Rising stars
“There is a huge need in our industry for talent in interesting fields related to ILS, catastrophe modelling, actuarial sciences and various analytical roles.”
Name: Erik Soria
Company: QBE Re Bermuda Job:
Branch manager, P&C treaty reinsurance
Timeline: October 2014: Branch manager, P&C treaty reinsurance, QBE Re Bermuda
March 2012: Senior underwriter, QBE Re North America
August 2010: Assistant vice president, Willis Re
April 2007: Senior Account representative, Aon Benfield
November 2004: Account representative, Aon Re Global
Why did you choose the re/insurance industry? Similar to the experiences of many college grads, the job market was very tough and I had to explore all options. I networked with everyone I knew and followed leads in numerous directions. My life changed forever the day my best friend’s mom called
me to say that someone they knew at Aon Re was looking for an analyst. I did my research of this field called ‘reinsurance’ and the general consensus was that it was a very good career and profession to pursue. Although at the time I accepted the offer I still wasn’t entirely sure what reinsurance was, fortunately it is a great industry to be a part of and I was extremely lucky to have landed the job.
Do you think the industry is attractive to young
professionals? I think it’s very attractive once discovered and understood. The
industry is becoming more known to young professionals and more sought out than ever before. There are more risk management and actuarial science courses offered at top universities, tipping off future talents to our industries’ existence. Similarly, there is a huge need in our industry for talent in
interesting fields related to ILS, catastrophe modelling, actuarial sciences and various analytical roles to name a few. On the surface reinsurance may appear dull to the average college student, but all it takes is a few months in the industry to realise that it’s actually quite the opposite.
Do you think the reinsurance industry offers good opportunities and career development to young professionals? I think there are great opportunities for young professionals, but our industry has historically not done a good job at training or with succession planning for the future. Many companies that historically had great training programmes to cultivate internal talent cut back due to high costs and competitors poaching on this initial investment. I think the industry as a whole agrees this was a mistake, and
you do see a lot of proactivity to change this, which is in turn a huge opportunity for young professionals entering the space. The experience and exposure that is available for young professionals is priceless and ripe for the taking. I read a study not too long ago that put 85 percent of the workforce in reinsurance over the age of 40. This industry is full of mentors who can bring in the next generation of talent. Career development is at the forefront for many reinsurance companies, and I think that the training programmes are coming back because we need them.
What are your aspirations for the future? Our business, no matter how advanced and technical it becomes, is still a relationship business at the end of the day. I aspire to be a great relationships manager, business partner, colleague and friend as we all continue to follow our paths in reinsurance.
If you had chosen a different profession/career path, what would it have been? I could have done it all over again, I would have chosen to go to law school.
May 2015 | INTELLIGENT INSURER | 45
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