Have you attended a music festival recently? Then you might have been to one insured by underwriter Lucy. Just around the corner from the Bank of England, in the City of London, Lucy works for insurance company Liberty Specialty Markets, looking at complex business risks from music festivals and artists’ tours to some of the country’s biggest sporting events.
For Lucy, no two days are the same, whether it’s reviewing new business or negotiating contracts, the variety of clients keeps Lucy on her toes. “It’s a very diverse type of insurance and there’s always weird and wonderful things that pop up that are becoming more apparent or that I haven’t seen before,” says Lucy. “The music industry is the most interesting as there’s a large array of artists. Sometimes I get to work with my favourite performers, so it’s interesting to have an insider’s perspective.”
Lucy joined the insurance industry partly by accident while working in a pub back home in Essex. “I hadn’t gone to university, and I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I just wanted a job that I could have a career in. I had a friend who worked for an insurer, who recommended me for a job in their operations team in Chelmsford and I got it!” But her journey to Allianz took a detour. “After two years I took a break and went travelling. When I got back it was only natural to get a job similar to the one I’d had, but I wanted to work in the City of London. I went through a recruitment agency and got a job at Allianz and started in property operations, before working my way up to the underwriting team and eventually becoming a senior underwriter.”
“If you had asked me ten years ago if I could have seen myself in insurance, I would have said no,” Lucy laughs, “but it’s also great for progression and it’s not always underwriting; you can manage clients or manage portfolios. It’s not a one-size-fits-all industry.”