Geoff Hall to retire in three to five years

Hall (pictured), who has been at the insurer for nearly 30 years, stepped away from the managing director role in August to become chairman.

Geoff Hall to retire in three to five years

Geoff Hall of Berkeley Alexander intends to retire from the industry in three to five years’ time.

Hall (pictured), who has been at the insurer for nearly 30 years, stepped away from the managing director role this month to become chairman.

He said: “The intention is in two to three years’ time to go two or three days a week – and a couple of years later to say ‘thank you very much’ and then ride off into the sunset.

“It’s not about me anymore. It’s about making a success of the business.

“I was the future once – I’m not anymore.”

In August Mark Hutchings was hired as managing director from Uinsure, who previously worked at Berkeley Alexander for nearly eight years from 2007 to 2014.

It’s clear Hall views Hutchings as the person to continue his work after he departs.

Hall added: “I’ve known him for many years. We have a set of core business values and he believes in the same things as me.

“People that have dealt with us for 20-30 years would say we have the same attitude as 15 years ago, and I want them to say the same thing in 15 years.”

This core attitude, he summed up, is to focus on quality long-term business over quantity.

Initially Hall is focusing on managing the business full-time, with Hutchings focusing on sales, marketing and business development; building partnerships with networks and mortgage clubs.

Over the course of two to three years Hutchings is expected to take charge of management, with Hall then stepping back and eventually departing from both the business and the insurance industry.