Behind the line with Crisis Management Claims

Hiscox London Market’s Crisis Management Claims team talk about their roles and responsibilities; why working in claims in crisis management is so interesting; what it’s like to do the job; how the claims environment has changed… and, because it’s not always about business, the three celebrities they would most like to invite to dinner. 

Joanna Green: Crisis Management Claims Manager 

Q: What are your responsibilities as the Crisis Management Claims Manager?
I manage a dedicated crisis management claims team covering contingency, kidnap and ransom, personal accident, product recall, and terrorism claims. This means overseeing a fantastic team handling an eclectic, confidential, and often time sensitive array of issues whilst ensuring a best-in-class claims service is delivered. Part of my role is to make sure that there is accurate and timely reporting between the claims, underwriting and reserving teams, which is critical to our business; whilst also engaging with brokers, clients and service providers on a daily basis.

Vicky Gill: Claims Manager

Q: How has claims underwriting changed since you first joined the industry over 20 years ago?
In the past, the Hiscox Guernsey fine art business was more Europe-centric, whereas today, we write business all over the world which can impact how we handle the claims. Kidnap cases were generally of a much longer duration in the early 2000s. The one thing that hasn’t changed, however, is our claims ethos, which is the same today as it was 24 years ago.

Stephanie Gunson: Senior Claims Underwriter

Q: Describe what it’s like to be a Senior Crisis Management Claims Underwriter.
I’m very lucky to deal with one of the most exciting areas of the business and never know what might come through the door. I get involved with large and complex matters which I really enjoy. There is a great opportunity to add value not only in my Crisis Management team but also the wider Hiscox London Market team. My aim is to deliver excellent claims service and get the best outcomes for our customers. 

Charlie Berry: Claims Underwriter

Q: What skills did you pick up during the Hiscox graduate scheme, and how have they helped you further your career as a Claims Underwriter?
During the graduate scheme I rotated around different divisions within the claims department from Casualty to Marine, Energy and Speciality (MES) as well as Crisis Management. This gave me the opportunity to network across the business and develop my inter-personal skills. I also had the amazing opportunity to move to Bermuda for three months where I didn’t know anyone and had to start afresh! Together, these experiences have led me to be confident in building relationships which is a key part of my role when dealing with brokers and insureds every day.

Tracy Rist: Claims Underwriter

Q: What has been the highlight of your career so far at Hiscox?
It would be hard to pick one highlight. I’d have to sum it up in three categories; learning, culture, and client support. It has been an interesting learning journey developing my understanding of insurance practices, and especially in relation to crisis management and fine art policies which we deal with in Guernsey. It is such a pleasure to work with knowledgeable, experienced and supportive colleagues, and getting to support our clients through some of their most difficult times is incredibly rewarding.

Maxine Gathercole: Claims Administration Assistant 

Q: What do you enjoy most about being part of the Guernsey Crisis Management Claims team?
I know it’s a cliché but it’s definitely the people. You spend a lot of hours with your team and it’s so important to have a good working relationship with your colleagues, knowing that you can rely on them and that they have your back. We have a great team in both Guernsey and London, and I am proud to be part of it.

Nina Pasterny: Claims Underwriter 

Q: What is the most interesting part about being a Crisis Management Claims Underwriter?
There are two main things for me that make this role so interesting. Firstly, you can read or hear about something on the news, and the next day it could be something you’re working on with your team. Although it can mean even when you’re away from work you can still anticipate how busy your return will be! Secondly, the worldwide reach of our claims. One day you are working on something in the US, and the next day you’re working on a claim from the other end of the world.

Thomas Hughes: Senior Claims Underwriter

Q: Do you see the role of a claims underwriter changing in the next five to 10 years, and why?
Claims underwriters will be far closer to our clients than ever before. As clients require more service driven products such as Kidnap and Ransom, Malicious Attack and Security Incident Response, we in turn need to be prepared to partner up with the client in their time of great need to provide as much relief and certainty as quickly and humanely as possible.

And now for something a little different. If you could have a dinner party with three celebrities, who would they be, and why?

• Jo: Olivia Coleman because she makes me laugh and I don’t think would be too rude about my cooking! Stephen Fry because he is interesting and makes me laugh, and I think he would get on well with Olivia…and Johnny Cash because I love his music, and he could be the after-dinner entertainment.
• Vicky: Miriam Margolyes; having read her autobiography, Miriam has lived an extraordinary life and has some amazing stories to tell. She is also unapologetically inappropriate which would no doubt lead to some hilarity! Gene Kelly, the all-round genius of the 1940s and 1950s musical film! I’d ask him for a sneaky tap lesson…and then I’d go for Monica Galetti, purely because I’d ask her to cook the meal!
• Steph: Doris Day as I love her movies and think she is very interesting. I would love to know why she was never lucky in love in real life. Sandra Bullock as I think she is one of the best actresses of my time…and another great actress Diane Keaton, as she reminds me of my mother but equally not lucky in love.
• Charlie: Sir David Attenborough as I studied geography at university. Don’t we all wish for five minutes with David Attenborough? Cristiano Ronaldo because I love football but don’t fancy having dinner with any current Millwall players. At the age of 39, I’d love to know how Ronaldo still plays at the top level of football. Lee Evans is one of my childhood favourite comedians and would bring some humour to the table. Hopefully he doesn’t sweat as much at the dinner table as he does on stage!
• Tracy: Taylor Swift would be my first celebrity with her perspective on overcoming personal and professional adversity and how that shaped her ability to not only grow a massive business empire, but also gain an immense amount of personal power and ability to influence millions of loyal supporters. Nikola Tesla, as I would love to get his views on tech advancement, especially in wireless technology…and Nelson Mandela as I'd love to hear his views on the current geo-political environment.
• Maxine: Valentino Rossi, the seven times World Motor Bike champion. I would love to find out about which races have been his most favourite and see if they'd match mine. Albert Einstein as I would love to hear about his work with the US during the Second World War especially the atomic bomb program. Abbey Clancy is not quite the ‘airhead’ that she portrays but I do think she is hilarious and has so many different interests, she would certainly keep us all entertained.
• Nina: Kim Kardashian because I want to understand more about her challenges of being taken seriously as a business woman from starting out as a media personality. Plus, I’ve always wanted to shake a salad like they do in their lunch meetings on the show. Rhianna because I’m a big fan of impressive business women in the billionaire category (as above). What interests me in Kim and Rhianna is how they changed fame into generational wealth. And, I’d choose Ncuti Gatwa because he is in one of my all-time favourite shows [Dr Who], I think he would bring an amazing energy to the conversations. 
• Tom: Lewis Hamilton because I have watched his whole career and enjoyed everything he has done inside and outside the car. I would get stuck into how his move to Ferrari really came about. Hopefully he would invite me out paddle boarding in the off-season. George R.R Martin as Lewis and I would convince George to speed up his writing of The Winds of Winter that should be the true ending of Game of Thrones. And finally, Mickey Flanagan as someone will need to lighten the table from the heavy F1 and Game of Thrones nerd chat!