What made you pursue – and stay in – a career in insurance?
I fell into it like most people. I started out wanting to be a quantity surveyor but then realised it was mainly counting bricks, so needed a job. After that I found I liked it, enjoyed the technical side of the industry but, more than that, the people. It has given me great opportunities over the years and still does every day.
What would you say has been the most notable change in the industry from when you started?
It’s my 39th year in insurance, so without a doubt – technology. We are so much more efficient now and are never tethered to a desk. We get so much more done and the drudgery of most of the administration has gone, allowing us to spend more time with our clients and our people.
As chief executive of a rapidly growing intermediary group, what do you find as the most challenging aspect of your work?
I think it’s making sure we recruit and keep the best talent, and then create a culture where people want to stay and believe they can thrive. If we get that right, then everything else is easy.
In the same vein, what do you find as the most satisfying?
Seeing the business grow. Three years ago we were a team of about a dozen people and we have about 1,100 people today. It’s been the most exciting thing I’ve done in my career.
If you were to swap jobs with anyone, with whom or in what industry?
I always like to make things and fix things. So probably a carpenter, chef, or mechanic – a job that produces something tangible.
Name one thing your insurance peers probably don't know about you.
I make cheese.
