally, he is currently chairman of the European Financial Planning Association, chairman of the Institute for Global Insurance Education and chief executive officer of the Society of Financial Advisers.

David Grant, Marketing and compliance director, NIG

David Grant joined NIG more than nine years ago, initially as marketing manger, then moving on to become marketing and sales manager and a member of the NIG executive team. More recently, he was appointed marketing and compliance director, with responsibilities for all marketing aspects within NIG as well as the broker support functions of e-commerce and agency. Grant is a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute and has qualifications in marketing and financial management.

Sarah Wilson, Director, high street firms division, Financial Services Authority

Sarah Wilson began her career as an economist at the Bank of England in 1987, where she worked on a range of international and domestic economic policy issues. She then went on to work on banking supervisory policy in 1994 and, between 1996 and 1998, she was private secretary to Howard Davies and moved to the Financial Services Authority. Wilson became head of policy in the pensions review in 1998, then head of mortgage regulation in 2000 before being appointed director, high street firms division in 2002.

Oliver Lodge, Managing director, Beachcroft Wansbroughs Consulting

Oliver Lodge launched Beachcroft Wansbroughs Consulting in 2002 following nine years with the Investment Management Regulatory Organisation of the Financial Services Authority where he headed up a supervision team, subsequently becoming head of investment funds policy at IMRO. Prior to Lodge's career with IMRO/FSA, he worked for 10 years in investment management, latterly as a director of Granville Investment Management, after holding posts at Smith & Williamson and at Brown Shipley.

Ken Davie, Managing director, J W Group Insurance and Risk Managers

The broking case study, sponsored by Sirius Financial Systems, spotlights Ken Davie's 28 years of industry experience. Starting as a motor clerk at General Accident, he was eventually promoted to local manager and then city inspector. He joined Clarkson Puckle in 1986 and became sole proprietor of Charles Jacob and Co. in 1987 until the business merged and he became partner of the newly formed Jacob Whittle Partnership. After merging with Carlisle Insurance in 2002, Davie was appointed to his current position.