A Trip to Greece – Chris Gimson Deputy Underwriter


In recent years I have been fortunate enough to travel to Athens and have had the pleasure of meeting many of our Members and Brokers whom I frequently deal with. This summer was slightly different in that I was presented with an opportunity for a two week “Greek immersion”. The idea was that, with the kind assistance of Members, Brokers and H1, I would further develop my understanding and appreciation of the Greek Shipping and Insurance markets.


To give you a little background on myself, I started work for Thomas Miller in August, 2005 supporting the P&I and Defence Underwriters in servicing the Clubs’ Greek membership. I am pleased to say that I have now progressed to a Deputy Underwriter position working under the guidance of Paul Collier and Mark Mathews. In addition to this, I am also now splitting my time between the Greek and Singaporean markets which provides an exciting contrast to the role.


My two week stay in Athens commenced the first week of July. I had pre-arranged with a number of Members to spend a day at their office. These extended visits allowed me to see first hand the structure and operational activities undertaken by a shipping company. I am obviously very grateful to the Members who allowed me to sit in various departments


6 Hellas HiLights November 2011


getting a feel for the different functions and roles that exist within each department. All in all, I gained excellent insight into the communication that is needed between all parties to keep a ship operating smoothly as well as seeing where insurance fits into the bigger picture.


I also circulated among the local broking community. With some it was a great opportunity for me to introduce myself to those who I didn’t already know. Others I already knew I got to know better. Again, I managed a few extended visits at brokerage offices allowing me to develop my understanding of the role of an Insurance Broker in more depth, not only from a P&I and Defence perspective but also in terms of Hull and Machinery, IV, K&R and other insurance products. I would say that I have now cemented my understanding of what the community expects from its P&I and


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