Matt Bartlett, Director — Apex Insurance Brokers Limited

Reviewed by Matthew Bartlett, Director · Last reviewed 2026-06-23

Matthew (Matt) Bartlett is the controlling director of Apex Insurance Brokers Limited, an FCA-authorised UK commercial insurance broker (firm reference number 724952) specialising in professional indemnity insurance for UK regulated professions. Matt is the named reviewer on every wiki entry on this site and the senior responsible person for the firm's editorial and regulatory output.

Regulatory approvals (Senior Managers and Certification Regime)

Matt holds the following FCA Senior Manager Function approvals at Apex Insurance Brokers Limited:

• SMF3 — Executive Director. The senior executive responsible for the firm's overall management and conduct.
• SMF16 — Compliance Oversight. The senior person responsible for the compliance function under SYSC 6.1.4R, including for monitoring adherence to FCA rules and internal procedures.
• SMF17 — Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO). The senior person responsible for anti-money-laundering controls under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017.

SMCR approvals for Apex Insurance Brokers Limited can be verified directly on the FCA register.

Background

Matt is Cumbrian by origin (the family roots are in the north-west, and he continues to sponsor the youth football team in Barrow), Bristol-based by trade. He has been operating in UK general insurance for over a decade, with a specific focus on professional indemnity for regulated professions including solicitors, architects, surveyors, accountants, independent financial advisers, IT and management consultants, and engineering professionals.

Matt founded Apex Insurance Brokers Limited (Companies House registration 07014570) and continues to lead it as controlling director. The firm is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to carry out insurance distribution activities for general insurance and a limited credit broking activity.

Specialism: professional indemnity insurance

Apex's core specialism is professional indemnity (PI) insurance for UK regulated and unregulated professions. Matt's day-to-day work involves:

• Risk presentation for commercial PI placements — reading the proposal, identifying the material facts under the Insurance Act 2015, and marketing to the right insurers
• Wording review and comparison across competing insurer offers — costs-in-addition vs inclusive, aggregation language, reinstatement, run-off provisions
• Claims notification handling — the first 48 hours after a circumstance or claim, where the case file is built and the policy that responds is identified
• Regulatory compliance — SRA Minimum Terms for solicitors in England and Wales, the Lockton-administered Master Policy for Scotland, ARB minimums for architects, RICS banded requirements, ICAEW fee-multiple requirements, IPRU-INV 13.1 for IFAs, MIPRU 3.2.7R for brokers
• Run-off planning for retiring practitioners and dissolving practices, including the extended limitation periods introduced by the Building Safety Act 2022 section 135

The firm

Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is incorporated in England and Wales (Companies House number 07014570) and authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The firm reference number 724952 can be verified on the FCA register. The firm is also listed on the Architects Registration Board (ARB) professional indemnity insurance broker information page.

Apex Insurance Brokers Limited carries customer reviews on Trustpilot, the firm's primary public review channel.

How to contact

For PI cover enquiries, claim notifications, or regulatory questions about Apex's services:

• Telephone: 0117 325 0027
• Email: info@apexinsurancebrokers.co.uk
• Online: request a quotation

About this byline

Every encyclopedic entry on the Apex wiki carries the byline "Reviewed by Matthew Bartlett, Director." This means Matt has read the entry, confirmed it is factually correct as at the review date, and accepts editorial responsibility for it under his SMF3 / SMF16 senior manager functions. Where an entry covers a specialism beyond Matt's primary remit, peer review from named colleagues is recorded inside the entry. The wiki is intended as encyclopedic background reading; specific cover advice is given through the broker channels above, not the wiki.