This week our Business Development Manager, Rob O’Brien spoke with Ross Barron and asked, why do you use OMC Claims?
Chasing down a very busy broker…
On my first day at OMC Claims John O’Donoghue, Declan Feely and Stephen Nolan took me for lunch close to the OMC Claims Dublin office in Malahide. It being my first day in a new role I made sure I soaked up every little detail of what the guys had to say.
I was moving from Insurance sales to Claims but, it was clear from outset the unique selling point of the team at OMC was a genuine passion for delivering consistently exceptional customer service. The guys spoke about all manner of claims, fires, burst pipes, Covid related claims and what was abundantly clear to me was that the OMC proposition was having a genuine expert on your side, when you need it most.
Just then, a familiar face walked by. Ross Barron of ReSure, now part of NFP Ireland, had been somebody I had worked with in the past and I thought, here’s my first contact to reach out to. But of course, Ross knew the OMC team already and the lads all shook hands and laughed like old school friends running into each other for the first time in a while. Since that day I have been trying to speak to Ross about his experience with OMC. I finally got to talk to him this week…
Ross, Can you tell me about your career in Insurance so far?
Over 20 years’ experience working in the Insurance Industry, I started with Royal & Sun Alliance in the UK on the underwriting side in 2000 before moving into the broker side of the industry in 2003 when I moved to Ireland. I worked for both Thompson Insurances and the Campion Insurance before I was headhunted into Lockton, one of the world’s largest privately owned Insurance Brokers.
Working in all areas of insurance developing a strong senior managerial and sales background I was promoted to Operations Manager and Senior Vice President in a short space of time. From an office perspective, I have led from the front by driving growth and achieved budget each year for the 9 years I worked in Lockton, whilst ensuring that the office was fully compliant by leading the office audit team in my role as head of compliance. As with all small offices (circa 25 people) I took on multiple roles, all of which have provided me with a rounded skill set in the Insurance Industry.
I left Lockton to join ReSure Corporate Brokers, where we grew the revenue from zero in January 2020 to €2.85m in our second year and we are on track to hit €3.4m in our third financial year. We agreed to the sale of ReSure to NFP in March 2022 and I have continued on as a Director for NFP Ireland, tasked with growing the company into the future.
How did you come across OMC Claims?
In July 2013 Clery & Co. of Dublin [Clery’s], the long established department store, suffered widespread damage as a result of a serious escape of water from a mains supply pipe, located at the upper level of the premises. The internal fabric of the building alongside fixtures, fittings, and stock required repair. This was the largest loss a client of mine has suffered in my 20+ year career and we brought in John O’Donohue to manage the claim for our client. John brought all his experience to the project and handled everything seamlessly. John took all the stress away from the client and me as the broker and we couldn’t fault the energy, time and dedication that he brought to the process.
What has been your experience with OMC Claims since then?
As I mentioned above, I can’t fault any of the lads at OMC whether it’s John on Clery’s or Declan on the Beauparc fire, I’ve always found the lads to be at the top of their game.
When do you bring in a Loss Assessor?
When our clients suffer large or complicated losses.
What would you say to someone who says they ‘don’t use loss assessors‘?
I don’t understand why, they are experts in their field and will have a different view or perspective that you or your client may think of. They always have the clients best interest at heart and can head off any issues that may expose the client or lead to delays in settling claims.
