From top to bottom, a traditional family culture is embedded into the Thomas Carroll Group, a leading independent insurance broker which gave all its employees a £400 bonus last Christmas.

With headquarters in Caerphilly, near Cardiff, the award-winning group has moved closer to its clients, opening local offices in Swansea, Pembrokeshire, Newport, Hereford and London. For nearly 50 years it has provided “a voice you can trust” in a range of fields including both business and personal insurance broking, wealth management services and consultancy services on health and safety and employment law.

CEO Rhys Thomas, the son of the company's founder, leads an approachable senior management team and says he is “always listening” to the workforce. During the coronavirus pandemic, employees were given the freedom to voice any concerns during the CEO's weekly video chats. Staff were updated on everything from the financial position of the company to where they could find support for health and wellbeing if they needed it. Thomas Carroll also created plenty of virtual events for colleagues to get together to raise morale.

The company's charitable trust was busy supporting local people during lockdown. Its Operation Santa appeal collected more than 300 Christmas gifts for disadvantaged children after overwhelming support from team members. The trust was also able to provide specialist gym equipment for a child with challenging health conditions and a stairlift for a man who had suffered a brain haemorrhage. Its next project will be to provide help to as many local food banks as possible.