Lee Walker

Griffiths & Armour Professional Risks
Client Services Director

Lee joined Griffiths & Armour over 28 years ago and has a wealth of experience providing insurance and risk management guidance to firms operating in a range of sectors, with particular emphasis on the construction professions.

His areas of responsibility in the Client Services Board are Client Relationships and Development. He manages teams of insurance brokers working with clients across the UK and Ireland whilst also developing and maintaining strong relationships with clients and insurers. Along with fellow Director, Rhian Polglase, he devotes considerable time to supporting the training and mentoring of new personnel and has played a key role in the development of our graduate training programme.

Lee, have any changes been introduced to the firm since the formation of the board?

Griffiths & Armour has always placed great emphasis on excellence in client service. The formation of the Board was further evidence of that and provides the perfect forum to discuss and debate the issues that matter most to our clients.

Today, we are operating in a very dynamic environment with significant changes happening across the insurance market and the sectors our clients are operating in. I believe the Board has been a critical component in helping us to identify those changes, establish how they are likely to impact our clients and ensure that we are responding appropriately. It has also helped to ensure better communication with our clients and our own teams, who need to understand what is happening in our clients’ world.

Internally, it’s very much about two-way communication, getting feedback from our brokers on the issues they are encountering whilst equipping them with the knowledge and skills to deliver the kind of service our clients have become accustomed to. That happens in several ways but the Board has been particularly active in supporting our ‘Lunch & Learn’ sessions, updating our training manuals and introducing a set of ‘Guiding Principles’ to help reinforce good behaviours and ensure that our values are enshrined within everything we do.

Something that has been very welcome is the feedback from clients. Since the formation of the Board, we have had so many positive comments about the idea of having a team of Directors dedicated to maintaining and improving upon client service. Personally, I enjoy the collaborative nature of the Board and appreciate the confidence placed in us by our Leadership team, who have empowered us to deliver the positive changes we are already seeing within the business.

How has the Client Services Board improved the client experience?

Like other members of the Board, I am working with clients every day and have relationships that stretch back over 20 years. I would like to think that I am seen as a trusted adviser and that closeness and understanding gives us real insight into the issues our clients are facing and how our service needs to evolve.

It also informs our wider activities as advocates for our clients and other professionals operating within our core sectors; an area my colleague, Claire Meade, is very involved with. This work is something we are all very proud of and I don’t know of any other insurance broker who devotes such considerable time and resource to representing the interests of clients and supporting their representative bodies.

I think the Board also helps to ensure a consistency in approach whilst also underpinning our core values. The last few years have been particularly challenging in terms of Professional Indemnity (PI) market conditions but our ethos and ‘Guiding Principles’, expertly led by Client Services Director, Claire Ault, have put us in good stead to work through any challenges and maintain our focus on achieving the best outcomes for clients. In doing so, we have been able to harness the Client Services Board’s collective experience (over 100 years in total!) and use this to drive innovation in our approach to client service.

What makes the Client Services Board different?

It is quite unique to have a Board that is solely focused on client service. Each Director is also bringing a wealth of experience and whilst we have all grown-up through the organisation, it has been interesting to see how the different perspectives and skillsets have helped to shape our thinking.

I believe we also feel a shared responsibility to maintain and build upon Griffiths & Armour’s established reputation and that brings real energy, enthusiasm and a collegiate approach to everything we do.