Briefing: Using insurance to make a genuine difference to people’s lives

I’ve worked in insurance all my life. I left school at 16, went straight into the industry and have been in it ever since.

I’ve sold a huge range of different products – from home and motor to life and health insurance. I’ve started and sold my own business, worked in the broker market and for insurance providers too.

Because of that, I’ve seen this industry from pretty much every angle. And, since my family were also in insurance, I guess you could say it’s in the blood.

In fact, growing up, I used to hear insurance jargon round the family table – which was just as fun as it sounds.

Joking aside, people often wonder whether decades in one industry might make you a bit jaded – even a bit cynical. Not a bit of it!

The truth is this is a fantastic sector and it frustrates me when I hear people describe it as a stereotypically boring office job.

To me it’s much more than that. I still consider my early days on a claims team as some of the most rewarding I’ve ever had.

You’re dealing with hundreds of people on a daily basis. No two days or claims are ever the same. You could be dealing with a minor motoring incident – like reversing into a lamppost – or a major life changing event, like a house burning down with the owner losing all their possessions.

But, throughout this all, you’re helping people. You’re making sure they’re protected. You’re getting their claims paid and trying to put them back to the position they were in before their loss. And you’re trying to ensure they don’t suffer any unnecessary shortfalls.

Serving customer needs 

When you see your customers on a regular basis, you know what they need. This is why it’s my absolute privilege to have recently taken on the role of chief executive for consumer and local commercial at Howden, where our high street network of physical locations is our superpower.

We’re all in on the value of high street locations because we know that local connection to the community is priceless. And what’s really impressed me so far about my colleagues is not just seeing their wealth of knowledge, but their sheer pride in delivering a quality service. Make no mistake, we’re sticking to those core values.

But, if there’s one thing I’ve learnt from a lifetime in this industry, it’s that you’ve got to keep adapting to customer needs – and those needs are continually changing.

For example, is there more the industry can do to offer a branch service outside normal hours? How can we create an online offering that allows the customer to a get quote whenever they want?

And, if we do that, can we still provide them access to a personal service? These are the questions we must come up with answers to.

The story of insurance has always been about continuous adaptation to the needs of our consumers. And, if we do that, we’ll do much more than succeed as businesses.

We’ll also keep energising our sector with the sort of passionate people who regard insurance not just as a job, but as a real opportunity to make a genuine difference to people’s lives.