Women in reinsurance
PrOFILE Name:
Jayne Plunkett
Company: Swiss Re Job:
Head, casualty reinsurance
Timeline: 2012—Joined Swiss Re’s management board
2008—Appointed head of casualty underwriting in Asia
2006—Joined Swiss Re
Jayne Plunkett joined Swiss Re as head of regional underwriting in 2006 as a consequence of the acquisition of GE Insurance Solutions. Her other successes include the head of planning and analysis at GE Insurance Solutions and head of casualty risk management and deputy chief reserving actuary. Plunkett began her career at John Deere Insurance Company in 1992, where she held various positions focused on the commercial lines segment of the property and casualty insurance business.
“My career highlight has definitely been the five-and-a-half
years I spent living in Asia,” she says. “Living and spending time in such different countries really helped me to change the way I approach things, and made me more aware of the importance of recognising and celebrating differences, be that in language, culture, approach or ideas.
“I learned to explain myself clearly and to take time to not just listen, but to understand what others are saying. I also enjoyed leading a team of bright young talent—with them teaching me as much as I was teaching them! I felt so much energy to work in an environment where new solutions are needed, and where technology is part of daily life.”
Despite her extensive knowledge, Plunkett has still faced
challenges along the way. “Casualty is a social science and not a natural science. This means we have to understand many social
elements of each country in order to spot the trends for the future. We have the opportunity now to use different forms of data—from unstructured data to big data—to better understand the future for these lines. But this is challenging, because we come from a discipline of looking at the past and using it to predict the future.”
Joining the industry back in 1992, Plunkett has many years’
experience, but wants to challenge the boundaries going forwards. “I believe that insurance exists to make the world a safer place, through risk management, and for me, this is a noble cause and a reason to spend so much time in this industry,” she says.
“We can do even more in this area. We have ideas and solutions
to offer in terms of environmental liabilities and food safety, particularly in the emerging countries. I think insurance can play a key role in improving the risk management of these industries over the next years.”
“I felt so much energy to work in an environment where new solutions are needed, and where technology is part of daily life.”
May 2014 | INTELLIgENT INsUrEr | 35
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