An employee has risen from a trainee to the director of her company.

Kally Shane, who began working at the Carlisle-based H&H Insurance Brokers (HHIB) as a trainee account handler in February 2010, has now taken on the mantle of operations director after a 14-year-long journey with the company.

HHIB, with offices spread across North England, the Scottish Borders and Wales, deals with wide-ranging insurance types including agriculture, commercial, tourism and hospitality, and property.

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It also caters to a number of specialist products.

Ms Shane will now be a part of the senior strategic team guiding the business with managing director Paul Graham.

Ms Shane said: "It’s a real honour to be made a director and I’m delighted to be part of the team which will be taking the business forward.

"I’ve been given so many opportunities to develop my career and this is definitely the culmination of those years of working towards an ultimate goal."

Within two years of joining HHIB, Ms Shane completed her industry qualifications, becoming account handler supervisor in 2015.

Subsequently, she became operations manager in 2018 and then head of operations two years later.

In 2022 Ms Shane was chosen for a top industry training programme by insurance behemoth, Aviva.

It has seen Ms Shane regularly heading to Aviva’s London-based offices for training sessions with industry specialists and leaders, and attending national conferences and events while balancing her day job.

Ms Shane said: "The course has definitely enhanced my role at HHIB on both an operational and strategic level, and I’ve brought back lots of initiatives and ideas which we can use in our processes and planning."

Mr Graham, said: "Kally’s enthusiasm, expertise and experience are a huge asset, and her well-deserved promotion to director level was a natural step on her career path.

"As a company, we are committed to investing in our team, and giving them opportunities to develop and grow in their careers."