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Professional Services

Professional and Business Services (PBS) firms face a rapidly changing and increasingly complex operating environment.
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The adoption of new technology will increase the threat of data breaches and cyberattacks creating new challenges for professional and business service firms.

While ongoing regulatory changes and rising compliance costs have added complexity. People are also a significant asset posing new risks in attracting and retaining talent.

Our Professional and Business Services Practice offers a holistic approach to this evolving risk landscape, driven by extensive industry experience and unique insight, helping you to firstly identify and measure your current and future risks. Then working alongside you to ensure that your risk protection is aligned to your current business exposure offering a broad range of risk management and insurance solutions to address them.

Drawing on our industry analytics and experience, our specialists provide you with clear insight into your risk profile, helping you reduce liability and improve resiliency and operational performance.

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Featured insights

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07/02/2023

M&A Considerations for Professional Services Firms

The UK professional services industry has weathered the shocks of the global pandemic, the ongoing security situation and the ensuing economic downturn and has gone onto record strong performance with mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the sector.

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03/15/2023

Corporate reputation for Professional Services firms

Brand and reputation protection is imperative for all professional services firms, and it is crucial organisations’ brand and reputation are viewed as strategic assets to be protected and managed

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02/14/2023

Risk to Reward – Professional and Business Services 2023 Outlook

What are the key areas professional and business services organisations should be considering to safeguard their activities and growth in 2023?

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Professional and business services

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FAQs

The sector covers a wide range of knowledge-intensive activities and specialised support to businesses and to the Government. Covering, but not limited to the following sectors:

  • Accountancy
  • Architectural and technical consulting
  • Charities
  • Facilities management / Business process outsourcing
  • Legal services
  • Management consultancy
  • Recruitment and human resource services

Professional and Business Services face numerous emerging risks today – pandemics, climate change, technology, geopolitical, regulatory and people risk.

With specialists operating across all the various sub-sectors and backed by advanced data analytics tools, we can support you in your efforts to understand the impact of these risks on your organisation, make informed decisions about how to manage them, and optimise your total cost of risk.

The professional and business service sector is varied, as is their need for a diverse range of insurance coverages. Risks to be managed range from protecting employees, operations, and property – from natural hazards, cyberattacks, and other disruptions to mitigating exposures due to lapses in professional duties. As an evolving sector any M&A transaction also faces a range of exposures or complications with financial implications. A lack of due diligence and sophisticated risk and insurance planning can lead to surprises or incorrect valuations.

As a result of the constantly-evolving nature of this industry, risk management strategies, including appropriate insurance coverage, may vary over time. Having a trusted advisor at your side, such as Marsh, can help you navigate your dynamic risk landscape.

Credit insurance can reduce one of the biggest risks for professional services firms, which is the failure of obligors fail to meet their contractual obligations. Known as credit risk, this includes consumers defaulting on loans or a bank failing to maintain regulatory liquidity levels.

Cyber risk is an increasing exposure for professional and business services, as the industry continues to be transformed by technology and given the sensitivity of the data held and the transactions executed. With specific cyber coverage and appropriate risk management plans in place, you can better understand, measure, and manage the threats posed by cyber breaches and business interruption.

Many PBS firms are often highly regulated, legal and compliance risks are also prevalent. This requires having appropriate financial and professional liability policies in place to protect boards, directors, and the business itself from mistakes and fraud committed by employees, bad employment practices, or sanctions for regulatory violations.

Global leadership

Rory Cobb

Rory Cobb

Marsh UK Industries - Professional & Business Services Industries Leader

  • United Kingdom

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Contact us to get in touch with an industry or risk subject matter expert, learn more about a specific solution or submit a sales/RFP inquiry.

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