HR: Leeds - Northern exposure.

(From Post Magazine)

In the past 10 years, Leeds has undergone something of a transformation.

Once seen as a dark, northern industrial town, it is now one of the most vibrant cities in the UK - not only did it attract the first branch of Harvey Nichols outside of London, it also won the award for Britain's Best City for Business 2004 in a survey conducted by OMIS Research.

And just as the city has undergone something of a makeover in the past few years, so has its insurance market. While there have been some exits from the city - notably Axa, Norwich Union and Royal and Sun Alliance, which have all closed their Leeds operations as part of consolidation strategies - plenty of other insurance players have been wooed by the city.

Leading lights

Among those that have recently moved to Leeds is Brit, …