Across a whole range of sports, from football to motorsports and from basketball to hockey, professionals rely on Kayla and her colleagues to protect their incomes if they are injured or unable to work. “These professionals rely on their physical fitness to earn their living, so if they can’t earn for a time, that is something they really need protection against.”
Kayla graduated from Oxford Brookes University having studied marketing and business. After considering a career in shipbroking, Kayla was introduced to specialty insurance. In 2021, Kayla began an operations internship at AXIS, a leading provider of specialty insurance and reinsurance. “Understanding what you can and can’t do in the business and really understanding how it works gives you a strong foundation for whatever comes next.”
Kayla was lucky enough to move straight onto the graduate scheme and then into the team that offers protection to sports professionals. “I knew very quickly that this was an industry in which I wanted to work” says Kayla. “As soon as I got started, I knew I loved the people and the work.”
As providing insurance for professional athletes is a global business, there is a lot of travel involved. “We are a global team, so we travel to collaborate with colleagues in other offices and clients and other stakeholders around the world.”
The big surprise for Kayla was how social the market is. “We spend a lot of time connecting with colleagues, competitors and other market players. It’s fun and helpful, and a fantastic career.”