ARC PEOPLE – TOM MOGER

Could you tell us a bit about your role as our Commercial Director?

The main function of my role is to oversee the day-to-day operation of all commercial activities across the business, working closely with the Corporate Relations Team, who look after a wide range of clients from the large corporate entitles to the wider broker community, and the Sales & Marketing Team to refine our marketing strategies and identify further opportunities.

What do you enjoy most about the role?

It’s definitely the people. The team at Arc Legal are a likeminded and engaging group with a wealth of experience, which is great to see.  It’s wonderful to work in an environment where everyone genuinely loves the business. It is a testament to the company that it continues to operate with a family vibe despite growing significantly as a corporate entity.

One of the things that drives me is seeing the products of my labour, which in the financial industry can be difficult as our products are not tangible. But if I can deliver something new and manage a good team of people along the way then that’s very fulfilling for me.

I’m excited by the huge opportunities that lie ahead for Arc Legal, particularly with regards to a range of new products and services we are looking to add to our portfolio in the future.

You began your career in the British Army, where you served for five years achieving the rank of Captain, what attracted you to the insurance industry?

Like many people, I didn’t have a straightforward journey into insurance and my move into the industry came about more by chance than design.  As I was approaching the end of a rewarding career in the Army, I had to consider what my next move would be.  I wanted to make best use of the transferable people skills I had developed in the military and use these to help transact business in the future.

After a visit to Lloyd’s, and some lengthy conversations with an industry veteran, as well as ex-military colleagues who were now operating in the market, I quickly realised that the insurance industry was for me and was fortunate enough to be offered my first broker role with Marsh in 2012. I have not looked back since.

How did your career in the army help to prepare you for the world of insurance?

I faced some difficult situations in the army, situations which one rarely experiences in the public domain. As a result, I feel I have the empathy and character to have difficult conversations with clients and stakeholders as and when they need to be had. At the same time, I feel I have the determination born out of teamwork and survivability to identify and drive business opportunities forward with new clients I come to meet.

What are your predictions for Arc Legal in the coming year?

At Arc Legal, I feel a sense that we are continuing to weather the fallout from Covid-19 as best we can while managing to maintain our service levels and support for our clients.

We’ve also been fortunate to continue to win new business contracts and, although there has been some implementation delays as a result of the pandemic and extended lockdown, the extra time has allowed us to plan and prepare for an influx of new business, whilst ensuring we continue to support our existing clients.

As we begin to return to the ‘new normal’, Arc Legal will continue to evolve its products to meet the ever-changing client needs and ensure that we have the right people and structures in place to support our partners.

The industry faced an unprecedented challenge with the Covid-19 pandemic, how did Arc Legal adapt to the global situation and continue to provide customers with great service?

We were fortunate that we had already planned out what a mass ‘working from home’ structure might look like as part of our Business Continuity planning. Although planning for a pandemic wasn’t the central consideration, it did mean that when the time came, we were prepared, and we were able to get all staff working from home as quickly and efficiently as possible.

All staff had the equipment they needed and were able to log-in remotely to our internal systems from their homes. This enabled us to achieve a high level of productivity from all departments, and we have been able to continue to meet our daily service level agreements with no disruption.

What have you been most proud of / what has been your most significant achievement since you joined Arc Legal?

It’s still early days, and while I have passed the 6-month mark, I’ve spent half of my time at Arc Legal working remotely through a pandemic, quite a unique challenge! That said, I always feel a huge sense of belonging when someone assumes that I’ve been at the business for longer than I have.

When I joined, I had very little experience of the legal expenses sector so I faced quite a steep learning curve which continues to run vertical to this day; however, I’ve made it my mission to get to grips with the sector’s unique challenges and opportunities, so being mistaken for someone who’s been working here for years suggests I’ve not done a bad job of integrating!

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

It’s an age-old saying, and something that was made very clear to me on my first day in the army, but I think it applies to every walk of life; ‘never tell anyone to do something you wouldn’t be prepared to do yourself’. That is what every good leader should keep in mind every single day they are working with their teams, if you can do this then everything else should fall into place.

And finally, … what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I’m very much an outdoors person and love any activities that get me out into the open – fishing, skiing, clay pigeon shooting, running, trekking in the mountains.  It is an ambition of mine to climb Mount Everest, but my wife has made it very clear that such a trek would lead to a swift divorce!