LV= Broker General Insurance Advisory Board

Our LV= Broker General Advisory Board is simply the best way of making sure you receive the most current, factual information and updates from across our business.

In fact, the website content you’re seeing today has been created in collaboration with our advisory board, they’re experts in insurance products, claims, fraud, compliance and communication within the broker insurance industry.

Our content is factual, evidence based and reviewed regularly. This not only means you’ve got access to great articles, guides and product information but you can be confident it’s fully compliant with FCA guidelines too.

So who are our panel of experts? Check out their bios below where you can find out about their roles in LV= and a few little extras as well. 

Suzanne Smith, Marketing Communications Manager

Suzanne Smith

Much like her love for competing in mud races and obstacle challenges, Suzanne always gets stuck in at work, leading our LV= Broker Marketing communications team since 2020. Suzanne’s responsible for making sure we’re listening to our brokers’ needs, helping produce the engaging, informative and helpful content you’ll find throughout our websites, comms and events.

Suzanne’s 15 years’ experience in the insurance industry is backed up by a wealth of professional qualifications over her 25 year marketing career too. These include a Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Marketing and Chartered Management Institute level 5 diploma in management and leadership.

Mike Kayode, Marketing Communications Executive

With over 5 years’ experience in the insurance industry planning, designing and responding to briefs from the broker business, Mike’s putting his Master’s Degree in Marketing and BA Hons in Business Studies with Marketing to good use. What’s more, his innovative approach to broker engagement is always sure to raise a smile. 

In his spare time, Mike likes to talk up his chances of winning a game of FIFA, as much as Arsenal’s hopes of Premiership success. This ability to find such hope against the odds is one of Mike’s many endearing qualities.

Vania Furet, Marketing Communications Executive

As a Marketing Communications Executive, Vania’s role is focused on creating innovative, creative and engaging comms that we hope you’ll love and get great value from. New to LV=, but not to marketing with over 6 years’ experience and a degree in Communications and Media, her previous roles included marketing and PR within different industries including park homes and holidays to construction and tech.

Vania enjoys writing in her free time and has done since she was a child. You’d best not ask to read any of her stories however unless you’re fluent in Vania’s first language, Portuguese.

Paul Miles, Head of Specialist Lines Underwriting

An active triathlete, Paul’s a master of many disciplines and his underwriting expertise is no different. Ask Paul what his role involves and he’ll tell you ‘basically anything with wheels that isn’t a standard private car such as; vans, bikes, kit cars, modified vehicles and motorhomes to name a few’, that’s some serious variety.

Having spent 35 years in the insurance industry, it’s no surprise Paul’s experience isn’t just limited to Personal Lines insurance either, working across Casualty and Motor, Commercial Property and others before taking the lead in our specialist motor products.

Clive Upton, Head of Standard Motor Underwriting 

With 30 years insurance and underwriting experience, we’re proud to have Clive as the Head of Personal Lines Underwriting for standard motor, also known as private car. As for Clive’s role, he strategically manages the development of our standard car products through the broker channel. This includes standard broker transacted policies, corporate partners and affinities, providing in-depth underwriting and technical leadership supported by his Chartered Manager (CMI) status.

Clive loves being with his wife, 4 kids and 2 dogs, so with this big family he enjoys time out on family walks, but also likes the occasional fishing trip and game of golf.

Mike Flowers, Non-Standard Product/Bespoke Underwriter

As our non-standard product manager, Mike is our expert when it comes to niche motor product schemes. These include driving schools, modified and high-performance vehicles, provisional licence holders, professional sports people and people that live on the islands around the UK. With over 19 years’ experience in the insurance industry, Mike is also expertly placed to manage LV= Broker’s bespoke account where we offer individual quotes for individual risks.

Two years ago, for a mental and physical challenge, Mike took up Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, admitting he’s much more suited to this pursuit than his other option, golf.

Jon Hughes, Specialist Product Underwriter

Jon joined LV= 16 years ago after completing his A-levels and has held various positions in Underwriting over this time. His current role involves looking after the weird and the wonderful of the motor world including; Classic Cars, Kit Cars, Custom Vehicles, Competition Cars, American Vehicles, 4x4 off road and Motorhomes.

As for personal pursuits, Jon enjoys running and keeping fit, whilst his love of all types of motorsport confirms he’s a real petrolhead and perfect as our Specialist Product Underwriter.

Frank Espinoza, Motorcycle Product Manager

An enthusiastic bike lover, Frank is also our resident motorcycle underwriting expert. An MI, Pricing analyst and underwriter for over 25 years, his career started during his teens whilst still on his provisional licence riding his beloved Peugeot Speedfight!

Managing product development, identifying new opportunities for broker development and digging down into the technical analysis of the product’s performance are all part of the day job for Frank. As for relaxing on his days off, it’s not uncommon to find Frank in the production studio, at a gig or simply keeping fit.

Ryan Berry, Van Product Underwriter 

CII certified and hugely experienced with over 17 years in the insurance industry, Ryan’s expertise comes by the barrow load as the product manager for our Clear Van product. As with all our underwriters, his role is to build long lasting relationships with our brokers, help manage the development of the product and crunch the numbers to make sure it’s performing well. 

Ryan likes to stay fit, playing 5-a-side football on Friday nights and has completed the national three peaks challenge. He’s also an experienced angler, having landed a personal best 53lb carp in France.

Odele Walsh, Van Product Underwriter

Odele’s journey to becoming our Van product underwriting manager is an interesting tale. A born and bred Kiwi, she started working in insurance 15 years ago in her home country of New Zealand earning a professional qualification with ANZIF (Australia and New Zealand institute of Finance). From there she set off on a tour of the world, making it to the UK where she intended to stay for only a year. You’ve guessed it though, Odele loved it so much here that she never left, we’re glad she stayed.

Matt Crabtree, Complex and Organised Crime Manager

Matt’s a financial crime expert who’s spent over 15 years fighting fraud. After joining LV= General Insurance ten years ago he’s now proudly our Complex & Organised Crime Manager. Matt manages all LVGI’s organised fraud across both policy and claims channels, managing the Financial Crime Intelligence Team and heading up the Special Investigations Team. Proudly, he was the first industry professional to attach to The City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED) to help tackle the problem of insurance fraud which went on to receive industry recognition.

When Matt isn’t fighting fraud he spends time ferrying his 2 boys to endless football training sessions and matches, plus enjoys traveling to warmer climates to escape his cold and blustery Lancastrian home town.

Mike McMillan, Claims Market Agreement Manager

Hugely knowledgeable and experienced with over 30 years in insurance and claims, Mike is a specialist in motor and motorcycle claims. Joining LV= in 2018, he’s played a pivotal role in dealing with bilateral agreements with other insurers, as well as developing claims process improvements and automation. In addition, Mike also plays an important role across the LV= GI business acting as the link between Claims, LV= GI Retail and LV= Broker for claim related matters. 

Away from the world of insurance, Mike’s proudly played American Football internationally with Great Britain at Youth and Ireland at Senior level, competes at Flyball competitions across the UK with his two dogs and founded a Youth Development Foundation in The Gambia, West Africa. 

Jan Sanders, Regulatory Standards Senior Advisor

Jan Sanders

With 17 years’ insurance industry experience, 12 in compliance, Jan’s expertise is priceless. As a GI Compliance Technical Advisor, she makes sure all content we publish is factually accurate and up to date. Jan is especially interested in vulnerable customer protection and fraud detection. She puts the customer at the heart of all her decisions.

Grab your popcorn, Jan’s also a movie buff, she’s watched the top 250 films of all time on IMDB and says the one thing she can’t live without is Netflix (and her family).