Hugh entered into General Insurance claim in 1988 with the Eagle Star, initially dealing with Commercial motor and property. He progressed to dealing with litigated claims and specialised in industrial disease and deafness, particularly asbestosis claims. In 1997 Hugh joined McLarens Toplis at the Kingston-upon-Thames branch as an adjuster. Following this, he worked for the Prudential/Claims Service Group/Claims Assistance as an in-house domestic property adjuster before moving to John Davies Loss Adjusters/The Claims Service Loss Adjusters, dealing with a mixture of household and commercial property claim.
Hugh had the opportunity to join Cunningham Lindsay/Sedgwick to participate in a desktop handling service for commercial claims, utilising video apps to capture evidence of damage in an effort to speed up the claims handling process. This was two years before Covid-19 made this method of claims handling a viable alternative to a site visit. Hugh re-joined McLarens in July 2022 to return to a more face-to-face role, in which he could get back on the road, visiting customers and dealing with them personally. Hugh is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Insurance.
NOTABLE ASSIGNMENTS:
- Was one of only two claims handlers, countrywide, to be licensed to deal with asbestosis claims for Eagle Star.
- Achieved settlement of an employers liability claim occurring in international waters through the UK Courts rather than the plaintiff’s preferred USA court process
- Spent two weeks in Cumbria after the devastating floods of Christmas 2016 arranging settlement and advancement of claims up to £100,000.
- Helped to set up a desktop handling service using pioneering video applications to capture evidence of damage to commercial properties and thus shorten the life cycle of claims whilst maintaining customer service and efficiency.
