Rising stars
treaty on the performance of entire portfolios proved to be very interesting.
Do you think the industry is attractive to young professionals? The notion that insurance is one of the less interesting financial services sectors is changing fast, as young professionals are made more aware of the range of opportunities available for career progression in this continually evolving market. The sector now offers so many varied roles, including in consulting, capital markets, and analytics, that it is attracting a much wider variety of young talent. On entering the industry, one quickly realises that it plays such an important role in an increasingly globalised world. Those who work in the insurance and reinsurance sectors tend
Name: James Latham
Company: Aon Benfield Job:
Broker, casualty and accident & health
Timeline: March 2013: Broker, casualty and accident & health
July 2011: Trainee broker April 2011: Intern, Aon Benfield
Describe your career so far and current role. As a member of the UK & Ireland treaty team at Aon Benfield, I work across a number of classes of business for the firm’s UK clients, particularly liability, motor and personal accident, including global programmes. Dependent on the account, my role is either placing broker, or account executive (the latter particularly on our personal accident book). In July 2012 I was appointed knowledge ambassador for UK casualty treaty, which involves ensuring that the expertise within our team can be shared effectively across Aon Group in order to assist with and develop business opportunities. I was elected to the committee of the Under 35s Reinsurance Group in April 2014.
Why did you choose the re/insurance industry? I had originally considered the diplomatic service or a career in finance, but hadn’t identified insurance specifically as my degree in international affairs didn’t really relate to the sector! However, after a few career discussions with family and friends
who were already working in the insurance industry, I was pointed towards a career in re/insurance. Initially, the strong focus on personal relationships appealed to
me; then, once I had learnt more about its mechanisms, the ‘top down’ view of the reinsurance sector coupled with the focus of
to talk about their roles with passion; they act as ambassadors and each year this encourages more and more young people join our industry, particularly in the London Market. Graduate programmes have become very well structured and
there are a number of companies offering apprenticeship schemes for school-leavers which gives young professionals options outside the graduate route. All of this means that the industry is on the radar of young professionals from all walks of life as a great place to build a career.
Do you think the re/insurance industry offers good opportunities and career development to young professionals? Yes, definitely, and in my experience you get out what you put in. The market still has a slightly older bias and this presents opportunities for anyone who is willing to put a marker down and take responsibility. Young professionals are encouraged and given the support to
take professional exams, and these represent an impressive set of internationally recognised qualifications.
What are your aspirations for the future? If you want to be a problem-solver for clients, reinsurance is a great sector in which to be involved. I currently work on individual classes of business for clients, placing reinsurance on a portfolio by portfolio basis. I still have a lot to learn and I’d like to keep working on projects
that allow me to help clients to achieve their strategic goals, working across varied classes of business and eventually becoming someone who can play a key role in helping to formulate team strategies. I think one of the great things about this industry is that you don’t know where the opportunities will come from next!
If you had chosen a different profession/career path, what would it have been? Aside from insurance, I’d probably choose to work in foreign policy, either for a think-tank or for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office—probably processing visa applications in a far-flung corner of the globe.
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