For a rugby enthusiast like Arthur, the role of professional sports broker is an almost perfect fit. After several years of playing rugby professionally, the 28-year-old former Wasps flanker swapped sports for a business degree and has never looked back.
“Some of the players in my club went into insurance on the broking side,” Arthur explains. “I had a chat with them and it sounded like an interesting industry. Even though I came to it relatively late, I knew I wanted to be on the broking side so that I was dealing directly with the players and clubs.”
A month’s work experience at broker BMS led to a full-time role that lasted several years. From there, Arthur moved to another broking firm Miller to specialise in sports professionals and accident and health insurance.
Arthur helps to service clients who are primarily professional sports players with careers in football, cricket, rugby, tennis and motor sport. The insurance he sells is designed not only to protect a player’s earnings but also to provide an income should an injury end their career.
“We help protect players so that in the event of them having to stop playing because of injury, they will receive a lump sum payment,” Arthur says. “For some sports we can also help in the event of temporary disablement.”
Entire teams can also be insured. Many clubs take protection against the potential for their team to be involved in an accident that affects multiple players – perhaps while travelling to a match.
Arthur spends a lot of his time talking to the companies that sell the policies. “If you’ve got a big risk, its likely you will need the participation of a number of insurers. It’s important to understand what each of them is looking for, you need to think about the best way to get them to take on the risk.”
“It’s an incredibly social job,” Arthur says. “The London insurance market is great. You meet so many people when broking different risks. It’s a great industry.”