2015 Bermuda:Re/insurance+ILS 29


and I was lucky enough to be given a role in reinsurance by starting with him in his ventures team at RenaissanceRe.


If you had chosen a different profession/career path, what would it have been?


As strange as it sounds, I knew from a young age I wanted to work with numbers. Believe it or not, at 12 my dad would ask for my help (although I suspect he never really needed it) managing the finances of his business and filing taxes, etc. I have also been lucky to be in the position to try different things and take risks, including completely non-reinsurance related work, spanning from other finance work to entertainment. Given I have seen the other side and tried other things, I can speak from a fairly certain place that I am in exactly the profession I want to be in.


Julia Henderson


Job: Senior vice president, property treaty reinsurance Company: Brit Insurance Career path


2013—Senior vice president, property treaty reinsurance, Brit Insurance


2010—Vice president, senior underwriter, PartnerRe 2010—Consultant, Nephila Capital 2004—Analyst, RenaissanceRe


Julia Henderson has over 10 years of experience in the insurance/ reinsurance sector, specialising in the property treaty market. She started in the industry working for Renaissance Reinsurance in the venture and property catastrophe units. Prior to joining Brit Henderson worked at Partner Reinsurance in Bermuda as vice president and senior underwriter, building and managing portfolios focused on property catastrophe reinsurance risks, including North American, ILS and worldwide assumed retrocession. She has also consulted for Nephila Capital and worked with insurance sector private equity investor Pine Brook Road Partners.


Henderson helped start the new Brit Bermuda office in November


2013 as senior vice president to build the Brit Bermuda property treaty portfolio focusing on US catastrophe, retrocession and industry loss warranties.


In 2013, Henderson won the Young Industry Leader of the Year


award from the Bermuda Insurance Institute. She has an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and holds the CPCU and ARe designations.


Why did you choose to work in this industry initially?


I was interested in moving to Bermuda in 2003 to be closer to my now husband. I canvassed some of my fellow Babson College alumni who lived there, thinking my statistics focus at university might be relevant to reinsurance. I got in touch with Jay Nichols


In terms of career path, I know I am happiest when I am being


challenged, learning and being pushed out of my comfort zone. For my future, new challenges and growth are my focus. Opening an office, even for a very well established large Lloyd’s syndicate, in the current reinsurance market challenges me daily.


What has been the highlight of your career so far?


So many of the highlights of my career are usually preceded by failure, and I have found that I learn and grow more from failure than success. Without failure, I know it means I’ve never really tried anything truly difficult or risky, as Teddy Roosevelt said “It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.”


I am truly grateful for the career I have had, and look forward to


future highlights. One thing is certain: I would not have the career highlights I’ve had without mentors supporting me including Jay Nichols, Jon Paradine, Brian Secrett and Jon Sullivan.


What has been the biggest challenge you have encountered?


My biggest challenge has been balancing my blunt, honest and open personality. My aim is always to be truly collaborative, although occasionally this is confused with aggression! My approach to management and different personalities is something I am always working to improve. ■


“I have also been lucky to be in the position to try different things and take risks, including completely non- reinsurance related work, spanning from other finance work to entertainment.”


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55