Julie Bell

Julie is a general insurance specialist with more than 20 years’ experience with blue chip companies.  Her roles have included being underwriter, training manager, operational manager of up to 100 staff, manager of a team of risk management surveyors and head of a department responsible for underwriting strategy and best practice.  Julie’s energy and enthusiasm are always in demand and have led to a track record of demonstrable results.   Julie has an MBA from the Open University.     Key competencies   Ø      DELIVERING RESULTS:   ·         placing a major general insurer’s reinsurance programme for 2004 at a saving of £2.6m below budget ·         being a finalist in the British Insurance Awards in 2002 and 2003 with a submission for a ground-breaking risk management initiative ·         taking control of a major general insurer’s international business account and, within six months of managing the account, sorting out a problem that had existed for over 5 years.   Ø      DEVISING AND COMMUNICATING STRATEGIES:   ·         taking responsibility for ensuring that commercial underwriting within a major general insurer met the standards laid down by the FSA – with the result that no serious weaknesses were found in the first FSA audit. ·         designing an audit programme which came to be recognised as the best practice model within her company and was then introduced on a worldwide basis. ·         maintaining an involvement with key, strategic customers, providing an “advocate role” in the management of the company’s relationship with them.   Ø      MOTIVATING TEAMS:   ·         project-managing the achievement of Investors in People accreditation – with a result of best in class. ·         managing a team of eight trainers, delivering a comprehensive service to meet identified needs in sales, technical and management training areas and organised professional education.  Received a National Business Training Award for the training involved in the establishment of a Customer Service Centre with competency-based pay   Ø      CHANGE MANAGEMENT:   ·         Taking a team of 80 independent-location workers with three historic sets of working practices and motivating them (through setting clear goals and developing their managers) – as a result of which productivity increased by 38% and staff satisfaction quadrupled ·         re-organised a major insurer’s general insurance office in London (68 underwriters) so as to focus more closely on the customer – in so doing developing both team leaders and staff.  The result was a loss ratio of less than 38% (against a market norm of 70%) and a 50% growth in business over two years

Richard Brett

A specialist in general insurance specialist for over 20 years, Richard progressed to business analysis for the insurance industry.   His roles have included underwriting, product development, devising procedural and training manuals, IT consultancy and working with users to maximise the value of systems.   Richard is an FCII (Chartered Insurance Practitioner).     Key competencies   Ø      ANALYSIS:   ·         business analysis in high profile projects requiring timely delivery and invoking positive customer feedback, including the design of: ®    a commercial insurance system for a major European insurer for use across Scandinavia ®    an IT template that has become the market leader for the insurance sector for which it was designed ·         analysing business processes, reproducing the logic in selected software and, in so doing, rationalising underwriting practices    ·         introducing software into the workplace within the company and at its customers’ offices, resulting in improved process efficiency (32% saving for insurance quotations)   Ø      COMMUNICATION:   ·         production of policy wordings and other technical insurance literature, including underwriting manuals commended by users for their clarity and comprehensiveness ·         design and delivery of training, including writing a series of training modules on commercial insurance which have been used extensively in the training of new entrants ·         production of promotional literature for proprietary software, focusing on clients’ business needs and showing how IT solutions can meet those needs   Ø      INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY   ·         development and review of insurance products, including the design, pricing and delivery of a commercial product that became a market leader in its sector   Ø      COMPLETING AND FINISHING   ·         designing and building a commercial insurance system for a major UK insurance broker, embracing underwriting and documentation functions for all classes of commercial insurance