NFU Mutual appointed Caroline Pullich, former head of SME Yorkshire, Barclays to be the Managing Partner at NFU Mutual Boston Spa Agency. Andrew Palmer caught up with Caroline at her welcome drinks at Rudding Park for clients, and influencers.

Let’s debunk the myth. NFU Mutual is not just for the farming community it offers its services to a wide range of business and corporate clients. With that off her chest, Caroline Pullich, known as the consummate networker, chats to me about taking on her new role as managing partner at NFU Mutual and Group Company Secretary for the NFU covering Yorkshire.

I have known Pullich for years when she was at Barclays and also through her role as Chair of the Institute of Directors North Yorkshire Branch. The personable and aimable Pullich is a first-class networker totally understanding stakeholder management and the importance of building relationships, something she was an expert at, along with her erstwhile colleague Karen Swainston, both nicknamed the “Cagney and Lacey of regional banking” by my colleague and excellent journalist David Parkin, whilst putting Barclays firmly on the Y&H map. Skills that will undoubtedly be useful in her new role.

“I’m glad you brought that up Andrew,” Pullich says, “that is going to form the basis of my strategy at NFU Mutual. A lot of people think that we are purely insurance, but we are much more than that. We are very much relationship focused.”

It is a cliché that people buy from people but for Pullich, part of her strategy is to build a team around her that grasp the concept.

“Going back to debunking the myth Andrew, besides the farming community, which is an important and appreciated part of our business, we offer personal, motor, and commercial policies.

“However, a lot of people are unaware of how we look at a business in the round. Our teams go into businesses to undertake risk assessments looking at health and safety, preparing them for fire risk assessments and finally, making sure we protect our customers.”

That is part of Pullich’s inclusive approach and relationship building, using words such as “we” and “our.”

“If we protect the business, they also need to protect themselves and that’s where our own NFU Mutual wealth division can help looking at investments, protection, and pensions.

It is a huge offering and I ask Pullich what she thinks is the NFU’s USP?

“I guess the USP is the added value through our face-to-face contact. With us you don’t have to hang on a telephone and press one to talk to someone who could be outside the UK. We pride ourselves that our customers are dealing with local people who live and work in the local communities. It’s building relationships.”

Pullich is arranging a number of events to cement the relationships and dipping into her black book full to the brim of contacts. All the professional stakeholders and clients she has met over the last 10-12 years.

“The good thing is I am still able to continue to work with them because there is no conflict with my role at NFU Mutual.

“I’m just continuing that journey building on those established relationships, finding new ones, raising awareness and collaborating with them, because I believe that's the network that can help going forward.”
Pullich started mid-January and has done her first 100 days; she says it’s been interesting, as she explains: “The first thing you do when you go into new businesses is look at it holistically and culturally. You must get that right before you start changing things. Our people are our greatest assets and I had to ensure we had the right attitudes. I tweaked a few things in the business, and it also gave me an opportunity to bring in new blood and grow the business model very differently to previously.

“I am concentrating more on business development, creating and investing in new roles.”

Quite a challenge I suggest and finding the people is one of Pullich’s objectives. She tells me that as part of her focus on the local community she walked the High Street in Boston Spa, Wetherby, where the NFU Mutual is headquartered, putting notices in shop windows and supermarkets and, she is quick to tell me it has reaped rewards already. “We have had local interest and taken on some new members for the team.

“When you’re building a proposition built on the local communities in relationships you need local people.”
The new MD is keen to say that there are also customers outside of Yorkshire and you can win business from anywhere in the UK if you have the right connections. It’s back to people buying from people and excellence in stakeholder management.

I point out that with raging inflation and the cost of living crisis, rising energy and fuel cost, what can this mean for her clients? Higher premiums? Pullich is pragmatic; most cover has been paid for in 2022 but there may be increases of up to 20%.

She is quick to reiterate her point about NFU’s USP.

“What we bring to the table is the added value. It is not just a solution or an insurance policy or protection; with us you have people who take time out to talk and visit.

“I have a good example. One of our clients, a lady in her early forties, lost her husband and was financially up against it because of all the increases. Then she had burst water pipes, just one thing after another, trauma after trauma, hearing about her circumstance we were able to help and pay her excess fee from the business.

That was something special, we were able to adjust and adapt for the client.”

Supporting farmers is obviously part of the role and along with Samantha Webster, one of the partners of the NFU, Pullich is the NFU Group Secretary for Yorkshire to connect that part of the business to NFU Mutual.

“There are many challenges facing farmers, besides the cost of living, there is a real issue around rural crime, dog attacks on livestock, or the cost of fertiliser. What we can do is take farmers’ worries and present to and lobby government.”

Pullich is no stranger to lobbying. We worked closely together when she was at Barclays and I was CBI’s director for Yorkshire and Humber, we held joint events in the House of Commons presenting the case for business to MPs of all persuasions. She is also Chair of IoD’s North Yorkshire Branch helping to present members’ issues to those in authority.

As part of her IoD role Pullich is leading the team looking at growing the membership, making it relevant to the many business leaders and entrepreneurs across the region. The IoD is the “only show in town when it comes to corporate governance and training for directors”. She keeps in close contact with Jon Geldart, IoD Director-General, and is proud that the IoD branch demonstrates diversity. The committee which she chairs is 45% female and 13.5% under 30 years old.

So, for Pullich it is a busy time. Besides the number of networking events, taking a stand at the Otley Show in May, one of the oldest agricultural one-day shows, there is no let up, the Great Yorkshire Show beckons and there is implementing her strategy. She continues to be full of energy and is certainly enjoying herself which she puts down to the people, culture, and environment.

“We’re a mutual so the culture is different from that of a corporate environment. We are owned by the members so we can make decisions quicker and slicker, without having all the corporate governance that might have taken weeks months to get to a decision. We can decide as partners and it's in place immediately, so a breath of fresh air.”

And that is what this consummate networker is – a breath of fresh air.