The ego has landed

Following the leveraged buyout of Stuart Alexander's ex-joint managing director Alex Shead, at 40, Stuart Reid is one of the youngest owner-managers of a big brokerage in the UK. He talks to Richard Adams about his love/hate relationship with the new breed of insurer chief executives, keeping it simple - and why he will never run Marsh UK

It may seem something of an oxymoron for a provincial broker to have its head office in the City of London, but, Stuart Reid says, this is largely to ensure that his organisation - Stuart Alexander - is furnished with the correct quality of staff. "And we punch above our weight as a result," he adds.

Straight away, he is keen to move onto the Spitzer inquiry. "Commission is paid (to brokers) for many things; supplying policy documentation, underwriting and paying claims. These things, once