INTERVIEW
An underwriter at heart
Roy Watkinson talks to Brokers’ Monthly about his challenging dual role
within the insurer, his passion for the industry and his views
on broking
BM: What does your role as covers to give brokers every
underwriting director at AXA confidence when selling them.
encompass? We get good feedback from our
customers on our product
RW: There are two aspects to range, which is important to us.
my role – the ‘technical’ and We aim to push our
the ‘underwriting’ parts. products to new levels again
Taking underwriting first, I look now, with greater clarity and
after the commercial property, cover options and we’ll be
casualty and commercial motor reissuing our entire commercial
areas of the business, where product range over the next
together with my team, I set two years – and we’ll include a
the underwriting strategy and few new products along the
rating structures, our way as well.
underwriting approach and we
plan and monitor account BM: Why has the current soft
performance. market lasted so long?
On the technical side, I’m
responsible for our customer RW: The current soft market
risk management (surveyor) has lasted a long time, certainly
teams, reinsurance, product longer than I expected. Looking
development, technical training back at AXA results, the
and technical audits. commercial underwriting cycle
has tended to last about nine
BM: Do you feel there is an years from peak to peak and
AXA difference? trough to trough. On this basis,
I expected the market to turn in
RW: AXA as a worldwide group, 2009.
not just in the UK, set very high Of course, no two
standards in terms of cycles are quite the
behaviours, ethics, values and same and are
corporate social responsibility, affected by
and all staff are encouraged to external
live these standards every day. factors such
This helps create a caring as interest
approach to customers and rates and
fellow staff and makes AXA a the wider
good place to work and economic
hopefully a good company to climate,
deal with. as well as
I believe this is shown in insurance
our products, where we try to company
provide wide, comprehensive results.
8 Insurance Brokers’ Monthly
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