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Large Commercial Business Insurance
Strategic risk advice and tailored insurance programmes for large businesses operating at scale in Ireland and beyond.
Insuring large complex businesses
Large commercial organisations face complex, connected risks. You may operate across multiple sites, manage large teams, rely on critical supply chains or hold sensitive data. A standard business policy often does not go far enough. Large business insurance helps protect your assets, people and operations through a tailored insurance programme that reflects the scale and complexity of your organisation.
As a broker, we act on your behalf. We work with you to understand your risk profile, design your insurance programme, and place it with suitable insurers in Ireland and beyond. We also provide ongoing advice as your business grows or changes, so your protection keeps up.
Insurance coverage options for large businesses
Property damage
Property insurance protection for buildings, plant, machinery, stock and contents against insured events such as fire, flood or storm.
Business interruption
Business interruption insurance covers for loss of gross profit or revenue if an insured event disrupts your operations.
Public and products liability
Protection if a third party is injured or their property is damaged due to your operations or products. Learn more about how combined liability insurance can benefit your business.
Employers’ liability
Cover for injury or illness suffered by employees in the course of their work.
Directors’ and officers’ insurance (D&O)
Protection for company directors and officers against claims alleging wrongful acts in the management of the business.
Professional indemnity
Professional indemnity insurance covers if your professional advice or services are alleged to have caused financial loss.
Fleet and commercial motor
Motor fleet and insurance coverage for company vehicles, specialist vehicles and transport operations.
Cyber and data risk
Protection against cyber attacks, data breaches and technology driven business interruption.
Marine, cargo and logistics
Cover for goods in transit, imports and exports, and associated logistics exposures.
Engineering, construction and project risks
Tailored cover for large construction projects, engineering plant and machinery, and associated liabilities.
How large business insurance differs from SME insurance
SME insurance usually focuses on straightforward, packaged cover for smaller businesses with simpler operations. It often combines core protections like property, liability and business interruption into a standard commercial combined policy that can be adapted within set limits.
Large business insurance, in contrast, is built as a bespoke programme. It is designed to address higher values, multiple locations, more complex contracts and specialist risks. Limits, deductibles and wording are often negotiated individually. International considerations, supply chain exposures, compliance requirements and board level responsibilities all come into scope.
In short, SME insurance aims to protect smaller, more contained operations. Large business insurance aims to protect complex organisations where risk decisions are strategic and where a joined-up approach across multiple covers and insurers is essential.
Types of large business claims covered
When something goes wrong for a large organisation, the impact can be significant. Typical claim scenarios include:
- Major property and business interruption events
For example, a fire or flood at a key site that stops production and affects customers and suppliers. - Complex liability claims
Claims involving multiple injured parties, product recalls or long running legal actions across different jurisdictions. - Board and management level claims
Allegations against directors or officers relating to governance, compliance or disclosure. - Cyber and data incidents
Ransomware attacks, data breaches or system outages that disrupt operations and affect customers.
Our role is to help prepare for these scenarios in advance, support you through them if they occur, and use claims insights to inform future risk and insurance decisions.
How we work with large businesses
Working with larger organisations is a long term partnership. A typical approach includes:
Understanding your business and risk
We start by listening. We meet your key stakeholders, review your operations, and map your key exposures, from property and people to contracts and technology.
Designing your insurance programme
We prioritise your critical risks, consider different programme structures and recommend a strategy that aligns with your risk appetite and budget.
Market placement and negotiation
We approach suitable insurers, present your risk clearly, and negotiate terms and pricing on your behalf, often with multiple carriers involved.
Implementation and communication
We help you embed the programme internally, making sure your teams know what is covered, how to report incidents and who to contact.
Ongoing service, renewals and improvement
We review claims trends, monitor changes in your business and the wider risk environment, and refine your programme each year so it stays relevant.
Throughout, you have access to specialists who understand your sector and who work collaboratively with your internal teams.
Common FAQs
You may need a large business approach if you operate from several locations, have significant property or fleet, employ large numbers of staff, rely on critical supply chains or face complex contractual and regulatory obligations. If decisions in your business carry wide reaching impact, a bespoke programme is usually appropriate.
Common elements include property damage, business interruption, public and products liability, employers’ liability, directors’ and officers’ insurance, professional indemnity, fleet, cyber, marine and project based covers. The exact blend depends on your operations and risk appetite.
We collaborate with your risk, finance, procurement and operational teams to understand your needs, gather information and design an appropriate programme. We also provide clear documentation and points of contact so everyone knows how to engage with the insurance in practice.
Where needed, we can work with wider Howden teams and international partners to support cross border risks, international placements or multinational programmes, subject to local regulations and market conditions.
You will usually need details about your business activities, turnover, number of employees, claims history, asset values and any contractual insurance requirements. Having this ready helps us give clearer advice faster.
This depends on how you trade, whether you employ staff, the value of your assets, your turnover and your reliance on premises, technology or suppliers. We help businesses assess these risks and translate them into appropriate cover. Fill in our quote form and one of our expert advisors will provide you a free of cost consultation.
If assets or turnover are understated, claim payments may be reduced. This is why accurate valuations and regular reviews are important. We help clients avoid underinsurance by reviewing cover as their business changes.