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What was your background before joining Carbon in 2022?

I originally started in insurance in 2012 working for an outsource provider doing data entry from contracts coming out of the London market. I then moved into a delegated underwriting and bordereau processing role within the same company. From there, I moved into a claims broking position at a Lloyd’s broker – primarily handling claims bordereau and submitting to syndicates for funding – before moving to a large syndicate in a bordereau processing capacity. So, a broad mix of experience which set me up perfectly for the position at Carbon which I started in July 2022.

Have you always had an interest in analytics and data and what particularly attracted you to the Carbon role?

I’ve always been interested in data and numbers – hence my career path to date – and I was attracted to Carbon due to its values, inclusive culture and collaborative approach, all of which resonated very strongly with me. It really is a great place to work with a strong emphasis on a good work-life balance and ‘one team’ ethic – an environment where people can thrive and feel truly valued and rewarded.

In terms of my role, the strong attraction was that it is a business that values fresh perspectives and ideas – and one where people can willingly question the ‘norm’ to improve processes and procedures. It’s been a breath of fresh air for me and it is great to work with a group of very bright, forward-thinking people – and our adaptable way of working speaks volumes about the maturity and competence of the team.      

Tell us more about your day-to-day responsibilities and what’s on your radar for this year?

In the Data Operations team, not one day is the same. My primary role is for the ingestion of data into Graphene through bordereau – however, there is so much more to it than that from contract creation to financial reconciliations. We work very closely with the underwriting and claims teams who we support as and when data is required. I have also recently been working alongside the development team and the claims teams where we are using machine learning to correctly classify claims categories for more uniform reporting.

In terms of what’s on my immediate radar, optimising the use of machine learning is a clear priority as this will bring so many long-term benefits as is my strong desire to play my part in maintaining the very strong intra-team collaboration as we grow as a business.

What is it about Graphene that makes it a game-changer in the market?

By way of background for those not familiar with Graphene, it is Carbon’s post-bind analytics and pricing platform which is challenging industry norms and views on data ingestion, analysis and consumption. Built in-house without the limitations of legacy infrastructures, the platform employs the latest data processing and analysis techniques that allow us to capture unique insights.

The granularity of data that you can report on in a few seconds is a key differentiator and game-changer. Gone are the days of running manual exports from Excel and hours of manipulation to see what you need. It is really easy to navigate around and the graphs and tables are easy to understand. It is very quick to load up, complete policy information around limits, location, claims – with only a policy number provided. I have never used a system that is as fast, easy and intuitive to use – and the value-add is immense.

For clients, it brings far more detailed insights into their book and the granularity of data that they can drill down to in literally seconds is key.

If you had one piece of advice for anyone starting out in the industry, what would it be?

Insurance is multi-disciplined and diverse with so many opportunities for career development and progression. My advice is to take time to find a role that plays to your strengths and areas of interest – I know it sounds obvious but I see people who are not sure and it can take a while to find that ‘sweet spot’ role. It can be tricky at times – I found the CII exams very helpful and they helped to further my understanding of the industry and the career path I wanted to pursue – and for me it’s about biding your time and finding your niche. I didn’t want a job – I wanted a career – but it took me a few years to find out the direction that would take me. It’s an industry with an abundance of opportunities and that’s certainly the case at Carbon where there are so many options.    

What’s something that most people don’t know about you?

I actually wanted to become an accountant – give me a spreadsheet and my eyes light up – and away from the workplace, I play bowls and some golf but I don’t talk about the latter too much given that my 7 year old son regularly beats me. Enough said!