Career Development: Endsleigh celebrates Golden Jubilee

Founded by the National Union of Students on 13 August 1965, Endsleigh is the first insurance company in the UK to have focused specifically on students – championing affordable insurance, tailored to their needs.

In 1965, Endsleigh’s founder Mike Naylor said: “It does not matter how long an applicant’s hair is, how scruffy their anorak, or how floral the decoration of their car, we shall quote them competitive rates.”

Endsleigh has since broadened its products and services to extend to graduates and professionals, as well as to a wide range of organisations through its broker division including landlords, charities, sports associations and governing bodies, student unions and travel agents.

The Zurich-owned operation will celebrate its 50th anniversary over the coming 12 months, supported by a brand campaign that is designed to reinforce Endsleigh’s heritage.

Sara Newell, head of student and graduate markets at Endsleigh said: “50 years ago, our founder set up Endsleigh because he felt that students simply weren’t getting a fair deal. Half a century on, that commitment to students remains at the heart of what we do, helping them through university, into the workplace and beyond, with a constantly evolving range of products designed to suit their needs.

“In the 1960s, students’ belongings were carted around in huge wooden boxes – a far cry from today where their most valued items amount to thousands of pounds’ worth of gadgets that can fit in pockets and handbags. In 1965, students didn’t have computers in their rooms – cost and space would have been an issue – and laptops, tablets and smartphones were the stuff of science fiction. Of course, premiums have changed too. Our first travel policy cost just 50p for 10 days.”

Newell added: “Not everything has changed entirely though. We’re proud, 50 years on, to maintain a strong relationship with NUS, part of ensuring that we’re constantly understanding and working with students to fit their needs.

“Now Endsleigh’s customers aren’t only students. They’re graduates, young professionals, parents and, on the broker side, charities, landlords, sports associations, student unions and more. However our same founding ethos of getting our customers a fair deal is as true today as it was in 1965.”