Key people
See the people behind the group.
Kevin Spencer
Group CEO
Kevin is the founder and majority shareholder of Markerstudy Group. He spent his early days with a small provincial broker, then became an Agency Consultant and later, the Managing Director of Lloyd's broker Edgar Hamilton and Wellard. Kevin considers the creation of Markerstudy Group to be his proudest achievement.
Gary Humphreys
Group Underwriting Director
Gary is the second largest shareholder and joint founder of Markerstudy Group. After a career in underwriting in the Lloyd’s market, he joined forces with Kevin Spencer in 1997 to establish the MGA that became Markerstudy. Gary continues to head up the insurance operations, as well as contributing to the development of other companies within the Group.
Keith Barber
Group Finance Director
Following a first class degree in Economics and Business Economics at Southampton University, Keith qualified as a Chartered Accountant while working for Ernst and Young. After several senior auditing roles at KPMG, he became Financial Controller in various divisions of Equity Group (formerly Cox). Keith joined the Markerstudy Group board in 2005 with responsibility for group finance.
Martyn Holman
Group Commercial Director
Martyn has an insurance career spanning 35 years, and a wealth of experience in underwriting, broking, sales and management. Before joining Markerstudy Group in January 2014, he spent 11 years at Brightside, in the retail insurance broking arm of the business, and secured the position of CEO in 2012. At Markerstudy, Martyn is responsible for identifying and developing new opportunities throughout the group and strengthening existing relationships.
Chris Payne
Group General Counsel and Company Secretary
Chris worked in the motor, pharmaceutical, gaming and betting sectors before being headhunted by Markerstudy to establish the Group Legal department.
Dan Fiehn
Group IT Director
After working in the claims department for a number of insurers, Dan moved into IT. He worked at HBOS and Stirling Insurance before joining Markerstudy.
Lizzie Smith-Foreman
Director of Group Marketing & Communications
Following a Masters degree in Marketing, Lizzie’s career path lead her to insurance, firstly with Denplan (part of AXA) and then Groupama Insurances. Joining Markerstudy in 2010 and building her department, she is responsible for keeping pace with the rapidly expanding needs of the business.
Louise Clark
Managing Director Leisure
First becoming a primary school teacher in Botswana, Louise embarked on a career in health and fitness in London and now heads up the group’s Leisure division.
Martin Wills
Managing Director
Martin trained as a building services engineer and co-founded Vision with Tony Copeland in 1995. He handles all operations within the company, including logistics and claims.
Michael Brittain
Group Financial Controller
After becoming a chartered accountant, Michael worked for a wide variety of organisations. He joined Markerstudy in 2006 and has been involved in every acquisition since.
Steve Cross
Group Head of Claims
Steve has held senior positions at MT Motor Policies, Link Insurance and GHL Insurance Services. He now has overall responsibility for all group claims activity.
Steve Stone
Head of Product
Steve started in adjustment and moved into underwriting at Ensign Motor Policies at Lloyds. Following an MBO by QBE, he set up Markerstudy’s underwriting office in 2010.
Tanya Gerrard-White
Director of HR & Talent Development
Formerly a recruiter in London and the US, Tanya set up her own business and Markerstudy became a client. She now heads up the ‘people’ parts of the group.
Wendy Hilder
Group Underwriting Manager
Wendy joined Markerstudy in 2006, following more than 20 years of experience in the insurance market. Her role combines underwriting, policy services operations, product development and business change.
Anthony Foster
Head of Broker Management
Anthony joined Markerstudy in July 2014 following seven years with Aviva in a range of broker development roles.
Darryl Clark
Head of Business Assurance
Darryl joined Markerstudy in December 2016 with a background in Company Secretary roles at Board level, and a wealth of experience in compliance, legal, risk management and internal audit.
Elaine Fell
Insurance Accounts Controller
Gary Washer
Head of Maintenance & Facilities
With a Post Graduate Diploma in Estate Management, Gary was Facilities/Estates Manager for Mazda UK, prior to joining Markerstudy in December 2014 as Estates Manager. Gary now heads up our Maintenance and Facilities division.
Graham Partlow
Head of Group Projects
With over 30 years' experience in service roles, specifically contact centres, Graham joined Markerstudy in December 2014 as Group Contact Centre Manager, and transferred to Head of Group Projects in 2016.
Harinder Hundle
Head of Family Office
Hari joined Markerstudy as Head of Finance, Family Office in 2016, with financial and investment responsibility. Previously, Hari applied his specialist knowledge to advise clients at Credit Suisse, specifically in the insurance and technology sectors.
James MacBeth
Operations Director
With a background in the motor trade industry, James joined Auto Windscreens in April 1992 and now enjoys an encyclopaedic knowledge of all facets of the business. He was promoted to Operations Director in 2016.
Jason Cabral
Chief Actuary
Graduating in Bermuda, qualifying as an actuary, and completing an MBA at INSEAD, Jason joined Markerstudy in 2012 as Chief Actuary where he leads the pricing team, specialising in UK motor insurance business.
Matthew Duffy
Group Contact Centre Manager
Commencing his career at Whitbread Inns, Matthew moved to Direct Line, and subsequently Minster Law, with responsibility for their FNOL teams. He joined Markerstudy in 2014 as Senior Customer Service Manager and was promoted to Group Contact Centre Manager in 2016.
Paul Baxter
Head of Direct
Paul joined Chaucer (now Geoffrey Insurance) from Renaissance Insurance in Russia, where he was VP for Motor Insurance. With extensive knowledge of the insurance industry, Paul’s previous roles include Head of Motor for Direct Line and Head of Insurance for Tesco Personal Finance.
Paul Hampshire
Managing Director
With over 35 years’ experience in commercial and personal lines insurance, as founding member and Managing Director of Ultimate Insurance Company (acquired by Markerstudy in 2015) Paul continues to oversee the growth of the division.
Richard Morley
Operations Director
Gaining a wealth of knowledge in classic car and motorbike insurance, along with call centre management, Sureterm Direct beckoned, and in 2012 Richard headed up Operations. Following a restructure, he is now Operations Director for Markerstudy's Retail Group.
Ross Barrington
Managing Director
Ross was Director of Telematics at Capita when Markerstudy acquired the businesses of BDML Connect, Lancaster Insurance and Sureterm Direct in 2013. He was appointed Managing Director of Markerstudy Retail Group in 2017 following his role as Divisional Head of Retail in 2016.
Rupert Armitage
Managing Director
Having worked in a small investment bank for 27 years, Rupert initially joined Markerstudy's Family Office before becoming Managing Director of Auto Windscreens in 2016.
Simon Marsh
Managing Director
At 17, Simon started a logistics business, soon operating a fleet of 200 vehicles. After firsthand experience of unpleasant road incidents, he progressed to in-vehicle safety technology. This passion continues in his current role of founder and MD of VisionTrack.
Stuart Mulholland
Managing Director
Stuart boasts 25 years’ experience as a pilot, and has spent the last eight years in business aviation. As Managing Director of Zenith Aviation, his current role involves both overseeing the day-to-day running of the operation and positioning it for future growth.
Warren Pilkington
Head of Insurer Systems
Following 6 years in the British Army Royal Artillery, Warren joined Churchill Insurance, progressing to Operations Manager before transitioning to IT. In 2012 he joined Chaucer as IT director, with responsibility for the software development for all user systems.
Timeline
Markerstudy Group has grown rapidly since being established in 2001. Find out about our incredible journey...
Awards
Markerstudy Group is proud to be an award-winning organisation. We believe our success stems from our commitment to ‘putting the fun’ into business wherever possible to benefit our customers, employees or members of the community.
Our brands
We’re a cohesive group, from insurance, to windscreen repair and vehicle hire. Find out more about our brands.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Named an ‘Extraordinary company to work for’ by Best Companies for five consecutive years, and listed fourth place in The Sunday Times 30 Big Best Companies to Work For 2017, Markerstudy Group and its employees are passionate about ‘giving something back’. Our clear vision, ‘V10’ values and ‘Motiv8’ committee represent a ‘promise’ that we will promote fairness and integrity in customer service, prioritise the wellbeing of our staff and support them in their community and charity fundraising activities, provide positive employment opportunities, encourage green initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint and promote safe driving for the next generation.
Solvency and Financial Condition Report
