“Forever the student” Sensei - Patrick Pinto.
To me, this means no matter what you know, remember to stay humble, and if you stop learning then you will be left behind.
My first introduction to the insurance industry came from working at the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF) during university. This gave me the perfect introduction to a career in insurance and I pursued a Graduate role with insurance firm Willis. I worked in the Financial Lines Corporate team before transferring to Commercial Risks. I found the technical complexity of SME risks to be just as fulfilling as their larger counterparts, especially when addressing entire portfolios or even entire professions. I joined Gallagher, managing schemes and Facilities, primarily specialising in Professional Indemnity, Management Liability, and Cyber products. Most recently, I led a team of underwriters at Chubb and oversaw the digital distribution of their Financial Lines products. While I have been consistently focused on Financial Lines products, I have enjoyed approaching these risks from a broad number of perspectives spanning technical analysis, client service, portfolio management, systems and efficiencies, under writing, and business development.
The silver lining of Melbourne’s lockdowns is the opportunity to spend a lot more time with my loving family. My two girls with a third on the way keep me very busy. Outside of work I’m a novice martial arts enthusiast, currently focused on kyokushin karate. I’ve also developed an interest in crypto currencies and blockchain technologies, and have enjoyed exploring both the technical innovations, and the disruptive changes these technologies herald.
The experience and skills and relationships already in the BRIC business are seriously impressive. My task is to leverage the collective capabilities within BRIC and the resources of Honan to amplify the talent that exists!
I could tell you about some hard-to-place risks that were highlights, but actually, what I am most proud of was leading a multi-state team at Chubb through the challenges presented by COVID and helping them to feel supported, understood, and engaged. Being virtually invited into my team’s homes really amplified the human aspect of work, and the fact that everybody was facing different challenges and a lot of listening was key.
Working in what is arguably the hardest area to place insurance (coverage for building, surveyors, and engineers), the purpose of my role is to assist clients and work with our insurance partners to satisfy their requirements at the same time – and delivering all of that in a transparent way. I’ll also be focused on fostering talent and looking for opportunities to help my team develop and excel.
There has been a drive for efficiency and digital distribution, but concurrently, there have been significant changes in the risk landscape (e.g., climate change, cladding crisis, regulatory changes, growing cyber risks). This creates a tension for insurers and brokers to simultaneously streamline processes, while needing more information from businesses to address these emerging risks. Let’s call finding that balance an industry wide work in progress.
Securing insurance for complex and hard-to-place risks is incredibly energising and the societal good of the building industry has always appealed to me. The ability to work in that area of risk, coupled with the calibre of the BRIC team and the energy and resources within Honan and contributing to the synergy of the two was literally impossible to say no to!
I’ll be amplifying the technical capabilities within BRIC via the resources and professionalism of Honan. I’ll be adding the sizzle to the existing BRIC offering!
Jimmy Rees’ Meanwhile in Australia series on YouTube has provided a lot of laughs lately!
