Rising stars


than many other jobs do. For me, the fact that every risk is different takes away monotony and means that no day at work is the same as the one before, and that’s very stimulating. There are so many different areas you can specialise in, whether


it’s on the underwriting side, broking or elsewhere. And within those there are different roles to suit different skills. One of the common misperceptions is that you have to be very good at maths to work in insurance, but the industry is made up of, and in fact relies on, a mix of different types of thinkers. A creative mind is just as useful as a numerical one; it just depends on the area you work in or the line of business you go into. At Lloyd’s you really feel you’re part of a rich history and tradition: a


Name: Alice Hallaran


Company: Markel International Job:


Assistant underwriter of casualty


Timeline: July 2013: Assistant underwriter, international casualty treaty, Markel International


February 201: Underwriting assistant, international casualty treaty, Markel International


September 2010: Underwriting assistant, D&O, Liberty International Underwriters


Why did you choose the re/insurance industry? It was during my second year at Durham University, at a Milkround career fair, that I first came across the prospect of working in commercial insurance. When I came across the stall for Lloyd’s of London, I was surprised to learn that insurance actually has a more glamorous side to it. They talked about brokers and syndicates and types of insurance I’d never thought about before, such as concerts, ships and space insurance. Once I’d graduated, in 2010, I applied for an internship at Liberty and was offered a six-month placement working as an underwriting assistant in its D&O team. Not only did this period of time confirm how far from boring the industry was, but it allowed me to see what a good match it was to what I wanted in a career, offering both technical and social elements.


Do you think the industry is attractive to young professionals? Yes. Previously there hasn’t been enough marketing of the industry at university and school career fairs compared with the likes of the banking, legal or retail industries, for example. However in recent years this has begun to change. In reality, insurance offers young people a lot more variety in terms of the work


world that goes back to days when risks were written on napkins. But at the same time there’s an emphasis on innovation and thinking of new ways of risk management. And of course there’s the social side to it. My role as an assistant underwriter means that I’m interacting with a variety of people on a daily basis and relies on me building up solid relationships with brokers, which I think lots of young people would find attractive in a career.


Do you think the re/insurance industry offers good opportunities and career development to young professionals? Since I’ve joined the industry there’s been a real emphasis on career development for young people and the message seems to be clear that investment in the future generations is important. The industry is rare in that it is open to school leavers and university


leavers alike. You don’t have to have a particular qualification to enter it and it is down to what you make of the opportunities given and the experience you build up over time. Whether you apply via a school or graduate scheme or through a


recruitment agency or work experience there is a number of ways in which the industry is open to a wide range of people. While building up experience is vital there is plenty on offer to help boost and speed up progress, whether that’s technical development, with ACII qualifications, or joining under 30s/35s groups that encourage networking with the other people you’ll be working with in the future. And even when the ACII is complete there’s encouragement to


continue self-educating, which is key given that risks are continuously emerging or changing and fresh ways of thinking are essential. The IIL’s (Insurance Institute of London) Continuing Professional Development scheme is a good example of this.


What are your aspirations for the future? In the short term, my aim is to complete my ACII by March this year. In the long term, my goal is to be a specialist in the casualty treaty field.


If you had chosen a different profession/career path, what would it have been? I’ve always wanted to make film trailers. Failing that, my back-up plan was to be a food critic.


May 2015 | INTELLIGENT INSURER | 27


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