You joined Liberty Specialty Markets (LSM) in 2016. Before, you worked for several insurers. Tell us about your career and how it has unfolded.

I started my career at Chubb in the USA as a Financial Lines Underwriter. I then spent 14 years at AIG, in underwriting and management roles, lastly Business Development Manager for Continental Europe. In 2002, I joined ACE Europe where I was the Financial Lines Manager for Continental Europe, and later held a Business Development Manager role for Europe and Eastern Europe. I joined XL as Country Manager for France and went on to manage both France and the region from an operation and distribution point of view.

In 2016, I joined Liberty to be the Head of the European region and I am now President of the Central (Europe and Middle East) region.

During my career, I always firmly emphasised lifelong learning. Every five years or so, I have spent time at INSEAD Business School, most recently doing a Trium (LSE/NYU/HEC) EMBA. Broadening my spectrum of knowledge is a key component of my career.

You were appointed Head of Central Region in February 2019, one year before the world was hit by a global pandemic crisis. What lessons do you think you have learnt as an organisation as a result of this?

I think, as an organisation, we came through the pandemic really well. It reiterated our view that it is imperative to put people first.

We trusted that our employees would find a way to organise themselves and their work whilst fitting with their various personal commitments which emerged during lockdown. We happily found that our inclusive, collaborative environment was not limited to an office setting, but extended to a virtual one too. As employees, we made the transition to working autonomously in a virtual environment. We truly learnt the power and capabilities of technology and, when faced with no other option, discovered how quickly you can implement new ways of working that historically would have taken a long time to adopt across the business.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have had the opportunity to consider our work/ life balance. Many of us believed that we had a good balance, others knew that they had a blind spot. A lot of people discovered that more ingredients were required to perfect that balance between a brilliant personal and professional life, and the challenge going forward remains working out what ingredients we keep and what we change. We are looking for the right adjustment, incorporating the lessons we have learnt over the past few years. I am hopeful that we will find this balance in an adaptable, efficient and caring way.

LSM is a specialty lines provider, ultimately part of Liberty Mutual. What lines of business do you write and what areas are you growing in?

LSM is a specialist player by name, part of the Liberty Mutual family. As a mutual, we are structured to be there to support our clients when they need us.

Liberty Mutual has existed since 1912, giving us the longevity and continuity that has resulted in longstanding relationships.

We attract new clients today, and we maintain some client relationships of decades, which is a wonderful position to be in.

We write a broad spectrum of products across more than 20 lines of business in the Central Region. We pride ourselves in our ability to provide expertise- led, tailored solutions to a wide-range of clients, in terms of size, industry and specialty, and provide each with a focused knowledge and understanding of their needs.

Alongside the areas of expertise that we have historically and continue to be known for, in the Financial Lines and Financial Institutions spaces, we are embracing new solutions and building out different areas of the business. Providing solutions to support the energy transition is an exciting space for us at the moment. We have a vertical offering with tailored risk financing solutions including multi-line, multi-year and flexible capacity for transitioning clients. We are looking at more innovative ways to have a positive impact on our clients’ carbon footprint. In the last few years, we have launched into the M&A space in Europe and extended our Multi Buyer Trade Credit (MBTC) offering into the European and London markets. We are also in the process of further strengthening our teams such as Fine Art & Specie and Digital solutions, as well as expanding our Surety offering.

LSM has been making a strong bet in the digital area, namely by strengthening its capabilities through hiring talented people. Tell us more about your strategy in this area.

We are making significant investments in this area. Talented people, like Carl Faulkner, our recently appointed Head of Digital Strategy for Continental Europe, continue to be attracted to our vision and are responsible for delivering our digital evolution across global markets.

We are making strides in the development of our bionic underwriting. This augmented process allows our underwriting teams to make decisions quickly and accurately. Digitization allows underwriters to do the human element of underwriting rather than administrative work that historically has taken up so much of their time, particularly in the specialty insurance area.

It’s not only about what you sell, but also how you sell it. For us, in addition to expertise underwriting, focusing on the “how” is critical, because it’s how our clients wish to interact with us. Our guiding principle is to find user-led solutions that are built on our experience and digital capabilities.

We work with our clients and underwriters to identify problems or areas to improve on in our processes, and then with distributors, business partners, in the boardroom and across data management platforms to find solutions and explore where automation can streamline the business process and enhance our evolving capabilities.

LSM has had a close relationship with Brokerslink for some time now. How would you describe that relationship and what has it brought to LSM?

I have observed Brokerslink’s unique model since its infancy and I was convinced from the outset. I like the network of independent, entrepreneurial companies that get together to build a unique franchise. I have been really impressed by the level of engagement it gets, the level of information shared and the commitment of the team.

The relationship brings us positive intellectual and business challenges, in order to meet their specific demands. We have also built friendships and a way to serve our clients that corresponds with international needs of globally operating companies.

We hope that these ties continue to strengthen as the Brokerslink network continues to grow.

You recently mentioned LSM has a DNA of continuous leading with sustainability. Is ESG an important part of your business strategy?

The move to a world where green energy production is ubiquitous will be a transition. It is not possible to flick a switch to a net zero space and fossil fuels will continue to play a part in this transition. LSM is committed to helping its clients through their own stability journeys to improve their own footprint. This will include looking for meaningful changes to policies whilst making our customers more resilient.

As an example, we have also introduced a flexible energy reinstatement clause which allows oil and gas refineries to build back greener rather than simply reinstate to previous location.

On the social aspect, we are proud to have a collaborative and inclusive approach.

This includes continuing a meaningful and sustainable change towards closing the gender pay gap and ensuring we are increasing diverse representation throughout our company structure. We are proud to be able to provide coverage to these people in order to create a more stable environment for them.

Finally, we have set a responsible investment policy for LSM’s main entities.

We are committed to taking material actions through our ESG strategies and continue to monitor progress through our dedicated internal groups such as Responsible Business Forum and Climate Change Forum. LSM is aware of the  importance of governance in any organisation as is made clear by our D&O coverage. Therefore, we hold the highest levels of governance across our business to ensure that we are continuing to work with clients and partners towards a better future for the insurance market and wider society, while maintaining a high degree of transparency.  

You are known for having a collaborative and inclusive approach. Can you tell us how you materialize this in your daily work?

LSM dedicates immense energy and commitment to DE&I. For me, this makes a difference.

It makes a difference for the people who work in this organisation, and it makes a difference to how we approach things. It is important to me for people to bring whoever they are to work and to feel comfortable. LSM’s values are very much in line with my personal beliefs.

Having a proactive DE&I policy is not only the right thing to do, it also brings values to economies, and it helps us progress.

I feel deeply that everyone deserves a chance to fulfil their lives. My personal journey has brought me to being a board member of “Fondation La Vie au Grand Air | Priorité Enfance”, a foundation which helps children who have encountered difficulty in their lives for whatever reason, whether it’s migration, family conditions, and so on. I have great admiration for the people who support the cause every day, helping to provide opportunities to those who started life in unfavourable conditions.

In many cases, DE&I is a journey. We all have unconscious biases, long histories and different experiences and therefore need to work together to consciously implement each letter of Diversity, Equality and Inclusion.

You are also keen to support talented women and ensure awareness of bias against women who are starting families. What do you do to fight this situation?

As a manager, I have seen how important it is to create opportunities for women in the talent pools. Women juggling their careers with building a family are often suspected of being less interested in the former, which is simply not the case. We have to support these women and help them to pursue the great careers that they deserve alongside being a mother.

How would you describe your leadership style and what do you see as being key to effective leadership?

There is not one unique leadership style that works, but I think the one quality that is non-negotiable in a leader is authenticity. Leaders must be authentic, knowing themselves, the way they interact with others, their biases and so on. When you know yourself, you know how to be better at inclusion, and managing diverse opinions, because you know that reality can be seen from different angles. It’s collective intelligence at work that creates success.

My commitment to lifelong learning extends to my team too, in that I encourage them to be constantly developing their skills and understanding of the diverse world of risk we operate in. I think it’s important for underwriters to put themselves in their client’s shoes to fully understand the changing environment of risk.

As a company, we are risk aware, not risk averse, and it’s vital to be curious about what risk is out there and how we can try to comprehend it. I encourage my team to collaborate and learn from their own smaller teams and other teams within the business.

We are all part of a network of talented individuals from different backgrounds and with different experiences and we must ensure we tap into that and work together to optimise our offering.

Attracting and retaining talent is a major challenge these days and the insurance industry is not seen as one of the most appealing sectors to work in. What is your company doing to change this perception and entice in new talent?

What we do in this industry is really amazing. Insurance is useful – we help people to get on with their businesses and lives should a loss occur. We have a business that is always about trying to understand the future. You are asked to be curious about business models, technology, innovation, acquisitions and so on, so there is a variety of aspects. LSM’s culture is at the heart of this, and what we do.

There is a good value proposition for young talent that wants to exercise a whole array of professions and skills. There are also many more options within the industry than becoming a broker or an underwriter that suit varied interests and skillsets. LSM has an increasingly diverse variety of competences, and we are a business that learns from each other. You can be internationally-minded; you can be curious; and you can find motivation from the passion that the many teams within LSM demonstrate.

This industry is one in which talented people can build a remarkable career.

What is your advice to young talent coming into the industry?

When I was starting out and working in the US market, I was told to go and speak to my first broker. I was nervous to do it alone and in broken English. My manager said to me, “You can do it.”

It gave me the courage to seize the opportunity. My recommendation: Trust the people who tell you that you can do it.