Barry Smith
Chief Executive
Barry Smith took on the role of Chief Executive for Fortis Insurance in November 2001.
Barry has a BA (Hons) degree in Business Studies, has a Post-Graduate Diploma in Marketing. Barry is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (FCIB) and a member of the Institute of Marketing (MCIM).
Barry is Chairman of the ABI Motor Committee, a member of the ABI GIC Management Committee, Chairman of the ABI Greenaway Review into uninsured driving, and also past President of CII in Southampton.
Demonstrating his commitment to social responsibility in the community, Barry was also the Corporate Recruitment Chairman of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s ‘The South Coast Walk to Cure Diabetes’2006 initiative.
Julian Harvey
Chief Financial Officer
Julian joined Fortis UK in June 2004.
A Chartered Accountant, Julian’s experience includes senior finance roles within the financial services sector both here and in the USA, including seven years as Vice President Finance of the Farmers Insurance Group based in Los Angeles. Most recently he has been running his own consultancy business.
Shaun Astley
Operations Director
Shaun joined Fortis Insurance in 1999 as a result of the merger between Northern Star and Bishopsgate having previously qualified with Deloittes as a Chartered Accountant in 1980 then spent 3 years at KPMG. He subsequently worked as Director and General Manager of a London Market reinsurance company.
Adam Clarke
Director of Underwriting Development
Adam joined Fortis Insurance in September 2007 from RBS Insurance. As Commercial Director for Direct Line, Churchill and Privilege he was responsible for the Home, Pet and Travel accounts, prior to which he was Finance Director for Churchill. As Director for Underwriting Development his role includes responsibilities for Commercial, Van and New Product Development.
Chris Dobson
Distribution & Development Director
Chris Dobson joined us on 15 March 2004 as the new Development Director.
Chris came from Royal & SunAlliance where he held various roles in both Commercial and Personal Lines business across branch, regional and head office locations. His most recent role was Broker & Affinity Schemes Director for UK Personal Lines.
Rob Smale
Claims Director
Rob joined Fortis Insurance in 2003 having previously worked at Norwich Union Direct for 7 years where he was the Director of Operations for Claims. Rob’s qualifications include both a degree in engineering and an MBA.
Lyn Nicholls
HR Director
Lyn joined Fortis in 2003 from IAS, where she had previously been HR Director. Prior to this, Lyn worked for 14 years at AA and Centrica in a variety of HR management roles.
Lyn is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Helen Pickford
Finance Director
Helen brings to Fortis a wealth of experience spanning almost 15 years in the insurance industry. She joins us from Royal Sun & Alliance Insurance Group plc where she was Finance Director responsible for the UK Retail and Affinitiy businesses, working as a key member of the executive team on all business aspects. Prior to this Helen was Group Head of Investor Relations, managing a significant improvement in both the Groups share price and reputation.
Jeff Grosvenor
IT Director
Jeff joined Fortis Insurance in 2002 and has 30 years experience in IT predominantly in the insurance sector. Before joining Fortis, Jeff was Operations Manager of Applications Management for ICL, a major IT services company. Prior to this Jeff was employed by the AA as General Manager, responsible for the systems development strategy and delivery.