What did you want to be at school?
An actuary. But when it came to choosing my degree, I decided I preferred Economics and Business to Mathematics. During my university holidays, I spent a couple of years temping for Endsleigh Insurance in my home town of Cheltenham and decided that a career in financial services was for me.
Why did you choose a career in the London Insurance Market?
I did apply for some risk management positions in banks but eventually succeeded in getting a job handling professional indemnity claims in Amwins office in Cheltenham which supports their London market operations.
I loved my trips to London to meet the claims brokers and underwriters so after a couple of years I decided I wanted to be a London Market broker and moved to Amwins in London as a graduate trainee.
During my graduate training I had 12 months experience across property and professional indemnity broking but it was my final placement in operations which I most enjoyed.
What does the job of a data analyst in operations entail?
Insurance has always been a data business – unless they understand what has happened in the past, how else can insurers set their prices ? But, it’s only in recent years that we have realised how important it is that we use data science tools and technology to manage and present that data effectively.
For instance, one of our property brokers was negotiating the insurance of a number of properties in the Caribbean. The insurers wanted to be able to quickly see how the risk had changed from year to year in terms of its exposure to hurricane. I was able to use a software tool (Power BI) to translate an excel spreadsheet into a map which illustrated the values of the properties as well as their location, which helped our broker negotiate a better deal for the customer.
In Charlotte, my role will be focussed on how we improve our own business process. How can we manage our data more efficiently and make sure our management has the information they need to build up our business around the world.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I love being able to fix problems. In operations I get to identify ways we can change how we work which can make my colleagues happier and their jobs easier. Also, I get to see how the whole company works. I might be talking to a claims handler one day and the CEO the next.
It gives you a great perspective on the whole broking process. When I moved from Cheltenham to London I could see how the offices could work more effectively together and now I am in the US I can use my knowledge of how the London market works to help us present data on US risks which will speed up the placement of those risks into London.
What skills do you need to do your job?
Problem solving. You need to be able spot patterns in data and understand the capabilities of systems. You also have to be able to ask questions and listen effectively. I am always trying to understand not just what people do but why they do it, so I can help eliminate pointless tasks as well as spotting easy ways to streamline a process.
Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to join the London Market?
Apply whatever your degree or educational qualifications are. It’s such a diverse market, there is a role for anyone who wants to succeed. Once you are in, ask lots of questions. Definitely study for your CII qualifications as it gives you a great overview of how the market works. Make sure you understand the importance of the effective management of data as it fundamental to the future of insurance. Network a lot, both by attending events and keeping in touch. The other day, I got a very helpful personal overview of how Lloyd’s of London’s new business strategy is designed to work from someone on the project I had kept in touch with on LinkedIn from when we both worked in claims.
Fun fact about you
I once won an international power lifting event when I was a teenager. Now I am more interested in running around the park with our two year old!