About Us
Established since 1996, and now a part of Lloyd & Whyte Group, DCR are a specialist insurance broker with the combined experience and expertise of over 50 years in our chosen sectors.
We are Direct Corporate Risks
We are driven by our ambition to serve our Clients, our People and our Communities through charitable giving and providing optimum insurance cover to protect their businesses. The industries we currently specialise in are; Waste & Recycling, Haulage, and High Risk Liability sectors. We have deliberately focussed on specific sectors, choosing to operate, only in markets where our positioning and proposition adds value to our clients & key stakeholders.
Our Purpose
“We are a specialist broker, driven by our ambition to serve our Clients, our People, and our Communities through charitable giving”
Our Purpose is to make a positive impact through:
- The provision of exceptional insurance services to our Clients
- Creating an environment where our People can thrive and succeed
- Support good causes, through the Benefact Group which donates all available profits to charity.
The DCR Difference
- We embed our specialisms within every facet of our organisation, setting clearly defined internal values which provide the framework for our operations.
- Market-leading propositions designed around the needs of our clients with an emphasis on service and long-term value.
- We aspire to exceptional service and set clearly defined standards using strict internal SLAs.
- We are visible within the sectors we operate in, combining personal connections with a partnership approach to business relationships including trade associations and event organisers.
Our Philosophy
Insurance contracts and risk management services are highly complex, designed to protect a business against losses to its assets and to safeguard potential liabilities from its operations. We believe the only way to properly protect our clients is to have a deep, fundamental understanding of not only our clients’ business, but also the industry they work in and the macro/micro risks which affect it.
We are intentional about which sectors we work in, operating only in markets where our positioning and proposition adds value to our clients and stakeholders.
Our Values
As part of Lloyd & Whyte Group, we embed the core values of Fun, Supportive, Partnerships, Professional and Ambition into our business. Our values guide our business decisions; how we implement them defines our culture.
We believe in creating a culture where our People’s behaviours are aligned with our values, understanding that the “how” we work is just as important as the “what” we do. We nurture our People, supporting their personal development, empowering them to deliver exceptional services to our clients.
For expert insurance advice please call us 01277 844 360
Meet The DCR Team
Benn Houghton
Managing Director
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With 20 years’ experience in the insurance industry, Benn leads two specialist insurance brokerages and blends strategy, leadership, and client engagement to deliver sector-focused solutions. He is passionate about helping individuals grow, teams thrive, and creating a positive impact for clients and communities.
Benn has actually cycled around the southern island of New Zealand and recently taken up golf!
Damian Hayes
Sales Director
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Damian brings over 20 years of experience in the waste and recycling sector, having worked with independent and national brokerages and previously owned his own. As Sales Director, he helps businesses identify, manage, and reduce risk through tailored insurance solutions, focusing on building strong relationships and providing ongoing support that delivers lasting value.
Ross Hayden
Head of Branch
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Ross is Head of Branch for the Northern team, with over 20 years’ insurance experience. He specialises in leadership, strategic growth, and building high-performing teams, with a strong background across the construction, waste, and transport sectors.
Ryan Warfield
Client Director
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Ryan Warfield is one of our Client Directors at RHA Insurance Services, with over 10 years’ experience. He works closely with business owners to design bespoke insurance programmes for complex, large-scale risks – particularly those that are liability and property-led.
Outside of work, Ryan is a proud husband and father, a keen (albeit inconsistent) golfer, and accompanied most places by Nigel, the family Labrador.
James Blea
Client Director
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James has been with RHA Insurance Services for nearly five years, bringing over 15 years of insurance experience to the team. He specialises in waste and recycling, haulage, and warehousing risks, working within our RHAIS Waste Division as the representative for the West.
Outside of work, James enjoys holidays in Spain and playing golf.
Liam Chatfield
Development Manager
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Liam is our Development Manager, bringing over 15 years of experience insuring the Haulage industry. Having supported a wide range of businesses, he believes it’s not just about price – it’s about understanding each client’s unique needs and delivering real value.
“Every logistics business is different but we are experts at tailoring policies to meet the needs of even the most complex operation.”
Jamie Turvey
Account Executive
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Jamie has 15 years of experience in the insurance industry. His current job role is a Senior Client Executive. He brings expertise for Haulage Risks, which include, Motor, Employers & Public Liability, Freight Liability plus many more.
He is based in the South East and is a huge football fan. He enjoys playing golf in his spare time.
Sam Burton
Senior Client Executive
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Sam is a Senior Client Executive with over 15 years’ experience in the insurance industry, specialising in Haulage and Fleet risks. Based in Cornwall, he manages a large client base and is dedicated to delivering the highest service standards.
Outside of work, Sam enjoys golf, supporting local sports teams, and chairs his local snooker club.
Ollie Whitmarsh
Senior Client Executive
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Ollie is a Senior Client Executive and has worked in the insurance industry since 2008. After 10 years as an Underwriter, he became a Commercial Broker in 2020, specialising in Fleet risks. He also achieved his Advanced Diploma in Insurance (ACII) in 2013.
Based in the South East, Ollie enjoys long bike rides and walks with his wife and three children.
Vanessa Butler
Senior Claims Executive
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With 25 years’ experience in motor insurance, she has worked across the full claims lifecycle, including first notification of loss, third-party intervention, customer service, and recoveries. She is passionate about delivering a positive customer experience and supporting people through often complex and challenging claims processes.
Outside of work, she enjoys travel, discovering unique places, and spending time with animals.
David Blackburn
Development Executive
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David is Development Executive for the Northern team. He brings a strong technical insurance background, developed through progression from Commercial Claims to Corporate Broking. He specialises in helping businesses manage fleet risk, strengthen compliance, and navigate exposures across road haulage, waste, recycling, and construction sectors.
Alex Taylor
Development Executive
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Alex is an experienced insurance professional with a passion for finding the right insurance solutions for clients. With over a decade in the industry, he understands that insurance requirements can sometimes be complex.
He combines expert risk assessment with a client-focused approach, ensuring they receive fair, competitive and reliable coverage. Alex takes pride in building strong relationships and making the insurance process as smooth and straightforward as possible.
Outside of work, he enjoys hiking, going to the gym and spending time with friends with family.
Luci Jeeves
Head of Key Accounts
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Luci has worked in insurance for 13 years, starting with private car and home, then moving to commercial insurance 7 years ago. Due to the change in the market since she has started, she has gained better knowledge and experience, building good relationships with insurers and refining her area of expertise.
Luci’s daily job role is to manage the Administration and Accounts Teams, processing vehicle change, driver referrals, invoicing all adjustments and day to day queries for the running of the business.
She is based in Essex and in her free time she enjoys going to the gym and spending time with friends and family.
Samantha Watling
Accounts Assistant
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Sam has over 15 years of experience within Accounts, from treasury to financial reporting. Sam has been with the business nearly three years and works as the main Accounts Assistant dealing with month end reporting, finance applications and accounts receivable which enables her to build up relationships with the client and their accounts team.
In her spare time, Sam is a fitness instructor and teaches 5 times a week. She also loves watching her two boys play football and cricket and when she can fits in a spot of shopping.
Sophie Chandler-Green
New Business Co-ordinator
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Sophie has worked in the insurance industry for 15 Years starting with private car and fleet. She was fortunate to take some time off to have both of her children, then return to work just over 3 years ago.
Every clients requirements are different and by working for RHA Insurance Services Sophie has gained experience in all areas of the Haulage sector.
Sophie is based in the Billericay Office in Essex and in her spare time she enjoys travelling and spending time with her family and friends.
Sam English
Key Accounts Manager
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Sam has been with the business for 19 years and in total offers over 30 years’ experience working within the insurance industry.
Sam works alongside the Client Directors and Sales Executives on larger waste & recycling clients, as well as Haulage accounts whilst ensuring that the highest standard of service is given.
In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her Grandchildren and her husband of 37
James Young
Senior Account Handler
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James has over 26 years’ experience in the insurance industry, mainly working for large multinational insurers with most of his experience being in claims, covering all different lines of insurance including Motor Fleet, Motor Trade, Commercial Property & Commercial Liabilities. James enjoys building strong relationships with customers and insurers and has completed an NVQ in customer service.
When not working, James enjoys spending time with his wife, son and going on walks with their 7 dogs.
Joss Halpin
Key Account Handler
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Joss has been working within the broking sector of insurance for over 7 years. He has a wide range of experience from SME to large corporate size businesses.
He has also dealt with personal lines covers including home, vehicle and travel.
Stephan Collins
Senior Client Executive
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Stefan is a highly experienced Senior Client Executive with over 13 years in the insurance sector. Throughout his career, he has developed deep expertise across the motor, waste, and construction industries, where he is known for delivering tailored, commercially sound insurance solutions.
Amy Pitman
Account Handler
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Amy worked as an Underwriting Administrative Assistant for two years and was part of the adjustments team, liaising with brokers and creating documents for MTAs. Since starting here, which is the other side of insurance for her, she has learnt how to deal with both clients and insurers and feels she is gaining a lot more knowledge and experience. Outside of work, she enjoys learning songs on her guitar and singing at gigs. Amy also enjoys going to festivals and socialising with friends. She likes travelling and has visited countries in Europe, as well as places further afield such as Mexico and the States. She has two dogs that she enjoys taking out for long walks.
Jasmin Smyth
Account Handler
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Jasmin works alongside Client Directors and Sales Executives to provide a high standard of service and accuracy on a variety of clients. This includes processing vehicle adjustments, driver referrals and any other day to day queries.
In her spare time she enjoys shopping & spending time with Family, Friends and her two dogs Rolo & Ralph.
Sacha Clarke
Head of Claims
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Sacha has over 25 years experience
in the insurance industry, both within the UK and internationally. The
majority of the time spent managing insurance claims, across all classes of
insurance, with a particular speciality in Liability.
Sacha leads the Claims Team at
RHAIS and is responsible for the delivery of our claims service. She has
an unwavering commitment to continuous improvement, in order to achieve
exceptional service, working with various insurers, to ensure that the best
possible outcomes are achieved for our clients.
Chris Scott
Senior Claims Advisor
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Chris has 15 years’ experience in the insurance industry working on motor claims including fleet, motor trade and commercial claims. He enjoys building relationships with clients and insurers to provide the best service possible.
In his spare time he enjoys socialising and spending time with his wife and two kids. Outside of this, Chris enjoys watching football as he is a huge Arsenal fan.
Amelia Middleton
Claims Handler
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Amelia has six years of experience in the insurance industry and a strong knowledge of the sector. She is passionate about helping clients, building lasting relationships, and working closely with sales executives to deliver the best service. She also enjoys attending client meetings and is keen to expand her expertise by obtaining new qualifications.
Outside of work, Amelia spends her free time riding her horse and enjoying quality time with family and friends. She also loves exploring different cities across Europe.
Michelle Hicklin
Claims Advisor
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Michelle has over 15 years of experience within the insurance Industry and has been with the business for 2 years working in the claims department. She ensures that our clients’ needs are met and claims are dealt with in a professional and timely manner.
In her spare time, she loves socialising and spending time with her husband, two kids and dog Elsie.
