Growing up I loved foreign languages and I took my first degree in German and Spanish.
I have lived and worked in Germany (Düsseldorf & Frankfurt) and Spain (Madrid), all in financial services.
My work with Allianz and Bupa took me frequently to Germany and Spain respectively, where being able to converse fluently in stakeholders' native la
Growing up I loved foreign languages and I took my first degree in German and Spanish.
I have lived and worked in Germany (Düsseldorf & Frankfurt) and Spain (Madrid), all in financial services.
My work with Allianz and Bupa took me frequently to Germany and Spain respectively, where being able to converse fluently in stakeholders' native languages significantly facilitated my transformation work.
I was really fortunate during my time at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty to be seconded to the South Africa operation for 6 months.
Based in the Johannesburg office, I worked with the new Africa CEO to bring the AGCS Africa Target Operating Model in alignment with the AGCS Global TOM.
This project enabled AGCS Africa to grow from €35m
I was really fortunate during my time at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty to be seconded to the South Africa operation for 6 months.
Based in the Johannesburg office, I worked with the new Africa CEO to bring the AGCS Africa Target Operating Model in alignment with the AGCS Global TOM.
This project enabled AGCS Africa to grow from €35m to €90m in 3 years.
Having previously been a small operation, this alignment work was truly cross-functional. I worked across Underwriting (including governance), Operations, Claims, Finance, IT, HR and Facilities.
Before I joined the insurance sector, I worked for the card issuer, American Express. I was delighted when they transferred to me Singapore to work alongside their consumer card team to help them launch the prestigious Centurion card there.
I ended up staying on the island for 3 years, during which time I also completed an MBA through Durh
Before I joined the insurance sector, I worked for the card issuer, American Express. I was delighted when they transferred to me Singapore to work alongside their consumer card team to help them launch the prestigious Centurion card there.
I ended up staying on the island for 3 years, during which time I also completed an MBA through Durham University's Hong Kong business school. I wanted my thesis to reflect my study location so I went for...."Has China's accession to the World Trade Organization led to an increase in Foreign Direct Investment to its financial services industry?"
When I decided to undertake a part time degree in law with the OU and College of Law, it was to acquire legal knowledge.
I had no idea of the transferable skills it would give me - a fantastic skillset of evaluation, critical analysis and fact-checking.
I apply these throughout my business transformation activity, specifically my scenario planning approach to help clients evaluate options and make decisions.
It also enabled me to consult as a paralegal with Cognitive Law, reviewing client contracts for IR35 compliance and issuing Letters Before Action. www.cognitivelaw.co.uk
I enjoyed my LLB enormously and I always wanted to return to university to tackle a Master's in Law (LLM). Having delivered projects with a legal & regulatory angle in the intervening years, I was keen to lean my studies heavily towards insurance law and regulation.
This culminated in a thesis entitled '"M&A of UK-domiciled nonlife insurers: should regulatory compliance have greater focus in the buyer due diligence process?” A critical analysis.
The key output of the thesis was a specific Regulatory Due Diligence Framework to guide users through the forensic regulatory lens I argue is missing from most due diligence activity.