I was lucky enough to be invited to Beazley’s ‘Around the World in 80 Years’ launch event last week. The venue at the Natural History Museum didn’t disappoint, the entrance lit up in pink and even ‘Hope’ the Blue Whale branded with a splash of pink light in the splendid Hintze Hall.
While this event was about the future it was also about Beazley’s past. Heritage can work wonderfully for brands and boy did Beazley get this right on the night – a totally credible Jules Verne ‘Phileas Fogg’ character announcing the round the world theme, linking it neatly into the risky business idea, the backdrop a CGI Victorian hot air balloon and the now ubiquitous Beazley hat stand and bowler hat sitting atop a bus that is travelling around N America and the Globe. It all came together to create a vibrant and dynamic representation of a brand that is literally ‘going places’.
With so many ideas and themes (literally) flying around this could have been chaotic or cheesy – but in fact it felt sure – footed and coherent; a clearly articulated and dynamic celebration of a super-successful business (FYI they just turned a £1.4bn profit!) still with bags of ambition. An ingenious next step for the Beazley brand as it pushes out further in terms of its global ambitions.
Adrian Cox CEO, in a modest and measured speech, articulated how the philosophy of the business, established by the founders Nick Furlonge and Andrew Beazley had served it well – I especially liked Adrian’s comment that Beazley had focused on looking ahead through the windscreen, rather than the rear-view mirror. This, I reflected, is exactly what brokers and clients want an insurer to do.
I worked with Beazley over 25 years ago and caught up with one of the founders, Nick Furlonge on the night. Nick is happily retired but still rightly proud of the business he and the brilliant Andrew Beazley created. Talking with Nick again after so many years brought back the fun and craziness of those early years and it also struck me how great leaders create great businesses…providing they pass on the mantle successfully, which clearly has happened at Beazley.
Beazley was also always prepared to make brave decisions – Nick and I reflected on one of those – establishing Beazley US –initially challenging managerially it attracted the wrath of many wholesale brokers in London who feared that Beazley was cutting them out of the chain…but Beazley eventually got the management right, building the US business and winning the brokers over… the rest, as they say, is history.
And this, as if it was all planned(!) brought me back beautifully to Beazley’s ‘risky business’ strapline – yes I get it now!
Ben Bolton