Founder and CEO of Freedom Services Group and insurance services provider Action365, Pukka Insure and recently launched motor brokerage, Freedom Brokers.
Anyone who works for her will tell you that Sam is a born leader and motivator. She’s a true serial entrepreneur, setting up her first business at 24 from her sister’s conservatory and she hasn’t stopped since. She now runs several very successful insurance businesses employing over 200 people with a turnover in excess of £15 million. In 1999 she launched Action 365 and in 2016 she launched Pukka Insure and broke into the Australian market. Freedom Services Group was launched in Q4 2017 bringing the existing businesses and newly incorporated Freedom Brokers under one umbrella.
Sam is naturally charismatic and opportunistic, two qualities which are essential when securing investment and capacity for her businesses. She’s dynamic, tenacious and straight talking, those who have met her in the boardroom will know that she rarely takes no for an answer. She is extremely hands on. Sam’s positive approach to trouble shooting set’s her apart. If something isn’t working, in any area of her businesses, she will take the time to fully investigate the issue, most times, actually trying the task first hand to identify any possible opportunities. This hands-on, can-do approach has allowed her to successfully guide her team through many of the recent legislation changes that otherwise would have had an extremely negative impact on the business.
Operating a meritocracy is extremely important to Sam, she fundamentally believes in rewarding the people who work the hardest. Individual team members are routinely recognised and incentivised. In addition to rewarding individual achievements, Sam has put a profit share scheme in place, ensuring that the team who work for the company benefit directly and significantly from its success. An instigator of change, Sam is driven and powered by a desire to fundamentally change the insurance industry for the better. A vocal supporter of equal rights and the promotion of diversity throughout the work place, 67% of Sam’s directors are women. Philanthropy is also a key consideration to Sam, she established a foundation benefiting from both Pukka Insure and Action 365 with the goal of supporting some of the most worthy human rights causes locally and internationally.