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    Industry Leader Profile: John Pickersgill of Charles Taylor

    John Pickersgill, Group Chief Commercial Officer of Charles Taylor, shares his insights and experiences of 30+ years in the insurance sector with IPS Group’s Divisional Director James Dick.

    About the Charles Taylor organisation: Charles Taylor provides a growing range of insurance services, claims and technology solutions across the global insurance market, particularly in complex situations requiring specialist expertise and powerful technology.

    You joined Charles Taylor in June 2021 as Group Chief Commercial Officer – that’s obviously a role many in the industry would aspire to. Did you always have a clear career goal?

    My career wasn’t planned per se. I started in a claims department, transitioned into underwriting and was fortunate to gain experience in various ‘lines of business’. I was also given the opportunity to ‘shadow’ sales leaders and meet clients and brokers early in my career. Those two things afforded me the opportunity to develop a detailed understanding of the core areas of the industry and provided me with a great foundation for future roles. With that foundation in place I’d say that grasping opportunities, being mobile and being prepared to challenge myself have been key to my progression.

    If you were advising your younger self on a career path today, do you think that cross-function experience would still be a good foundation?

    Absolutely – developing technical knowledge remains just as valuable. Businesses can be complex and the better you understand the drivers and operations of each area, the easier it is to arrive at good decisions. I’m delighted that personal relationships remain part of the industry DNA and taking every opportunity to build a broad and balanced network is an asset worth the investment.

    Going back to your new role. What are you responsible for as Group Chief Commercial Officer?

    I lead a function with three main business responsibilities: client engagement & business development; client data & analytics; and marketing & communications. I’m also a member of the Group Exco where I share a responsibility for overall Business measurement, performance and governance.

    That’s a wide remit. Is there any element of the role that is particularly crucial?

    Clearly, ensuring that we have a compelling proposition and consistently create value for our clients across the group is a focus. Another relates to people. Talent decisions can impact the culture, and ultimately the success, of the business. Nurturing people is also one of the most rewarding aspects of any leadership role.

    So what makes a good ‘leader’?

    Inspiring leaders I’ve worked with have had an ability to motivate people around a common purpose. They recognise how different colleagues work and create an environment to get the best from their people individually and collectively.

    The ones I admire most operate with an integrity which builds trust and commitment from the people around them.

    Is developing the sort of collaborative approach you just mentioned a big challenge for someone starting their first managerial job?

    People moving into leadership roles for the first time tend to underplay the importance of ‘team-mix’ and sometimes recruit, or favour the counsel of, likeminded individuals rather than setting out to bring in new perspectives, skills or experience that the team needs and that they might lack themselves. Becoming a leader who can build and manage a good mix of views takes confidence which is often something learnt in time.

    You mentioned “having a mix of views”. As an industry how do you think Insurance is doing in relation to diversity?

    It’s an area where the Insurance industry needs to work harder. Our industry should reflect the true demographic of our society and right now it doesn’t. There are positive signs of an improved balance but, for example, gender pay gaps still exist and minority groups are under-represented relative to the population. Ways to improve this are neither quick nor easy but an enhanced awareness of the topics and unconscious bias training are good departure points. Encouraging different pools of talent into the industry is another area we need to pursue with greater vigour.

    Are there other areas where you believe the Insurance industry needs to evolve faster?

    Data capture and technology. The Insurance industry has been central to the enablement of wider industry growth for centuries, protecting and serving client needs.

    However, the world we and our clients operate in is changing faster and more dramatically than it ever has before and we need to evolve with it if we are to stay relevant. Data and how that can be harnessed will become ever more important.

    If I think of key transformations in my thirty years working in the industry, then the interconnectivity of risk/growth of intangible assets and changes in working practices due to digitalisation and advancements in technology jump out. Transformations of that magnitude are set to continue exponentially in the coming years.

    So do you think the future for Insurance is bright?

    I work with some incredibly talented, entrepreneurial people and that gives me confidence that not only is the industry in safe hands but that it will continue to adapt and provide one of the most varied and rewarding careers for those that choose to join the fun. Creativity in insurance from technology to developing new solutions will be essential. This will help to drive change and innovation, creating significant benefits for the individual and industry.

    How can that next generation of leaders continue to grow?

    Curiosity is helpful. Staying interested in people and markets. There are a wide selection of audiobooks and podcasts, which frequently provide insights as to how other people and firms have tackled their personal and business challenges. The access to information, forums, networks and online learning has never been better.

    In my opinion the best resources are people. In particular colleagues with whom you can build a trusted environment and share ideas. I’ve never really had formal mentors but I’ve benefited from some incredibly wise counsel over the years, from a diverse range of people from within and outside of industry.

    Books and other sources are useful but honest feedback and real-life case studies have been the best learning methods for me.

    What else has helped you develop?

    I’m inquisitive. I’ve never stopped learning from others or from my own experiences. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have numerous amazing bosses who had confidence in me and allowed me scope to succeed, and sometimes fail, within boundaries. Having room to work out how to do things rather than merely been told to implement something a certain way has been a real learning opportunity.

    Did any of those bosses, or anyone else, ever give you a particular gem in terms of career advice?

    I’m not sure it was ever one moment of advice but the principles of ‘work hard’ and ‘always give your best’ were certainly ground into me from a young age. I also think there’s a lot to be said for ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’. The moment you push outside of a comfort zone is when you will either learn from the success or mess up horribly and probably learn even more!

    And finally, for those towards starting out, 30 years in an industry might seem like a long time. What is it about Insurance that keeps you excited?

    I’ve always found interacting day-to-day with so many different people from diverse cultures; with varied experience hugely rewarding and that remains the case in my current role at Charles Taylor. Then there’s the pace of change and the potential for technology to make a radical impact on the industry for the future. I thrive on personal relationships and am excited by how we can harness data and new technologies to better enable and support the value we provide to clients.

     

    About Charles Taylor – further detail

    Charles Taylor provides clients a global reach and employs over 3,000 staff spread across 30 countries in Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. It has earned the trust of a diversified, blue-chip international customer base that includes national and international insurance companies, mutuals, captives, MGAs, Lloyd’s syndicates and reinsurers, along with brokers, distributors and corporate insureds.
    www.charlestaylor.com

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    Author

    James Dick

    Divisional Director - Risk

    Risk Management roles in the Lloyd's Market and various insurance companies-handle vacancies which range from Senior Risk Analyst up to CRO's. Heavy focus on ERM and Operational risk. Insurance & Risk Management roles for "in house teams at corporate organisations, including Ftse listed enterprises. Comfortable dealing with roles covering Assistant…