rising stars · sunnie luthra international general insurance risk and capital actuary rumbi...
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RISING STARS Intelligent Insurer speaks
to 40 young executives—all under 35— destined for success within this
evolving sector.
of the re/insurance industry
2019
RISING STARS: PROFILES ///// 3
www.intelligentinsurer.com Intelligent Insurer Rising Stars 2019
elcome to the 2019 edition of Rising Stars—a forum where we celebrate the young talent making its mark in the risk transfer industry globally.
We again profile 40 young people—all under 35—tipped by their companies for great things. We profile and interview them, and their perspectives on the industry
offer fascinating insights over the following pages.This is important. According to a 2017 report by KPMG as many as 40 percent of insurance
sector employees are set to retire in the next few years, with claims management, underwriting and reinsurance under particular threat.
If this mass exodus happens, there are currently not enough highly skilled younger practitioners to step into the shoes of outgoing senior managers, which would force companies to compete in buying in external talent and therefore push up costs.
The report also notes that graduates are being lured in their droves into perceived ‘sexier’ industries such as tech, with its forward-thinking work environments and opportunities to develop new skillsets. Against this backdrop, the insurance sector has never been under more pressure to rebrand itself.
KPMG says talent management is now a business-critical process for every organisation, advising insurers “to hardwire talent risk into their wider enterprise risk management frameworks”.
That is why we produce this report. The industry must reinvent its image and attract young people to work in it—and fast.
It has changed so much in recent years that it now has the diversity of roles to do this. The 40 young people profiled here are testament to that—but more needs to be done. We hope that reading about their experiences so far in the industry will inspire a new generation.
Wyn Jenkins, managing editor
W
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Intelligent Insurer—ISSN 2041-9929
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How to inspire a new generation
To nominate a rising star for the 2020 edition, contact head of research, Angharad Davies, at: [email protected]
RISING STARS: PROFILES ///// 15
www.intelligentinsurer.com Intelligent Insurer Rising Stars 2019
NAME COMPANY JOB TITLE
Akib Ali Great American Insurance Group Vice president, executive liability division, private equity and partnership risks group
Oliver Atkin Markel International Equine underwriter
George Barder AM Re Syndicate Assistant underwriter
Yiota Bellou Matrix Insurance & Reinsurance Brokers Senior facultative broker
Katie Blake RenaissanceRe Vice president, corporate actuary and syndicate chief actuary
Melissa Boyars Generali UK, Global Corporate & Commercial Claims operations manager
Brittni Burke Everest Insurance Underwriter, excess casualty
Jimmy DeCicco RMS Client executive
Tom Dilley Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Head of financial institutions
Ilir Dinovic SCOR Vice president & senior casualty underwriter
Riva Dumeny AmWINS Group Executive vice president, operations & strategy
Katrina Friday TigerRisk Partners Partner
Alicia Gerte Willis Towers Watson Vice president, broking, Willis Re North America
Kerry Hall Liberty Specialty Markets Underwriting manager, property binders
Gilbert Harrap MS Amlin Head of strategy reinsurance
Ayush Jain General Reinsurance India Underwriter and senior marketing executive, P&C
Lulu (Lawrence) Ji Munich Reinsurance America Analytics lead, Reinsurance Division
Brendan Keating Argo Group Senior vice president, international practice leader
Sunnie Luthra International General Insurance Risk and capital actuary
Rumbi Masamvu AXA XL, the P&C and specialty risk division of AXA Group Risk manager
Andy Massingham JLT Re Partner
Alexandru Mican PCS (a Verisk Analytics Company) Senior product development manager
Mark Mitchell PartnerRe Assistant vice president, underwriter, central cat
Pawan Negi Sompo International Reinsurance Assistant vice president, treaty underwriter, Asia-Pacific P&C reinsurance
Sandeep Nijjer Marsh Senior vice president
Bernard Opoku Hudson Structured Capital Management Vice president & financial controller
Rosa Pan AIG Multinational head of knowledge sharing & insights
William Paskins Zurich Claims transformation customer lead
Charlotte Piller Hiscox London Market War, terrorism & political risk underwriter
Olivia Pullen RKH Reinsurance Brokers Account executive, terrorism and political violence
Marlín Ramlal AXIS Re Bermuda Property treaty underwriter
Christina Roberts Validus Reinsurance Assistant vice president senior catastrophe risk analyst
Ben Rose Aon Inpoint Senior associate
Jonathan Sargent Swiss Re Corporate Solutions Head of wholesale property & casualty claims
Bob Skrabal AM Best Financial analyst
Caspar Stops Ascent Underwriting Head of cyber and technology
Katie Wagner Ironshore Vice president, long-term care product manager
Chris Widowski Aon Reinsurance Solutions Managing director
Emily Winwood DUAL International Head of digital distribution
Josh Wise THB Group Senior energy broker
RISING STARS: PROFILES ///// 27
Intelligent Insurer Rising Stars 2019
TOM DILLEYHEAD OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONSBERKSHIRE HATHAWAY SPECIALTY INSURANCECareer timeline2017: Product head UK&I, financial institutions, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance2016: Product head UK&I, financial institutions, Chubb European Group (formerly ACE European Group)2010: Senior underwriter, financial institutions, ACE European Group2005: Assistant underwriter, financial institutions, ACE European Group
Describe your pathway into the industry.When I graduated from university in 2005, I was lucky enough to land a position as an assistant in the financial institutions team at a major insurer in London. From there, I was hooked and insurance became my chosen career.
In the early days I was very focused on learning from the underwriting teams and developing my technical skills as an underwriter. I also received my IMC qualification, which has been helpful in my career.
Is the industry attractive to young professionals?Yes, absolutely. I have been fortunate in forging a successful career in this industry, and I am always encouraging young professionals to join the market. It’s a very social industry, it remains a relationship business, and allows a great balance between sitting at your computer and getting out to see brokers, underwriters and customers alike.
London is the international hub for insurance business and thus also provides ample opportunity for travel. Also, various insurance associations provide clubs and memberships for young professionals in the market and these are a great way to develop one’s career and meet new friends.
Does the re/insurance industry offer good opportunities and career development to young professionals?Yes. Most of the big insurers and broking houses run graduate or early joiner programmes that provide up-and-coming professionals great access to different areas of the business, and great opportunities for individuals to choose the area they may particularly want to focus on.
Further, most companies offer support towards insurance and other business qualifications, as well as providing a framework for individuals to be nurtured within an organisation. I was lucky enough to spend time abroad early on in my career, experiencing the work life within another regional office and that is something I hear is done increasingly by individuals as they develop.
The insurance industry also provides ample opportunities for individuals outside their in-house development, such as the Lloyd’s under 35s group or the CII’s New Generation group, which offer a number of opportunities to widen an individual’s career path.
What are your aspirations for the future?Ultimately, I would like to be a CEO of an insurance organisation. In the shorter term, I aspire to be involved learning about more product lines, and working with my teammates at Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) to develop our business across Europe. BHSI is a growing and agile organisation. We don’t operate in siloes, and the environment is very supportive, very empowering, so the opportunities to gain expertise across the business are really limitless.
I also want to continue to be in roles that keep me connected to people, both internally and externally. At the end of the day, people and our relationships are a core to our organisation and our industry. I get up every morning, energised to work with our brokers, customers, and my BHSI teammates.
What advice would you give individuals looking to start a career in re/insurance?I would encourage individuals to look for work experience, summer internships and contact as many insurance companies as they can early on in the process to give them the best chance of landing the right job. Insurance jobs are highly competitive and those hiring will look for differentiators in those they consider—having early experience or showing strong ambition will help one’s prospects.
Patience is also key. I am a firm believer that if you work hard and are patient, the right opportunity will present itself. Insurance is a career and over time patience will win the day.
If you had chosen a different profession/career path, what would it have been?I would love to have been a professional triathlete. The day before my first interview I had an interview with a school to take up a PE teaching role but thankfully the insurance industry took me in. n
“Various insurance associations provide clubs and memberships for
young professionals in the market and these are a great way to develop one’s
career and meet new friends.”
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