Claims Interviews

We recently welcomed Elliott Goss from W/R/B Underwriting to record a podcast with us. Elliott talked to us about the advancement of technology in claims, what he thinks makes a good claims handler and leader, the highs and lows in his career, his aspirations for the future, what he enjoys outside of work and what his ideal career would have been had it not been in insurance. Elliott joined W/R/B Underwriting in July 2022 and is Senior Claims Executive with 20 years Lloyd's and London Market experience. Elliott has worked across different jurisdictional and regulatory environments and is deeply passionate about excelling in client and customer service. Elliott has a strong operational background with proven track record in strengthening claims teams whilst using optimal processes to ensure efficiency and a high-quality output. Elliott also has experience of working in different cultures and environments, small companies, and large corporates. Elliott obtained a Fellowship of the CII which is regarded as the premier designation for those working in the insurance profession.

Gavin is the Head of Claims at IQUW, managing a complex book of insurance and reinsurance for all Specialty and Property lines of business. Gavin has extensive experience in the claims market, before IQUW Gavin headed up various claims teams at Canopius and Hiscox and prior to that enjoyed a long career as a claims broker. At IQUW Gavin leads a diverse team and has a focus on nurturing and championing new talent in the fast-paced evolving claims environment. Gavin emphasises the importance of automation, data insights through analytics combined with human expertise as the claims market takes its next evolutionary step. In this podcast, Gavin talks about his role at IQUW, how he has built a claims team and his vision for the future. He talks about the differences between this role and his previous role, who has inspired him in his career and some of the things IQ are doing to address the challenges in finding new talent.

Juliet joined Canopius in January 2023. Prior to this role, she was Head of First Party Claims at Inigo and Head of Energy and Construction Claims at AXA XL. She previously held roles in the client/insured space, working for Shell and Indecs Consulting Services. Juliet has been involved in the successful settlements of many major market losses in the Energy, Liability, Construction and Property classes. The dynamic, hybrid working environment has created opportunities and challenges in developing teams for the future and ensuring talent and opportunities are afforded, within expectations, across the market. Juliet’s key focus is to build teams focussing on diversity and inclusivity and the evolving skillset required in the insurance market. In this podcast, Juliet reveals many insights on her approach to leadership and she gives some shout-outs to individuals who have helped her in her career to date. She also discusses her aspirations for the future and tells us what she might have done had she not started her career in insurance.

Paulina joined SCOR UK in June 2022 as Global Practice Lead for Construction Claims. Prior to joining SCOR, she spent almost 11 years at Liberty Specialty Markets as Senior Claims Specialist handling large and complex energy and construction claims. Before Liberty, Paulina spent almost 4 years working in the energy loss adjusting division of Charles Taylor. Paulina is originally from Poland and has been in the UK since 2007. She also lived in Qingdao in China for two years where she studied Mandarin Chinese. Paulina has an outstanding story in terms of her career journey. We think that she demonstrates that hard work and determination can enable you to achieve your goals in life.

This week we were delighted to have Leo Dixon, CEO of Integra, as a guest on our Claims Interview podcast channel. Leo joined Integra in 2015 as COO and was promoted to CEO in 2018. He has overall responsibility for delivering the company’s business plan and strategic objectives and is responsible for a number of Integra’s client relationships around the world. Prior to joining Integra, Leo was the Global Head of Energy Claims for Zurich Insurance Company and handled several of their largest and most complex claims during his tenure. He was the financial and technical authority for Energy claims in the company and engaged with colleagues around the world to ensure the settlement of the company’s more challenging claims. Leo talks to Barry about how he came to be in the insurance industry. He talks about the evolution of Integra over the last few years and its positioning within the loss-adjusting marketplace.  He discusses what makes a good loss adjuster, who has been the greatest influence on his career and his aspirations for the future.

After a break in our podcasting schedule, we are back with a bang this week having interviewed Paul Lewis, a Partner at Herbert Smith Freehills LLP.  Paul is currently Global Head of the Insurance & Professional Risks practice at Herbert Smith Freehills based in London.  Paul has worked on insurance disputes for over 30 years and most recently led the HSF team acting for the FCA in the COVID BI Test Case. Paul works with clients on all aspects of insurance and professional negligence disputes. He assists policyholders, insurers and brokers with claims under liability policies including professional indemnity, public liability, directors and officers, Bermuda form and crime. Paul explains to Barry how he came to work in insurance disputes, the highs and lows of his career, what he thinks makes a good lawyer and his aspirations for the future. Listeners will also hear some slightly different questions in this week's quickfire round.

In our latest interview, Barry speaks to one of the most experienced and modernist claims leaders in the marketplace, Mike East of QBE. Mike East became Claims Director at QBE in 2016 and a member of the Executive Management Board for European Operations and has responsibility for Property, Motor, Casualty, International, Reinsurance and Financial Speciality Markets claims. In 2019, Mike also assumed responsibility for the Asia claims operation under the International Division of QBE. Mike, has over 20 years’ experience in the insurance claims environment, joined QBE from Canopius where he was Head of Claims between 2006 and 2014. He was a member of the LMA Claims Committee for 7 years, where he was Chair for 3 years. He has had positions on the LMA Board as well as the Claims Implementation Board which was responsible for delivering the Claims Transformation Programme. More recently, Mike sits on the Claims Steering Committee looking at the future modernisation of the London Market and engaging with the Future at Lloyd’s programme. Mike provides some really interesting insights on claims and also shares some personal facts that listeners will find revealing. We recommend you take the time to listen to the conversation and get closer to one of the "movers and shakers" in the European claims market.

Torben currently fulfils the dual role of Country Manager (Australia & New Zealand) and Executive Adjuster with Integra Technical Services (Australia) Pty Ltd. He is responsible for the investigation of complex claims, while also leading and supporting a highly specialised Adjusting team across Australia and New Zealand. Previously, he held the position of Head of Major & Complex Loss at Crawford & Company (Australia) Pty Ltd having responsibility for a team of 25 skilled/specialised Adjusters nationally who managed all commercial claims in excess of $250k. Prior to this, he worked at Crawford & Company (South Africa) Pty Ltd for some 17 years, specialising in the investigation of a wide range of complex insurance claims across the categories of Property, Liability, Construction, Engineering, Mining, Power & Energy and Marine & Transportation. Torben talks to us about how he came to be in the insurance industry, his background in South Africa, his responsibilities at Integra and what attracted him to this role. Barry asks Torben his thoughts on what makes a great claims handler, who his biggest influences have been and the high/low points of his career. 

This week Hugh Sparks from Charles Taylor Adjusting joined us in our office to record our next claims interview.  Hugh is a seasoned loss adjuster with 40 years of experience in the profession. He talks to us about some of the changes that have taken place at Charles Taylor over the last few years, some of the challenges that the loss adjusting industry faces and what he thinks the future holds. He also tells Barry what he thinks makes a great claims adjuster and some of the loss adjusters that he has admired and influenced his career.

Jeremy Burgess joined us in our most recent Claims Interview podcast.  Jeremy is co-founder of The Insurance Network (TIN).  Although not a claims professional like our other guests to date, he has very much been involved in helping publicise issues and solutions in the London market claims industry. Jeremy talks to us about how TIN was formed and how they are driving positive change in the industry by bringing topics such as technology and diversity to the forefront. He also gives us his take on what he thinks makes a good claims handler and some of the challenges his business has faced and overcome because of Covid.

Our second interview of 2022 sees Barry Jones talk to a seasoned claims broker, David Hair, Partner at Lockton. David has been in the market for over 4 decades specialising in particular in Financial & Professional Lines claims. Hear David talk about how he came to find himself in the industry, his view of what makes a great claims broker and what/who has influenced his career. David also talks about why Lockton is so successful and how it’s client-focused approach underpins that success. The role of the claims broker is to identify and deliver positive outcomes, but it is also incumbent upon today’s senior claims practitioners to ensure knowledge & skills transfer to the next generation. You will hopefully find this to be an interesting and informal chat.

Our first interview of the New Year was with Tobin Ryan, Head of Claims for Tokio Marine Kiln. Tobin started his London Market insurance career in 1990 and joined Tokio Marine Kiln in 2012. Tobin talks to us about what it’s like working for TMK and the culture and core values that are central to the firm and everyone who works there. He also talks to us about great people working in an empowered environment to deliver a client focussed claims management solution, his role as a leader and his mission to use the positive power of change to innovate solutions for the future. We also discuss his highs and lows, biggest influences and future aspirations. A really interesting and inspiring listen, especially for up and comers working in claims.

We recently welcomed Rob Gallie into our London office to record the next edition of MDD’s Claims Interviews. Rob is Global Practice Leader of Energy Claims at Scor in London. He started working on Energy claims over 20 years ago when he joined AIG as an Assistant Energy Claims Manager. Following this role, he joined Zurich as an Energy Claims Manager and then worked at XL Catlin as an Energy & Construction Claims Manager. Rob talks to Barry about his role at Scor and what he enjoys about working within the Energy claims space. Barry also quizzes Rob on what he thinks makes a good claims handler, what he enjoys about being a leader, who his biggest influences have been and his aspirations for the future. Rob also lets us know about the volunteering work he does in his free time and the career path he may have taken had he not got into Energy claims.

Andrew Walker joined us in our most recent MDD Claims Interview podcast. Andrew spent over 24 years working for AIG in the casualty and liability claims space. He now works for Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance as Head of Claims, Europe, where he has been since 2016. In this podcast, Andrew talks to Barry about the growth of the team and portfolio of business at BHSI. He discusses the challenges faced by a new business and how BHSI have dealt with them,, what he enjoys most about being a leader and what he thinks makes a great claims handler. He also lets us know who the biggest influences on his career have been, the highs and lows of his career and his aspirations for the future.

Richard has been handling claims in the London market for over 40 years. Prior to joining AEGIS London in 2001, he was at the Janson Green syndicate at Lloyd's. Richard has handled claims in most lines of business and has acted in a lead capacity on many large and complex insurance claims. He has led the claims function at AEGIS London for 20 years and is the lead organiser of the Onshore Energy Conference. Richard talks to Barry about why he loves working for AEGIS, the stand out moments from his career to date, and the career path he may have taken had he not got into claims. He also talks to us about his involvement in organising market events such as the OEC, what he enjoys most about being a leader, the biggest influences on his career and the changes he’s seen in the marketplace over the last few decades.

Our guest this week was Charles Glaisher – Head of Claims at Faraday Underwriting Ltd. Charles has been working in the London insurance market for over 40 years. He started his career as an apprentice working for Bland Payne in Norwich and then moved to RW Sturge three years later. After 14 years, he moved to DP Mann (which later became Faraday) to assist in developing the company’s property business. Charles then became Head of Claims at Faraday in 2010. Charles talks to us about his views on the people and talent in the London market, his involvement in the 9-11 world trade centre trial in New York and the challenges for the industry when it comes to technology. Barry also quizzes him on what he thinks makes a great claims handler, his views on being a leader and the highs and lows of his career. Charles and Barry take a fascinating trip down memory lane, sharing stories and remembering what working in the market used to be like in the 80’s and 90s.

This week we had the pleasure of interviewing Charles Bush, Head of Property, Construction and Energy Claims for Zurich. Charlie started his career with the Chaucer Syndicate on their graduate scheme and moved to Zurich eight years ago. He talks to us about what it's like working for Zurich, what he enjoys most about his role and the challenges of the last eighteen months in respect of Covid BI claims and the FCA test case. Charlie also talks to us about his hopes for the future of the industry and contemplates what his career might have looked like if he'd not got into claims.

This week we had a really interesting chat with Tim Deardon, Group Head of Claims at IGI. Tim works out of IGI's headquarters in Amman, Jordan and has been with the company for over 7 years. Prior to this role, Tim worked at Marsh, where he was Head claims advocate of International Energy and Political Risk Claims. Tim talks to us about what he has enjoyed most about working as a broker and as an insurer, why he loves working in the international claims marketplace, his thoughts on what makes a good claims handler and some of the greatest influences in his career to date. He discusses the reasons why he loves working abroad and also some of the challenges that he faces leading a successful international claims operation from Amman. A podcast not to be missed - and for the football fans amongst us - Tim enlightens us with a couple of stories from his days as a youngster playing football for Ipswich Town, under Bobby Robson.

Next up in our Claims Interviews series is Jonathan Sargent – Head of Claims, UK for Swiss Re Corporate Solutions.  Jonathan started his career in the insurance industry as a loss adjuster and then moved to work for Zurich, before starting at Swiss Re Corporate Solutions in 2017. Jonathan talks to us about what he enjoys most about being a leader, his views on the future of the industry and his role at Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, what makes a great claims handler and the greatest influences on his career.  Barry then quizzes Jonathan in a rather amusing quick-fire round, where his answers catch Barry off-guard.   

This week we were delighted to speak to Rob Powell, Global Chief Claims Officer at Marsh. Throughout his career, Rob has held a variety of positions - he started his career as a loss adjuster, then worked for several insurers and for the last 6 years has worked on the broking side. Rob talks to us about the biggest influences on his career, his experiences working in the US, the future of broking and the life lessons that being a Scout afforded him.

This week, we had the pleasure of interviewing Suzanne Liversidge, Global Managing Partner at Kennedys. Suzanne has extensive knowledge of the insurance industry and during her career as a practising lawyer, she built a practice that saw her working with insurers, self-insured corporates and local authorities, and specialising in employers’, public and motor liability claims, as well as health and safety advice and prosecutions. In this podcast, Suzanne talks about her new role as Managing Partner and what she thinks it takes to be both a good leader and a good lawyer. She talks about her greatest influences, diversity in the insurance and legal profession, her love of Sheffield United and cooking. This podcast is full to the brim of anecdotes and is definitely not one to be missed.

Our guest this week is Katherine Baron, Head of Casualty Claims at AXA XL. Katherine leads a team of around 40 claims professionals who handle casualty losses all over the world. In this podcast, Katherine explains why she has spent the last 15 years of her career working for AXA (and its various incarnations). She also gives us her thoughts on what makes a great claims handler, the greatest influences on her career, the highs and lows and her love of korfball.

Steve Agutter joined us in our most recent MDD Claims Interview podcast. Steve started his career in Claims when he was just 17 years old. He spent almost 30 years at AIG, starting as a Property & Energy Claims Adjuster and moving up the ladder to become the Head of International Claims, where he was responsible for managing a global claims team in 56 countries. Steve recently joined Inigo, a new insurer and operating as a managing agent within Lloyds of London via Syndicate 1301, where he is Head of Claims. In this podcast, Steve talks about how he started in Claims, the attraction of joining a new start-up and his aspirations for his new role and the business. Also what he enjoys most about being a leader, his high points and low points, his passion for cycling mountains, football, and his ever-expanding family.

Ewan Cresswell joins us from Integra Technical Services, a leading loss adjusting firm that operates in the area of complex technical lines claims in property, casualty and marine insurance. Ewan began his professional life as a graduate chartered quantity surveyor in 1977. He moved into loss adjusting, ultimately serving as Managing Director of International Adjusters Partnership/Cunningham IAP, Thomas Howell Group; Technical & Specialist Services Company and IRISC Technical Services. Ewan established Integra in 1998 and currently pioneers the development of innovative strategies for handling and fast tracking the settlement of major and complex losses. In this podcast, Ewan talks us through his career to date, explains how technology is increasingly being used in the adjusting process and elaborates on how education provides opportunities for the global insurance market.

Our first guest is Martin Clark who is the Head of Property and Energy Claims at Zurich. Martin’s impressive career has spanned 35 years and began in reinsurance at Lloyds. He held a variety of claims positions in both company environments and broker roles where he had responsibility for managing clients’ energy claims for risks written in the London insurance market, before returning to run a claims department at Zurich dealing with high value energy, property and construction claims. Martin talks candidly about his career and the importance of aligning the corporate DNA of a company with your own values. Martin discusses his interests outside of work, what he hopes his legacy will be in the future and the career path that he almost took.