Modern Insurance Magazine

Top Articles

Editors Picks

insurance industry news
Back to Listings

Steven Lawes on Lawes Consulting Group’s National Insurance Awards 2021 Nomination

Steven Lawes is Chief Executive and Head of Executive Search and Client Services at Lawes Consulting Group, an independently owned recruitment agency who provide a dedicated, specialist service to the recruitment of insurance professionals. With the recent announcement of Lawes’ shortlisting for the Insurance Recruiter of the Year at the National Insurance Awards 2021 Steven spoke to Modern Insurance Magazine on what this nomination means to the company, reflections on the previous tumultuous year and the future for Lawes Consulting Group.

 

  1. Firstly, congratulations to Lawes Consulting Group on being shortlisted. This is, of course, not your first nomination for Insurance Recruiter of the Year and in fact you have won previously twice! What does being repeatedly nominated for such an award mean to you as a company?

Thank you very much. Yes, that is correct, we have won this award twice before and this year’s nomination is even more important to us. Winning an award for the service we provide is great, it really is, but what can we do from there? Can we keep progressing, keep delivering, keep improving?

Being repeatedly recognised by the insurance industry makes me very proud of what we have achieved but it also continues to push us to ensure we remain at the top of the insurance industry.

 

  1. With the last year and a half being such a challenging one for so many businesses across the sector and beyond, does this nomination mean anything different to you this time around?

Of course, it means a lot. It is recognition for the whole team who, like everyone else, have had to adapt very quickly to a new way of working whilst maintaining our commitment levels to our clients and candidates. As a company we have been proud to be part of industry that has all pulled together and adapted to the way we work so successfully.

We are now hearing of stories of candidates that are finally meeting their teams or managers face-to-face for the first time. It’s just been an extraordinary period.

 

  1. Lawes has seen continuous growth, innovation and expansion, successfully placing candidates in roles even throughout the pandemic. Why do you think the ‘back to basics’ approach of Lawes works so well and how have you kept this going in the midst of Covid-19?

We have actually used the pandemic to fully update all our systems bringing in new technologies to help us further reach out and attract the best talent in the industry. And it really is quite impressive what these new innovations can assist with. But it has to be said: at the centre of everything we do, is people. So, no matter what new, efficient technologies and innovative ways we have or are being introduced into ‘Talent Attraction’ and the recruitment of new employees, there is nothing better than speaking to people. Talking to clients about their businesses about the culture and exactly what the business needs going forward. Then talking to individuals about what they are looking for, the type of company they would like to work for, the role they are looking for. All the while we are using our ‘back to basics’ intuition to work out which individuals fit with which companies.

 

  1. Much of the recruitment process relies on trust, something Lawes prides itself on providing clients. How important is the client service experience and how do you continue to innovate and maintain that trust, whilst looking towards future opportunities? 

For me trust is everything in business. Yes, we are at the networking events, the dinners, we are the only recruiters to have a stand at BIBA year after year. But for us, in what we do, almost everything is confidential and built on trust. I suppose with Lawes celebrating its 20th Year this year I would like to think that we are pretty well trusted with our clients. We are always pushing the highest standards for the market and trying to lead by example.

 

  1. What does Lawes Consulting Group see for the future? What challenges are ahead and what exciting opportunities are in the pipeline we should be keeping an eye out for?

We are working closer and more in partnership than ever with our clients. With the success or our recent RPO partnerships where we are able to be intrinsic to the businesses we are working with, completely removing all the process of Talent Attraction and ensuring they receive the very best candidates in the market. This is an area we will be looking to help our clients out further in over the next year. Attracting new diverse talent to the insurance industry is high on the priority list for us. We have been working with some of our larger clients on a new to market graduate scheme that could be very exciting for the next generation…

 

Steven Lawes, Chief Executive and Head of Executive Search and Client Services, Lawes Consulting Group