Article ID: 2c36d65e0d981d4fac135ffa7a1e4925e42da53b2750a28e3ec2c5696808e05d
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’We like to think of ourselves as an extension of our members and service is at the heart of what do to support them,’ says managing director The UK broker market has been through a long cycle of consolidation, with the number of independent firms having diminished drastically over the last decade. Data published by the FCA in 2025 showed that the number of brokers operating in the UK fell from 6,637 in 2015 to 5,516 in 2024 – a drop of 16.9%. And, according to M&A consultancy Marshberry, which provided the data for the latest Insurance Times Top 50 Brokers report, the number of independent brokers in the UK has halved in the previous 15 years. As consolidators have themselves been consolidated, those independent brokers that do remain must also compete with industry behemoths that have only grown in size and capability, necessitating the question of how they can remain relevant in a market defined by scale and eyewatering financial firepower. The answer, according to John Dunn, has something to do with “community and collaboration”. Dunn is the managing director for Clear Group-owned broker network Brokerbility, as well as managing director for distribution and market management at Clear. Brokerbility, which he calls a network of “high quality independent regional brokers” is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and, excluding Clear, has grown to account for around £300m of gross written premium (GWP). With the Clear Group included, the network totals over £1bn of GWP, which Dunn says “helps to provide a lot of influence and weight to independent members”. Strength in numbers Networks – and the strength in numbers they provide – have long been a bulwark for independent brokers against the rising tide of multinational influence. Read: Broker network unveils new cyber proposition for members Read: Allianz and Aviva ranked top in Brokerbility satisfaction survey Explore more broker related content here, or discover other news stories here And while Dunn says the UK market is “well served by a range of broker networks that provide different things to brokers at different stages in their journeys”, he believes that the collaborative, community focus of Brokerbility is particularly helpful here. He explains: “We like to think of ourselves as an extension of our members and service is at the heart of what do to support them. That can sound quite intangible, but it ranges from supporting on placement strategy or with insurer deals, to remarketing schemes and even helping with tricky claim situations. “It’s a very tailored proposition so we don’t have a one-size-fits-all approach, but we try to speak to brokers and understand their pinch points so we can help them to focus on those.” As well as providing this sort of service, Brokerbility also works with its own network of affiliate partners to provide members services such as compliance support, lead generation and legal advice. Crucially, however, Dunn says that the collective bargaining power a network provides is vital when negotiating with insurers. “It’s really important that we have strategic relationships with carriers,” he says. “That means we have a closer relationship with some over others, but my role, from a network perspective, is ensuring that we can provide solutions and be additive to our members.” This work is particularly relevant during soft market conditions, Dunn adds, as he has observed a number of insurers “choosing to exit some of the more difficult risks”. “That’s where, in a soft market, there can be less choice for some of the more complex risks,” he says, “so we have a focus on supporting members with getting to a good customer outcome in that situation.” Part of Dunn’s dual role at Brokerbility and Clear is to identify synergies between the organisations to further support these efforts. For example, he says he is currently identifying schemes that Clear Group operates that could be made available to Brokerbility members, such as tree surgeon and media professional products. Clear-owned MGA Shapre Underwriting is also a factor in this strategy, with Dunn adding that relationships between members and the MGA “forms a key part” of providing members with unique advantages. Growth and expansion Looking to the future, Dunn says that Brokerbility is not pursuing aggresive expansion and that the onboarding process for new members can take up to two years, with the emphasis firmly on cultural fit over commercial opportunity. “We want to make sure that if someone’s joining the network, they’re going to be a good fit for our community – that’s absolutely the number one thing,” he says. “I’m pretty confident that once a broker is in, we can help them and add value, but the question is whether they’re going to add something to our community as well.” That community ethos extends to mentoring between members at different stages of their journeys and Dunn says that, when members do leave, it is almost exclusively because they have been acquired. Geographically, Dunn says the network is open to expanding across the UK wherever the right fit exists – and recent activity suggests momentum is building. Back in January, Brokerbility completed the acquisition of the Gauntlet Network, as well as its network of appointed representatives (ARs), a move Dunn frames as central to a core strategic ambition – nurturing the next generation of broking entrepreneurs. “Part of Brokerbility’s story for the next chapter is about how we bring on people who want to start their own broking businesses,” he says. “Through Gauntlet, we want to provide a pathway for people to build their own brokerages.” It is a timely ambition. With consolidation having hoovered up independent firms at pace for the best part of a decade, the pipeline of entrepreneurial talent capable of launching and sustaining new broking businesses has thinned considerably. For Dunn, reversing that trend is not just a commercial priority – it is something closer to a mission. No comments yet
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