Uxbridge-based Halo Insurance Services Ltd, a ground-breaking online specialist insurance platform, has been named a National Champion for the UK in The European Business Awards.

The awards are sponsored by RSM — Europe’s largest business competition set up to celebrate business excellence and best practice in the European business community. 

The awards, now in their 10th year, are supported by business leaders, academics and political representatives from across Europe, and this year engaged with more than 33,000 businesses from 34 countries.

Halo Insurance was chosen after the first phase of judging by an independent panel.

They were evaluated on the core EBA values of innovation, ethics and success and will now go through to the second stage of the competition, which includes a video and a public vote.

The team at Halo are effective at creating market leading insurance products, and have also become successful at using low cost acquisition marketing strategies, including PPC, SEO and PR to build brand and volume, ensuring products are accessible via digital channels, whether this be through mobile, apps, or the web.

In 2010 Halo successfully launched iCarhireinsurance.com, now the leading online provider of car hire excess insurance, ending rental companies’ stranglehold on the market and saving consumers more than 80%.  It also operates similar websites in Germany, Spain, Netherlands, France and USA (Insuremyrentalcar.com). 

Ernesto Suarez, Halo Insurance Services Ltd, founder and chief executive: “We’re very proud to be selected to represent United Kingdom as a National Champion.

“The European Business Awards is widely recognised as the showcase for Europe’s most dynamic companies and we are proud to be recognised at this level.”

He continued: “Our products and strategy have revolutionised the car hire insurance market. 

“We’ve taken an established product traditionally sold in a sub-optimal setting and delivered it online at a much cheaper price with more comprehensive cover.

“We are now poised to continue scaling the business into additional product verticals.”

Adrian Tripp, CEO of the European Business Awards said: “Congratulations to Halo Insurance who have been selected to represent their country as National Champions.

“They are central to the success of Europe’s strong business community, and have shown the core principles we look for of innovation, ethics and success.”

The next round requires the National Champions to make a presentation video, telling their unique story and explaining their business success.

The awards’ independent judges will award the best of this group the ‘Ruban d’Honneur’ status and the selected companies will then go on to the Gala Final in 2017.

Separately, in a two stage public vote, the videos will be hosted on the European Business Awards website, and the company who receives the most votes in their country will become the ‘National Public Champion’. 

Last year more than 227,000 votes were cast as companies were supported globally by their clients, staff and peers, as well as the general public.

Lead sponsor RSM, the sixth largest network of independent audit, tax and consulting firms worldwide has supported the European Business Awards since its inception.

The awards’ core purpose is to support the development of a stronger and more successful business community throughout Europe.

Additional sponsors and partners of the awards include UK Trade and Investment, ELITE and PR Newswire.

In the 2015/16 competition, all EU member markets were represented plus Turkey, Norway, Switzerland, Serbia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Their combined revenue exceeded €1.2 trillion employing more than 2.5 million people.

For further information about the winners, the European Business Awards and RSM please go to www.businessawardseurope.com or www.rsmi.com and follow us on twitter at @rsmEBA