UK Based Animal Hero

Inspiring business model

Meet the UK Based Animal Hero Bringing You Insurance with Compassion

1. Insurance that gives back to animal and conservation charities is an exciting idea – what inspired you to set up Evergreen Insurance?

Nature and the marvels of the animal world are two of my greatest passions in life. Now I have found a way to turn a life-long passion into an ethical business. Over the years, my partner and I have rescued a colorful assortment of animals, and we currently have 3 rescued cats and 2 chickens in residence. I love animals and I hate to see animals in danger, abandoned or poorly treated. I have worked in the financial services industry for over 20 years and have always felt that there is more than can be done to help our environment, help protect the planet for us and future generations and do it differently and better. I set out to create Evergreen Insurance to do just that! I wanted to run my own business but not be greedy about it – there is only so much money people need. I was also wanted to set out to work with some wonderful charities and make a bigger impact through a growing, worldwide movement of compassion, sustainability and philanthropy.

2. Some insurance companies have a poor reputation for customer service and for not being great in a crisis – have you carefully vetted all the insurers you work with for the way they deal with customers and social and environmental track record?

Yes. It is very important for my ethical, animal-loving brand that I work with the right insurers. For me, it has to be about value for money and helping my clients when the worse happens and you need to make a claim. When selecting insurers to work with, I asked each company to demonstrate their proven environmental policies, track record and good CSR. No matter how big the brand is, or what they can offer me and my clients; if they can’t demonstrate these points, I won’t work with them. The insures that are on the Evergreen panel are all big brands, and they are able to demonstrate clear ethics and have awarding-winning claims services, run from their own businesses and not out sourced.

3. We have to ask, is it more expensive to take out a policy with Evergreen because of the donation element?

In short, no. The donation made to charity comes from the commission we earn as a broker for arranging the insurance. I do not pass this on to the client. It comes out of our income/operating profit. The donations that are made and for transparency, come from every single transaction the client makes with us, so for example – if a client arranged a car insurance policy with us for a 1 litre vehicle at a lower premium (donation made from this transaction) then if the client then changed their vehicle midterm for something that was high performance and it attracted an additional premium, I would make the donation on this transaction as well. (if that reverse was to happen I wouldn’t attempt to claim money back!!) Evergreen is about brilliant personal customer service, providing the right product at a competitive price and supporting our natural world, with transparency, honesty and good ethics.

Read the entire piece by Alison Jane Reid at: http://ethical-hedonist.com/2017/04/29/meet-the-animal-hero-bringing-you-insurance-with-compassion/