Protection Guru, the multi award-winning technical information service and protection value comparison tool for advisers, announces the winners of Protection Guru Awards 2024. Now in its fourth year, the awards were established following the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic to recognise the leading lights of the protection industry.
A celebration of the hard work and dedication of both advisers and insurers over the last eighteen months, the awards are split into four categories: Individual Adviser Awards, Adviser Firm Awards, Insurer Awards and Prestige Awards. An additional Tech Awards category has been added this year to celebrate those building tech to enable more protection conversations.
PGP is the only service that allows advisers in the UK to look at quality and price to assess value across the full suite of protection products, covering life insurance, critical illness, income and business protection. The Protection Guru Awards therefore delve deep into the protection market, shining a spotlight on those making the most positive impact across the entire industry. The winners range from some of the biggest names in the market, to those firms that are new to the market or, while not being protection specialists, place protection at the heart of the advice they give.
The “Insurer Awards” category was voted for by Protection Guru users, while the Individual and Adviser firm awards recognised those who have gone the extra mile in supporting their clients through the claims process, building awareness, and delivering an improved outcome across specific categories, with entries submitted and voted for by the Protection Guru team (see table below).
Ian McKenna, Founder and CEO of Protection Guru, commented: “Now in its fourth year, the Protection Guru Awards are an opportunity to celebrate those who have gone above and beyond in the protection industry whether that’s delivering the best protection outcomes for people, demonstrating the best innovation, providing the most impactful changes for advice firms, and more.
“With the FCA’s recent announcement of a study into the pure protection market, it’s now more important than ever to showcase instances where an excellent standard has been set, a transformative consumer-centred innovation has been executed, or where delivering outstanding protection outcomes has remained at the heart of the financial advice process.
The awards represent the moment we collectively hold ourselves as an industry to the best possible standard and continue do so every moment onwards.
“Many of the submissions were truly inspiring and we thank everyone who made a submission to this year’s awards. A huge congratulations to those who were both nominated, highly commended and awarded this year.”
The winners of the Protection Guru Awards 2024:
| 2024 Awards | Winner |
| Individual Adviser Awards | |
| BEST CLAIM CASE STUDY BY AN ADVISER | Anna Gustyn – Umbrella Protect |
| BEST USE OF VIDEO SOCIAL MEDIA BY AN ADVISER | Kelly Walton – Protex Financial |
| BEST USE OF STATIC SOCIAL MEDIA BY AN ADVISER | Gary Green – Cotswold Mortgage Solutions |
| OUTSTANDING NEW PROTECTION ADVISER | Orianne Williamson – LifeSearch |
| BEST PROTECTION ADMINISTRATOR/SUPPORT STAFF | Kathleen Moralee – Futureproof |
| OUTSTANDING TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT LEADER | Lewis Breach – Futureproof |
| Adviser Firm Awards | |
| BEST MARKETING OF PROTECTION FROM AN ADVICE FIRM | The Openwork Partnership |
| BEST NETWORK | Sesame |
| BEST PROTECTION SUPPORT GROUP/COMPLIANCE SERVICE | London & Country |
| BEST PROTECTION ADVICE FROM A MORTGAGE BROKERAGE | Create Finance |
| BEST INNOVATION FROM AN ADVICE FIRM | Protect365 |
| BEST TRAINING INITIATIVE | LifeSearch |
| PROTECTION ADVICE FIRM OF THE YEAR | Futureproof |
| Insurer Awards | |
| BEST USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA FROM A BDM | Jordan Clark – Guardian |
| BEST CLAIM VIDEO FROM AN INSURER | The Exeter |
| BEST INSURER FOR PROTECTING A MORTGAGED CLIENT | Vitality |
| BEST INSURER FOR PROTECTING A CLIENT’S FAMILY | Guardian |
| BEST INSURER FOR PROTECTING THE INCOME OF PEOPLE WITH STANDARD OCCUPATIONS | Royal London |
| BEST INSURER FOR PROTECTING THE INCOME OF PEOPLE WITH HIGHER RISK OCCUPATIONS | The Exeter |
| BEST INSURER FOR PROTECTING BUSINESS OWNERS | Legal & General |
| BEST INSURER FOR PROTECTING HARD TO COVER CLIENTS | Guardian |
| BEST SUPPORT SERVICE | Guardian |
| BEST INSURER FOR KEEPING CLIENTS PROTECTED | Royal London |
| Prestige Awards | |
| THE ABOVE AND BEYOND AWARD (ADVISERS) | Emma Astley – CoverMyBubble |
| OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN CLAIMS HANDLING | HSBC Life |
| PROTECTION GURU’S DOCTORS AWARD | Zurich Accelerate |
| OUTSTANDING PROTECTION ADVISER OF THE YEAR | Scott Taylor-Barr |
| DEDICATION TO PROTECTION AWARD | Emma Thomson |
