Scottish insurance stalwart Tom Aldridge has done a thing! He made a deal for the Glasgow broker he started six years ago to team up with a big player down south. Blackford Group got mixed into Partners&, a fast-growing company founded by Phil Barton in 2020.
The agreement will see all 20 team members at Blackford become part of Partners&. Mr. Aldridge, the man behind Blackford, chatted with The Herald, saying it wasn’t about leaving but about building a future with Partners&. He stressed how important it was for Partners& to share the same values that Blackford was built on.
Mr. Aldridge is now the managing partner for client management at Partners& for the northern UK. He talked about the broader role with more responsibilities, claiming he’s in it for the long haul. With the addition of Blackford, Partners& now has a strong presence in Scotland, with over 100 people on board. They’re all about living by their values and becoming an advisory business rather than just selling insurance.
Partners& is eyeing more opportunities in Scotland, with a focus on bringing in talent and growing through values, not just revenue. Mr. Aldridge highlighted the importance of finding the right fit in any future deals, emphasizing profitability over everything else. The partnership between Blackford and Partners& came about after both companies won awards at the British Insurance Awards, showing a shared vision for their businesses.
