Chris is an underwriter specialising in Motor Fleet and Trade insurance and has been part of the Insurance Corporation (ICCI) team for over 4 years. He holds the Certificate in Insurance (Cert CII) and is dedicated to supporting our Brokers in any way he can. For Chris, the best part about working at ICCI is the team/family environment. In his free time, he enjoys a perfect work life balance, spending time with his family.
We spoke to Chris to find out more about his career, his life and his aspirations…
- You joined us nearly four and half years ago - how did you get into insurance?
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I was living in the UK, commuting by car at least four hours each day and the insurance industry and the Channel Islands were new to me. However a friend convinced me to move and I made an immediate decision to relocate to Jersey where I started my insurance career, initially as an insurance broker.
- How has your career grown since starting with us?
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When I joined Insurance Corporation I had no direct underwriting experience, but plenty of broker knowledge and experience. Since being at Insurance Corporation I have achieved licences in Motor Fleet, Motor Trade and PPP and gained extensive underwriting knowledge from our supportive team. Going forward I am aiming to increase my underwriting licences to extend my knowledge further and increase authority levels.
- Describe your role to someone outside the company
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My role as an underwriter for ICCI is made up of three main elements:
I provide quotations for brokers, members of the public, or companies who wish to consolidate their motor vehicles under one Motor Fleet policy; secondly I provide quotations for Motor Traders in both islands who wish to take out business insurance; and finally I provide quotations for mid to high-net-worth clients who wish to insure their personal possessions and properties.
In addition to this I am always on the end of a telephone or email to offer assistance to our brokers for any existing policies we hold.
- What is the most favourite part of your job?
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For me it's not so much the job but it’s more the people in the office who I work with, my work family. When you work with the same people for 8 hours every day, you go beyond being work colleagues to friends. The working environment we have at Insurance Corporation is nothing that I have experienced before, there are so many different personalities and together, we are a great team.
- As you know, we consider our teams health and wellbeing a priority. What are your three top tips for maintaining a healthy work life balance?
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For me the three top tips I can give are as follows, first make sure you separate your work life from your home life. It’s easier said than done but it is key for a balanced life; secondly if you are struggling with your workload tell someone - don't struggle in silence; and then don’t let work consume you. Always remember work to live, don’t live to work.
- What are three words you would use to describe ICCI and why?
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The three words I would use to describe ICCI are:
Family – reflecting the supportive culture we have within our business.
Established – ICCI has been serving the local community for over 40 years.
Hardworking – we all take pride in providing the best service to our clients.
- What are your three top tips for anyone considering taking out motor fleet insurance?
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I would suggest a Motor Fleet policy from Insurance Corporation because it will simplify things having all your vehicles under one roof; we provide more flexibility with levels of cover and driving restrictions; and we offer a 6-month declaration which means, you don’t need to call us every time you add a new vehicle, you just have to let your broker know and you are good to go!
- What do personal lines customers need to know about underinsurance?
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Customers, especially in the current climate, need to ensure their valuables are revalued at least every couple of years and amend their insurance cover accordingly. Any claim will be proportionally reduced by the percentage amount the customer is underinsured, which could result in a client not being suitably covered.
- What is the main advantage in taking out insurance with Insurance Corporation?
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Insurance Corporation is a local provider with local knowledge and has a top class claims service. A UK insurance provider, offering household and motor, simply does not have the local knowledge and insight that we offer. We continually look at ways to enhance our claims handling and recently introduced a FastTrack service which has proven to be a great success.
- What would we most likely find you doing at the weekend?
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At the weekend you will most likely find me spending time with my family.
- What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing your role at ICCI?
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I love technology and had I not fallen into insurance I think I would have gone into IT.
- What’s on your bucket list that you haven’t had a chance to complete yet?
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I don’t actually have a bucket list, however, I have always wanted to do a skydive.
- What’s something most people don’t know about you?
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I was very briefly in the police force, however, my career was short-lived after I made the decision to move to Guernsey.
- What three words would your mates use to describe you?
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This is a tough one because I have never really asked anyone what words would best describe me. On the spot here and now they would probably say I’m tall, loud and a grafter. I’m always around if anyone needs help and I find it difficult to say no!
- If you could trade places with anyone in the world for a day, who would choose and why?
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I am not sure I would want to trade places with anyone for a day. I am happy with where my life is!