Warriors players Ted Hill and Francois Hougaard, took part in a virtual business webinar with Made in the Midlands to provide insight from their experiences of elite rugby to help local manufacturing businesses continue to adapt, evolve and tackle any challenges they face.
Through its UK-wide initiative, ‘Tackling Tomorrow Together’, insurance broker and risk management specialist Gallagher, the title partner of Premiership Rugby, is promoting the stories of six UK businesses and a regional children’s charity that have shown real resilience and a pioneering spirit during the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of the businesses is West Midlands-based Made in The Midlands, part of the ‘Made In’ group which is a network supporting and championing over 600 manufacturers in the UK.
The pandemic forced the cancellation of its annual Made in The Midlands exhibition last year, but the organisation moved swiftly to build an effective and interactive virtual version to replace the physical event.
Made in The Midlands also quickly adapted its popular breakfast events to a virtual format, which led to a 500% increase in participation, hugely benefitting its members with continued knowledge share and networking opportunities throughout lockdown.
As part of ‘Tackling Tomorrow Together’ Made in The Midlands has been paired with Warriors and Wasps, offering the business new promotional opportunities.
Club Captain Hill and scrum-half Hougaard joined a virtual business webinar alongside Made in the Midlands spokesman Charles Addison and Gallagher business specialist Richard Grosvenor to share perspectives on their personal challenges during the pandemic both off and on the field, talk about how support systems in place at the club helped them overcome these effectively, and the importance of having robust mental health initiatives in every workplace.
Recognised by Gallagher for its resilience, Made in the Midlands is being rewarded with a host of opportunities to promote the business through the power of the Gallagher Premiership, helping them to reach new audiences.
Gallagher helped to support Made in the Midlands during the pandemic with free online ‘Cyber Security’ webinars for members to highlight not only the tools cyber criminals use to infiltrate IT systems, but the increased vulnerability firms are experiencing due to greater reliance on online activity and remote connectivity during the pandemic.
“As a local insurance broker, Gallagher is working around the clock with UK businesses – large and small – to help them navigate the challenges and evolving risks that have arisen from the tough trading conditions of the past 12 months,” said Michael Rea, Chief Executive of Gallagher’s UK Retail Division.
“Businesses have been left grappling with lockdowns, changes to their insurance requirements, and understanding new risk exposures, with many being forced to quickly adapt their offering or diversify their business model in response to the pandemic and lockdown restrictions.
“It has been incredible to see the optimism and tenacity of some of these businesses and we wanted to take a moment to champion and recognise both the challenges and opportunities presented during an extraordinary period through our ‘Tackling Tomorrow Together’ initiative.”
Thanks to Gallagher’s Tackling Tomorrow. Together campaign, Made in The Midlands and its specialist services will be promoted on match day at Sixways, when COVID allows, with the local business benefiting from increased exposure off the back of the in-stadia advertising. Employees from the business will also have the chance to attend a game to support Hill and Hougaard from the stands, whilst hosting clients.
In addition to the rugby-related package, Gallagher will continue to offer specialist broking advice and support to the organisation.
Click here for more information on this initiative and Gallagher’s commitment as a local insurance broker to the UK business community, and madeinthemidlands.com to find out more about Made in the Midlands.