Thomas Carroll Group has made three key promotions to its Executive Committee (ExCo). Dougie Spencer has been appointed as Sales Operations Director, Greg Edwards as Sales Director, and Natalie Sankala as Director of Change and Innovation. All three will also join the company’s Executive Committee as part of its ongoing succession plan, following its transition to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) in 2023.
Dougie Spencer joined Thomas Carroll ten years ago as an Account Executive and in 2019, he became the Regional Director for Hereford, a role which later extended to Newport in 2021. Prior to joining Thomas Carroll, Dougie spent five years at NFU Mutual as a Sales Executive.
In his new position as Sales Operations Director, Dougie will be responsible for sales processes for the whole of the Thomas Carroll Group, focusing on maximising consistency and efficiency across all regions. When asked about the new role, Dougie said: “Since making the move to an EOT, the priority has been making sure that we’re structured in a way that will ensure our continued growth. We want to keep our identity and honour the brand that has been created, but also make sure we question everything and ensure we are taking the business to the next level in a considered and thought-out way.
“It’s a really exciting time and I’m honoured to be stepping up to the ExCo – I think we have a clear vision of what we want to achieve, and now it’s just making sure we’re set up to deliver this.”
Greg Edwards joined the company in 2014 as an Associate Executive where he worked with commercial clients to advise on insurance and risk management. He later became an Account Executive in London and then the Regional Director for London in 2021. In his latest promotion, Greg is now Thomas Carroll’s Sales Director, and a member of the Executive Committee. As part of this role, Greg is responsible for all new business and meeting the company’s ambitious targets for growth.
On his appointment, Greg said, “I was born and raised in Caerphilly so joining the ExCo of Thomas Carroll is an extremely proud moment for me. I feel very fortunate to be part of such an ambitious company, but one with great values – our people are the bedrock of our success and the move to give every one of them a stake in the future, through the EOT, allows us to continue to deliver great outcomes for our treasured clients. I have been able to work my way up to the Executive Committee, which is something that isn’t possible in many companies, but I’ve had continuous support in my development and now I’m looking forward to giving some of this back to the rest of the team, and really making a positive difference.”
Natalie Sankala has been with Thomas Carroll for 11 years, having previously worked in the business development team and later becoming the company’s Head of Marketing. In 2022, Natalie also helped launch Thomas Carroll’s insurtech arm, TCi Futures, which focuses on developing innovative tech solutions to keep pace with the fast moving, online world.
One of TCi Futures’ projects includes “embedded insurance”, which enables a very different and innovative offering to clients.
In her new role as Director of Change, Natalie will be responsible for aligning the work of TCi Futures with the rest of the Thomas Carroll Group. Natalie said: “Having worked at Thomas Carroll since 2013 and within many different areas of the business, I am honoured that I have been given the important role of leading innovation within the company.
“TCi Futures is a really stimulating part of the group and I’m so proud of the work we’ve done here. This new role will allow us to roll out our research and learnings to the rest of the Thomas Carroll Group, which will help us to continue innovating and making sure we stay at the forefront of the industry.”
In 2023, the Caerphilly-headquartered independent insurance, risk, wealth management and insurtech group moved to employee ownership. Since then, it has been making a number of strategic hires and these latest promotions form a key part of the Group’s growth plans for the next 50 years of business, strengthening its independence and bolstering its succession plan.
Rhys Thomas, CEO of Thomas Carroll Group, said on the latest promotions: “Promoting from within is a key part of our growth strategy, and so we are very pleased to be able to promote Dougie, Greg and Natalie to the ExCo.
“All three have made a significant impact to the Thomas Carroll Group already in their previous roles, and I am looking forward to seeing what they will be able to achieve in the coming years. They are key to the future of Thomas Carroll Group and to the success of our EOT.”
