Hailing ‘great guy’ Dave McCourt as retirement ends 50-year insurance career

Dave McCourt smiles for the camera at home

After 50 years of serving the insurance industry, Dave McCourt has seen plenty of highs and lows.

It wasn’t until 2003 that Dave, best known to many as the motorcycle dealer consultant for Bikesure, joined our company. But he’s left a long-lasting impression that will extend well beyond the 17 years he spent travelling up and down the country representing the brand and industry so brilliantly.

His contributions were recognised in 2015, 2016 and 2017 when we were named insurance provider of the year as voted for by the UK motorcycle dealer network and Motorcycle Trader. And our general manager Rob Balls sums it up best by hailing the much-loved figure who will be missed by all while he enjoys his well-deserved retirement.

Pleasure to know ‘great guy’

It’s been my absolute pleasure to have known and worked with Dave for over 25 years in his various roles in the insurance industry,” said Rob.

“He’s a great guy and has been a fantastic ambassador for Bikesure and Adrian Flux Insurance for over 15 of those years. He’ll be missed by many in the industry, but not forgotten, and we’ll continue to meet up so he can supplement his pension by taking money off me on the golf course. 

“Bikesure will of course continue to look after its motorcycle dealers with the rest of our dealer team that have learned a great deal from Dave over the years.”

Dave McCourt, right, with brand ambassador and Superbikes legend Carl Fogarty

His arrival in 2003 saw him join our team – the specialist motorcycle arm of the Adrian Flux Insurance Group. But his personality and knowledge saw him become a big hit across the company where he’s made countless friends.

First motor protected excess product

Dave had spent 32 years with Minster Insurance Group, which evolved into Groupama, where he became a key account executive and assisted with their integration into the non-standard market. Before that he was promoted from general clerk to general business inspector as well as helping set up a string of revolutionary features including the first motor protected excess product in the market.

“I worked for Minster which evolved into Groupama for a total of 32 years and I’ve often questioned why I stayed for so long because I had plenty of offers to go elsewhere,” said Dave.

“Perhaps after being made redundant within six months of my first job I thought it was ‘better the devil you know’ and subconsciously I decided to stay where I was. In the end I got made redundant anyway. Within 24 hours Paul Twite from Adrian Flux was on the phone. I had a good relationship with Adrian Flux, they being one of my key accounts and I was lucky enough to be offered a job that I was delighted to take.”

Dave McCourt, far right, celebrates an award with some of his Bikesure colleagues

It could have all been so different for the keen golfer and lover of non-League football. His first job in insurance, aged 17, didn’t get off to a dream start when he was left without a company to work for within six months following the infamous collapse of Vehicle and General Insurance

‘Fill them out yourself in future’

“You can imagine after that I wasn’t sure insurance was for me,” laughed the 68-year-old.

“About 500,000 motorists were left without insurance and I was looking for a job within six months. I remember a colleague saying at the staff liquidator meeting how well organised it was because at another company he’d been at, that also went bankrupt, people were throwing typewriters out of windows because they had been told they were not going to be paid.

“We were lucky in that sense and I was lucky that a friend of my mother worked for Minster Insurance Group and they took me on within a month. They wanted to see if I was able to get hold of Vehicle and General bonus proofs. I ended up phoning a friend, retained by the liquidator who I played cricket with, to try and get confirmation of as many as I could. In the end he got so annoyed with me ringing that he jokingly sent me a good number of blank bonus proofs instead, saying “fill them out yourself in future”. I’ve probably still got a load somewhere in my garage!”

Dave McCourt, right, presents a Harrow Borough player with a man-of-the-match award

When coronavirus restrictions ease, Dave is looking forward to enjoying his retirement by watching more of his beloved Harrow Borough Football Club – where he has been a vice-president since 1983 – playing as much golf as possible and spending more time with his two children.

‘It’s quite a lonely existence’

“I’ll miss the relationships with the people I’ve met across the whole of the UK,” Dave added.

“I’ll miss attending several bike shows, the camaraderie with the importers and their dealers, along with the regular contact with staff at Adrian Flux and Bikesure. It’s quite a lonely existence being a dealer consultant. You spend a lot of time in hotels and it was a bit of a godsend to speak to people back in the office.

“I won’t miss the long drives, flat tyres, putting the wrong fuel in the tank and sleepless nights in hotels but it is quite strange and emotional to look back. It could have all been very different.”

Well-wishers can contact Dave on LinkedIn

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August 8, 2023

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