Safety First is operated by Simon and Sara-Ann Burgess who not only believe consumers should be able to make informed decisions about the insurance they are purchasing, but they should be familiar with the people behind the company they are buying from. This is because no business can advocate transparency if its Directors are shielded in secrecy.
Simon Lance Burgess
Simon is Managing Director of Safety First and widely believed to be one of Europe’s leading authorities on Insurance. He was a senior Lloyd’s Underwriter in the 1980’s and 1990’s, during which time he pioneered the development of insurance online.
Simon has very high ethical and moral standards and an uncompromising determination to achieve excellence in everything he does. He combines discipline with creativity and innovation to provide his customers with outstanding insurance products and impeccable customer service.
Over the years Simon has won more awards for customer focus, service, insurance provision, ethics and corporate social responsibility than virtually any other Insurance provider. He is recognised as an Outstanding Ambassador and Consumer Champion and has been applauded for his personal achievements within the insurance industry.
Simon’s main priority has always been to make insurance accessible and affordable to all. In 2003, he established a new business to sell insurance direct to consumers via the internet. Whilst building his business, Simon undertook a series of high-profile media campaigns and made major contributions to a series of Financial Services Authority, Office of Fair Trading and Competition Commission investigations into how
Insurance was marketed and sold.
He is universally acknowledged as being pre-eminent in his field. In 2005 he was granted permission by The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to use ‘British’ as a trading name. As a result, he renamed his company British Insurance. Such was his success, in less than three years British Insurance became one of Europe’s largest online insurance providers. In 2008 the business was sold to The Towergate Underwriting Group, for whom Simon worked, consistently exceeding expectations and budget, prior to establishing Safety First.
Sara-Ann Burgess
Sara-Ann is a Director of Safety First and has worked in the insurance industry for over 30 years. She is one of the most-respected and experienced commentators within the insurance sector and her advice and opinion is frequently sought by the media, trade bodies and consumer groups.
Over the years, in order to enhance the reputation of the insurance industry Sara-Ann has tirelessly campaigned for fellow insurance providers to better inform consumers about their products, their suitability for purchase and pricing structures.
She is a catalyst for change and her constant lobbying and input to Competition Commission investigations has instigated changes to the way insurance is marketed and sold. Sara-Ann has won a number of awards for her campaigning to secure a better deal for consumers and vows to ensure Safety First continues to provides low-cost, yet high-quality socially-responsible insurance policies that provide market-leading benefits and support services.