Andy Mellor

Andy Mellor is Managing Director of The Insurance Surgery, a specialist UK life and protection insurance broker helping individuals, families and businesses find suitable cover when their circumstances are not straightforward.

Andy has more than 20 years’ experience across insurance, financial services, regulated sales, customer operations and specialist protection advice. His career has included senior leadership roles in niche insurance markets, such as disability and independent living insurance, personal lines broking, life insurance sales, contact centre operations, business partnerships, and insurance distribution.

At The Insurance Surgery, Andy leads a team focused on helping customers access clear, practical, and specialist advice on life insurance, critical illness cover, income protection, and business protection.

Specialist insurance experience

Andy’s background is rooted in specialist insurance markets where advice, underwriting knowledge and customer understanding are essential.

Before joining The Insurance Surgery, Andy held senior insurance leadership roles, including Director of Fish Insurance within PIB Group and Head of Sales and Operations at Fish Insurance. Fish is one of the UK’s best-known specialist disability and independent living insurance providers. In these roles, Andy led commercial growth, customer operations, sales strategy, contact centre performance, business partnerships and operational transformation.

His wider career also includes senior operational and sales roles at Carole Nash Insurance Consultants, one of the UK’s leading personal lines brokers, as well as financial services and customer operations leadership roles at Gopher Money, British Gas and Baines & Ernst.

This experience gives Andy a broad understanding of the insurance customer journey, from first enquiry and advice through to underwriting, compliance, service delivery, retention and long-term customer support.

Helping people with complex insurance needs

Andy’s work at The Insurance Surgery is centred on helping people who may not fit a standard online quote process.

This includes customers with pre-existing medical conditions, people who have previously been declined or had cover postponed, customers working in high-risk occupations, and those who take part in hazardous hobbies or extreme sports.

The Insurance Surgery regularly supports customers looking for protection advice after experiencing conditions such as cancer, diabetes, heart conditions, mental health concerns, HIV, multiple sclerosis and other medical histories that may require specialist underwriting.

The team also advises customers in higher-risk occupations and industries, including aviation, offshore work, construction, emergency services, the armed forces and other roles where mainstream providers may need more detailed information before offering cover.

Leadership built on advice, service and trust

Andy’s leadership approach combines commercial discipline with a strong focus on people, culture, compliance and customer outcomes.

Across his career, he has led large customer-facing teams, built sales and service strategies, improved customer processes, developed business partnerships and introduced operating models designed to make complex financial services easier for customers to understand.

His CV includes experience leading teams of more than 100 people, managing specialist insurance operations, delivering growth in regulated environments, improving retention, implementing new systems and building B2B propositions in niche insurance markets.

At The Insurance Surgery, that experience supports an advice-led approach. Customers can speak to specialist advisers who understand complex medical, occupational and lifestyle circumstances and can help present applications clearly to insurers.

Why customers can trust Andy’s guidance

Andy’s advice and content are informed by direct experience leading specialist insurance businesses, supporting regulated customer journeys and helping customers who need more than a basic online quote.

His focus is on making protection insurance easier to understand, easier to access and better suited to each customer’s individual circumstances.

For customers with medical conditions, complex occupations, previous insurance difficulties, or business protection needs, Andy and The Insurance Surgery aim to provide clear advice, access to specialist insurers, and a supportive application process from start to finish.