Commercial Account Executive (book to inherit)
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
Commercial Account Executive – York (Hybrid)
Salary £40,000 - £50,000 DOE (portfolio to inherit) plus commission and benefits
Cameron James is recruiting for a Commercial Account Executive on behalf of a well-respected insurance broker. This brokerage has an impressive track record of supporting and developing its people built over a number of years, as demonstrated by their extremely low staff attrition rates. Indeed, some of the senior individuals within the business have been promoted from within.
Due to expansion, they are now seeking a Commercial Account Executive to target new business whilst benefiting from inheriting a client portfolio to manage from day one (totalling approximately £190k in income) As a business that has built a strong reputation on client servicing, the ideal candidate will possess a consultative client focussed approach based on building strong client relationships and offering a consistently high level of trusted advice and support.
Key responsibilities:
- Manage and grow a portfolio of commercial clients
- Develop new business through referrals, networking, and targeted prospecting
- Serve as a trusted advisor—analysing risk exposures and recommending tailored insurance solutions
- Negotiate terms, pricing, and coverage
- Collaborate with the broking team to deliver seamless client support
- Maintain strong renewal retention while identifying cross-sell and upsell opportunities
About you:
- 3+ years of experience in commercial lines insurance (brokerage experience strongly preferred)
- Proven success in client-facing roles
- Cert CII or above would be desirable
- Strong communication, relationship-building, and negotiation skills
- Self-motivated, organised, and comfortable working with autonomy
If you wish to apply, please click on the link and Neil Murphy from Cameron James will be in touch.
Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Lead your Personal Statement with 'commercial lines insurance' and 'client portfolio management' — the advert lists these as the core requirements and ATS will scan for them first.
📊 Quantify your portfolio experience: e.g. 'Managed a £200k GWP commercial book across 80+ SME clients, achieving 92% renewal retention rate' to mirror the £190k inherited portfolio context.
🎯 Highlight any Cert CII (or progress towards it) prominently in your qualifications section — the advert flags it as desirable and it differentiates candidates at this salary band.
🤝 Include a specific example of new business won through referrals or networking, as the role explicitly requires both prospecting and relationship-led growth — a named sector or deal size adds weight.
🌐 Emphasise hybrid working adaptability and autonomous working style in your profile, as the advert stresses self-motivation and comfort working independently in a York-based hybrid setup.
Suggested CV bullets
3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.
Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:
- •Managed a £210k GWP commercial insurance portfolio of 95 SME clients, delivering 91% renewal retention through proactive risk reviews and tailored coverage recommendations.
- •Generated £38k in new commercial premiums within 12 months by developing a referral network across 4 regional accountancy firms and attending 6 sector-specific networking events.
- •Negotiated improved terms with 3 panel insurers on a fleet and liability renewal, reducing client premium by 14% whilst maintaining equivalent coverage scope.
Free to copy — tailoring requires a 30-sec CV upload.
Your cover letter is ready
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Letter preview — tailored to Cameron James
Dear Hiring Manager,
Managing and growing a commercial insurance portfolio whilst developing new business through consultative client relationships is where I perform at my best — which is precisely why the Commercial Account Executive opportunity at your brokerage, advertised through Cameron James, caught my attention. The chance to inherit a £190k income book from day one, combined with a clear focus on risk analysis and tailored insurance solutions, aligns directly with my experience in commercial lines brokerage.
My background in commercial insurance spans client-facing portfolio management, renewal negotiations, and new business prospecting across SME and mid-market clients. I have consistently achieved strong renewal retention rates by acting as a trusted advisor who identifies risk exposures and recommends coverage that genuinely fits each client's needs, rather than offering off-the-shelf solutions.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›How do you analyse a commercial client's risk exposures to recommend appropriate insurance solutions?
- ›Walk me through your process for negotiating terms and pricing with insurers on behalf of a commercial client.
- ›How do you approach cross-selling and upselling within an existing commercial portfolio without damaging client relationships?
- ›What methods do you use to maintain high renewal retention rates on a commercial book of business?
- ›How do you stay current with changes in commercial insurance products, market conditions, and regulatory requirements?
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time you inherited a client portfolio and had to quickly build trust with clients you had not previously worked with.
- ›Describe a situation where you converted a cold prospect into a long-term commercial client through networking or referrals.
- ›Give an example of when you had to manage a difficult renewal negotiation and how you achieved a positive outcome for the client.
- ›Tell me about a time you identified a cross-sell or upsell opportunity that added significant value to a client relationship.
- ›Describe a situation where you had to balance growing new business whilst maintaining high service standards for an existing portfolio.
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Tell me about a time you inherited a client portfolio and had to quickly build trust with clients you had not previously worked with.
Describe a situation where you converted a cold prospect into a long-term commercial client through networking or referrals.