For the motorcycle insurance specialist has welcomed a new online initiative which is designed to help save bikers money, time and inconvenience. Dubbed Carole Nash Extras the move has seen the company team up with carefully selected partners to promote biking gear and provide easy access to other handy products and services.

Whilst it’s still early days three companies have already signed up to the scheme, including fast-growing online retailer, SportsBikeShop. This fine purveyor of all things biking – well, except bikes! -  is currently offering half price Spyke jackets through Carole Nash Extras’ online. What’s more you can expect more and similarly generous offers from SportBikeShop and other retailers as the initiative gains pace.

Also signed up to the cause of great value are learner driver insurance specialist, Provisional Marmalade, and short-car term insurance specialists, Dayinsure. Both offer cracking deals for when you, or perhaps your offspring, are not riding and need niche motor insurance.

“The idea is simply to try and help bikers save money or time, or both,” commented Carole Nash’s head of marketing, Rebecca Donohue. “Because we are a major motorcycle insurance specialist with an immensely popular website we can offer our partners a way to reach  thousands of bikers. That volume enables them to offer great discounts because they know their marketing is being really accurately targeted.”

Now live on the Carole Nash website  Carole Nash Extras will be a rolling programme with new promotions and partners being constantly added.

The company took the Insurance Brand Marketing Campaign of the Year (Special Audience Group) at the Insurance Times Awards 2012 for the introduction of Carole Nash DNA+, a forensic coding security system now offered free with all motorcycle polices.

The full story is available at Insidebikes.

Mr. Clayton, 41, joins the Altrincham-based motorcycle insurance specialist from Kwik-Fit Financial Services’ Express Insurance where he held a similar role for the past three years.

He brings with him 15 years’ experience in IT management and leadership with more than a decade spent in an FSA regulated environment, seven as European IT director at equipment leasing specialist, RentSmart, a joint venture set up with HBOS. Prior to that he was head of IT at online recruitment business, Top Jobs On The Net.

In his new role he will be responsible for further developing Carole Nash’s corporate IT strategy, including system architecture, internal and consumer-facing service improvement, cost management and maximising profitability through enhanced processes, systems and technologies.

Commenting on Mr. Clayton’s appointment, Carole Nash’s Operations Director, Dave Cullen, said: “We’re delighted to have been able to attract to the team someone with such a wealth of relevant experience and expertise.  Lee has proven skills in operational IT management and the strategic development of technology and systems which should prove of great benefit to Carole Nash as we continue to progress and grow.”

Carole has been awarded an OBE for her philanthropy since she retired in 2006 from the business she built to become UK’s favourite motorcycle insurance specialist. In recent years she has proven a generous benefactor to charities local to her native Manchester. Beneficiaries of her generosity include the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Chetham’s School of Music, The Lowry, The Halle orchestra, Manchester Cathedral and The Princes Trust.

Talking to us Carole expressed her delight and amazement at receiving the honour: “When I received the letter marked On Her Majesty’s Service I thought it was a jury summons or parking ticket, so I put it to one side for a couple of days. I couldn’t believe it when I opened it. I’m obviously delighted and extremely proud to have been honoured for something I’ve always loved doing – giving back to the community.”

Carole founded Carole Nash Insurance Consultants in 1985 as a vintage and classic motorcycle insurance specialist. She later moved into the modern bike sector and then onto classic car insurance. Today the company employs over 300 people across the Altrincham and Dublin offices, with our policies now protecting 300,000 classic, vintage, modern, custom and off road motorcycles.

Chief executive David Newman was among the first to offer his congratulations to Carole: “Carole herself has proven not only to be a fantastic entrepreneur but a lovely lady, and a real people person. This honour recognises one of her particularly admirable qualities; her generosity towards those less fortunate than herself and causes which very much depend upon such magnificent philanthropy. I’m absolutely delighted that her good works have been recognised by the Queen.”

We’re an organisation focused on success and delivering excellent customer service to our biking customers. So, to become one of our brilliant motorcycle technicians, you’ll need to be highly motivated and able to work both on your own and within a team.

Successful candidates will be qualified to City and Guilds level 3 in Motorcycle Repair and have previous experience in the motorcycle industry, preferably in the main dealer arena.  You will be competent in all areas of motorcycle repair work and have accident repair experience also.  Ideally you will have previously carried out estimating work for insurance purposes and will have the desire to work to a consistently high standard.

A ful,l clean bike licence is required and a car licence would be preferable as would frame measurement and alignment experience, diagnostic experience and multi-franchise experience.

Flexibility to work weekends is a requirement and salary will be dependant on experience.

In return, we offer fantastic benefits such as a contributory pension scheme, subsidised gym membership, free life insurance and lots more.

If you are interested in these opportunities or just want more info we would love to hear from you so please contact Sian Critchley on 0161 927 2467.

The influential Conservative MP met staff and management of motorcycle insurance specialist Carole Nash as he toured the company’s headquarters. He also held a private meeting with Carole Nash’s Board during which the directors raised issues affecting the company, such as complex motorcycle licensing requirements.

During his 90 minute visit Mr. Brady, who is chair of the Conservative backbenchers’ group, the 1922 Committee, also chatted with new Carole Nash recruit Rick Garlak (pictured with Mr. Brady, left, and Carole Nash chief executive, David Newman). Rick, 41, a keen biker from Middleton, is among 115 new starters who have joined the company in recent weeks to fill vacant call centre and management posts.

“We were delighted that Mr. Brady was able to find time in his busy diary to see Carole Nash in action and to discuss with the Board issues that impact our operations,” commented Carole Nash’s chief executive, David Newman.  “He clearly already had good knowledge of a business which has grown profitably and created hundreds of jobs in Altrincham since he was elected, but there’s no substitute for first-hand experience.”

Mr. Brady commented:  ‘I was really impressed when I visited Carole Nash, an important local employer which is thriving despite the difficult economic conditions. The company is not only providing jobs for local people but also ensuring that they have the training and skills they need for the future.’

Founded in a Timperley kitchen in 1985 Carole Nash has grown to become the UK’s favourite motorcycle insurance specialist¹ and one of the country’s biggest brokers. It now employs over 350 staff at three sites in Altrincham and offices in Dublin and was last year ranked as the UK’s 11^th biggest personal lines broker in a survey by Insurance Times magazine.²

Its new recruitment drive is being backed by a revised people development programme designed to further develop and retain new and existing talent. This will involve management development programmes for managers in all tiers of the business, regular colleague feedback forums and communication days. The company has also just embarked on a £120,000refurbishment of its Altrincham offices.

Mrs. Canning, 38, brings 16 years’ compliance experience to the Altrincham-based intermediary. Her career began in 1995 at Marks & Spencer Financial Services where, having joined as compliance assistant she enjoyed successive promotions, becoming technical officer responsible for adherence to the code enforced by the then voluntary regulator, the General Insurance Standards Council.

In 2003 she joined the Co-operative Bank as compliance manager responsible for general insurance. There she oversaw the creation of new systems and procedures in readiness for statutory regulation under the FSA and its Insurance: Conduct of Business Rules.

She was recruited by Royal Liver in 2007 to manage compliance and technical policy for the mutual’s life, pensions and investment business before joining financial services industry support specialist Pershing in its Financial Crime Unit.

Commenting on her appointment Mrs Canning said: “I’m pleased to be joining a company which, under my predecessor, invested considerable energies in compliance policy and procedures. It’s a great inheritance on which to build upon as the business looks ahead to the introduction and impact of a new statutory regulatory regime. The aim here is always that of best practice, of anticipating and exceeding regulatory demands to ensure our customers are treated fairly and with due respect.”

She will lead the Compliance and Risk team at Carole Nash which is ranked as the UK’s 11^th biggest personal lines broker,¹ with a turnover of nearly £24m and 300 staff employed at its Altrincham and Dublin offices.

Iain Sheriff, collected the keys to his £18,000 six-wheeled package from leading motorcycle insurance specialist Carole Nash. The Altrincham company launched the draw last year to publicise its pioneering and money-saving Six Wheel¹ policy scheme, which allows a car and a bike to be insured on the same policy.

Iain, 41, an IT project manager at Hewlett Packard, says the Honda CBF600 bike and nippy Honda Jazz hatchback will be timely additions to the household. “My wife Jocelyn gets the train to work in Manchester so previously we’ve not needed a car. But our two boys are getting bigger and so we thought we needed one and funnily enough had already looked at the Jazz so this really is perfect!”

He added: “I already ride a Honda, a CBR600F, but it’s getting on a bit, plus I’ve never had a naked style bike so I’ll certainly be giving the CBF600 a go.”

Iain, who has been insured through Carole Nash since taking up motorcycling over a decade ago, says when he first heard he’d won he couldn’t believe it. “Carole Nash rang to tell me and I was saying ‘Really? What? No way!’ and my boys could hear the excitement in my voice. Then there was a lot of excitement from them! We’re all really pleased.”

To be in to win the Honda duo all Iain had to do was get an insurance quote for his bike through Carole Nash, which then automatically entered him for the draw. Now the company has launched a new motorcycle related lottery, this time with a prize worth up to £25,000 up for grabs. The lucky winner will be given up to £15,000 to buy a bike of their choice and up to a further £10,000 to make their own mark on it with custom accessories. The new draw supports the company’s Make Your Mark promotion² which is offering free Carole Nash DNA+ forensic coding security kits³ with every motorcycle policy (up until December 31^st 2011).

The Carole Nash App,  the first to be launched by a major bike broker, offers many handy features including a simple claim reporting facility and a GPS-powered ‘locate me’ feature to help speed breakdown recovery. It also enables riders to avoid premium charges levied by mobile network providers when dialling 0800 numbers by giving direct access to landline numbers for each relevant Carole Nash team. This will particularly benefit those making use of call plans which include landline minutes.

“The idea is of the app is two-fold,” explains Carole Nash’s head of marketing, Rebecca Donohue. “Firstly it makes it easier for our policyholders to use our services. If they breakdown and are unsure of their exact location they can use the GPS locator before using one-touch dialling to contact our Carole Nash recovery service which we include with every bike policy. If they have an accident they can report a claim from the scene so we can start processing it immediately.”

“Secondly it gives bikers, whether insured through us or not, easy access to our promotions and the ability to directly contact our quotes team without incurring premium mobile charges.”

The app is available now as a free download by searching for ‘Carole Nash’ at the App Store. An Android version of the Carole Nash App is currently under development.

It is the latest in a line of innovations to be launched by Carole Nash which include an in-house ‘talking claims’ service for bikers which minimises paperwork and claim settlement times. It joins a range of existing benefits already available to Carole Nash’s motorcycle and car customers through policies which include as standard extensive UK and European breakdown recovery, up to £100,000 motor legal protection and foreign use.

I have spoken with 3 of your advisers in the past couple of weeks and they have all been absolutely superb – helpful, patient, friendly and clear.

I have one classic car policy with you already and have just taken out a second, and this is entirely due to the helpful manner of your staff and the speed with which the phone is answered.

Please keep it up. Excellent service!

Best wishes
Chris Wood