The Context
When I joined the family business in 2007, the concept of e-learning in the insurance sector barely existed.
There was only one alternative on the market, and training largely meant textbooks, CD-ROMs, PowerPoints and classroom sessions.
But we saw something others didn’t yet see that digital learning could democratise access to knowledge, bringing affordable, consistent, high-quality development to every insurance intermediary in the UK.
At the time, it really was the dawn of e-learning. My role then was to design and build something new from scratch, and over the next 13 years, the team transformed professional standards across the whole industry.
The Challenge
Financial Services (FSA and then FCA) regulation had made competence assessment a fundamental expectation for firms, yet most had no structured way to assess or evidence learning. We knew that the regulator said that you had to be competent to do your job, but how could you show this?
Many intermediaries relied on internal training files, paper certificates and manual records. Competence was subjective, inconsistent, and hard to evidence. The market needed a better way, something scalable, trackable and smart. But to deliver that, we had to challenge the assumption that compliance learning couldn’t also be engaging, data-driven and innovative.
The Insight
We believed that gap analysis (understanding what a person knows, and more importantly doesn’t know) was the cornerstone of meaningful professional development.
If firms and individuals could assess knowledge digitally, they could start to measure competence, tailor learning to real needs, and demonstrate compliance with confidence.
That insight became the foundation of a new idea: a digital platform that combined assessment, learning and evidence in one place. We called it The OBELISK.
The Solution
We built the platform ourselves, incorporating thousands of assessments, so that we could remain agile, responsive and innovative. In time, we grew the development team, adding hundreds of learning modules and platform tools designed to engage the learner and to create something truly unique.
Every improvement, every module, every report was designed with the end user in mind: the learner, the supervisor, and the insurance intermediary firm.
Over time, we:
- Developed over 500 learning modules across insurance technical, compliance, business, and leadership topics.
- Introduced Open Badge technology, one of the first in the UK sector to verify learning digitally.
- Built a specialist in-house team focused on research, design and continuous innovation.
- Partnered with the UK’s largest organisations, transforming the system into a first-of-its-kind collaboration that made professional learning accessible to tens of thousands of insurance professionals.
We didn’t chase trends. We listened to learners and evolved constantly, sometimes pushing new updates daily.
Our approach wasn’t about building software; it was about building standards and raising the bar of professional standards click by click.
The Outcome
From a standing start, the platform grew to become the market-leading learning platform in UK general insurance.
It trained tens of thousands of intermediaries and became woven into the fabric of professional development across the industry.
What began as a concept in 2007 became a cornerstone of competence, enabling firms to evidence training, meeting FCA expectations, and demonstrating professionalism to their customers.
The feedback we received still stands as one of my proudest achievements:
“There’s nothing else like it, it’s changed how we think about learning.”
The platform didn’t just train people; it helped raise the reputation of insurance brokers and the confidence of those who buy insurance.
It brought consistency, pride, and progress to an industry that needed it.
The Reflection
I stepped away from the project 2020, and I look back fondly at what our small team achieved. The magic of what we started in 2007 was that it was made for the industry, by people who understood the industry and who had experience of the education and technology sectors.
The feedback we received over that time was phenomenal. It proved that when technology and purpose align, transformation follows. Real progress doesn’t come from replacing systems; it comes from reimagining what they’re for.
The Addoli View
At Addoli, we still believe in what drove the vision from the start: clarity, courage, and energy.
When firms have the courage to build something that truly serves their people and their customers, they don’t just meet standards, they define them.
If you’re ready to reimagine how your firm learns, leads and grows, let’s talk.
This is the kind of commercial rebuild I now do for founder-led businesses as a Fractional Commercial Director.
If your business is facing something similar, book a commercial conversation.
Before founding Addoli, I spent almost two decades leading transformation, strategy, and innovation across some of the UK’s most respected compliance and training consultancies. The case studies showcase projects that defined my career, moments where bold ideas, strong partnerships, and a focus on standards changed the way our industry thought about growth and professionalism. These case studies describe projects and programmes I helped lead during my previous roles in my career. They are shared here to illustrate the experience, principles, and results that now inform Addoli’s consultancy approach. All trademarks and brand names remain the property of their respective owners.
Each story reflects the principles that now guide Addoli today: clarity, courage, and energy.
