North West
Understanding customers means getting close to them
Introducing the North West region
I’m pleased to welcome you to the North West region. As a new Agent you’ll be joining an agency that is already a key part of the NFU Mutual Agency Network. It’s a region that is full of potential, and the business growth opportunities open to you and your Partner Agent(s) are significant.
After all, our reputation’s been built on developing long-standing and effective relationships, with both customers and agencies. Our experienced team is here to help you as you develop your agency’s full potential, because ultimately our success as a region is based on the success of your business.
Backed by our exceptional Regional and Head Office teams, my role is to help you grow and develop your agency in the most sustainable and compliant way. Although you’re running your own business, you can tap into our expertise to ensure your agency maintains good governance, adheres to regulatory requirements and delivers the fantastic customer service NFU Mutual is known for.
To help you keep your customers coming back year after year, we provide a wide range of support, from helping you successfully develop and implement your agency business plan, to providing leadership development training and technical product knowledge. Many aspects of the support we offer is similar across all our agencies, but as you’re best placed to deliver bespoke plans for your agency, we’ll work with you to ensure you harness the potential within your area. We look forward to meeting you!
Owen Suckley, Regional Manager
The North West region
The North West region covers Cumbria, Lancashire, Cheshire, Shropshire and the Isle of Man. It’s a greatly varied region, with areas such as Cumbria and Cheshire where farming is still at the centre of the local economy, as well as major cities including Manchester, Liverpool, Preston, Lancaster and Chester.
This means our agencies work with a wide range of customers. Across the region, we actually have more commercial than farming policies, and also provide products to around 1,000 high net worth customers. With lots of potential for growth, you can look forward to plenty of support to develop your business in a variety of sectors.
The North West region in numbers
Agent Partnerships (25 offices)
counties (plus the Isle of Man)
customers
GWPI (end of June 2024)
Meet some of the Agents
Stuart Chacksfield, Farming Agent (Cheshire West and Maelor)
I was working in corporate finance but didn’t enjoy the culture of putting profit before customers. So I liked NFU Mutual’s focus on the right outcome for the customer. Also, the opportunity to put my own ideas into practice appealed to me – you wouldn’t get that in a corporate environment. It’s a multifaceted role and you need to make strategic decisions but you get a lot of support to help you run the business effectively from the NFU Mutual regional team and the network of Agents.
I enjoy meeting customers, understanding their businesses and building long-term relationships, while learning about different industries. Being the NFU representative makes this relationship richer and it’s great to be involved in local events and the farming community. Every year I develop and enjoy it more.
Jo Oliver, Senior Agent (Preston and Blackburn)
I’d had a few roles in agriculture and was working as a Tesco Fresh Food Manager when I saw the chance to become an NFU Mutual Agent and Group Secretary in Somerset. That’s where I learned the ropes, before relocating back up north to Preston in 2014.
What really appealed to me was being able to control my own destiny. I enjoy being able to shape the business – having the vision, creating a plan and being responsible for a team of dedicated who make it happen. It’s incredibly challenging, but rewarding – you’re working with customers, understanding their business and doing the right thing to meet their needs. It’s about protecting what matters – for the agency partners, for NFU Mutual and for customers.
Ed Crawford, Farming Agent (Cheshire West and Maelor)
After I graduated with a Business degree, I couldn’t decide on a career. My dad insured with NFU Mutual and the local Agent recommended that I apply for the graduate scheme. During the scheme I worked at different agencies and learned about being self-employed and running a business. The current Agent thought I could be a good business partner, so I decided to apply and I was successful becoming an Agent in 2019.
Every day’s different – you get insights into businesses ranging from farms to retailers and manufacturers. And you’re always looking to do the right thing for the customer. I enjoy the fact that I get to put my business degree into good use being a self-employed agent as I continuously work on all areas of the business ranging from developing staff, analysing performance and developing our strategy to grow the business.
Mike Barnes, Farming Agent (Cumbria North and North West)
I joined NFU Mutual after Uni and a brief spell in the hospitality sector. Working in underwriting, claims and sales gave me a lot of exposure to the agency network. Then, in 2020, I had the opportunity to become an Agent in the Carlisle agency. I really enjoy interacting with customers, helping them solve their problems and making a difference to their lives.
You also have a say in how NFU Mutual do things – not just in how we serve customers and do the right thing by them, but also influence areas like NFU Mutual’s underwriting and sales propositions. Offering a quality, face-to-face local service is really important. We serve a big farming community and the link to the NFU really helps. It gives us credibility and helps us build strong customer relationships.
Current opportunities
Here are just some of the opportunities that we currently have in the North West region. Simply, click on the title to find out more.
You can see all the opportunities we have available by clicking the ‘See all opportunities’ button. But don’t forget, if you can’t find your perfect opportunity right now, you can 'Register for alerts'. That way, we’ll get in touch when a relevant opportunity does come up.
We're always pleased to hear from people ready to move into a self-employed Agent role. If you have any questions about becoming an Agent and Partner in the NFU Mutual Agency Network please email agentrecruitment@nfumutual.co.uk.
We also welcome speculative applications for Agent roles, but recommend that you read our ‘The Agent opportunity’ information before submitting your ‘Speculative Agent application’.
Sorry. There are currently no opportunities available in North West. Why not take a minute to search all of the opportunities we currently have available? Just in case something else catches your eye. Or if you want to be notified as and when we do have an available opportunity, please register for our job alert by email service.