I joined Willis Towers Watson as a member of the first ever Corporate Risk and Broking Graduate program in 2016. This was my first real job out of college and also my introduction into the insurance industry.

As a graduate, I started out on the Metro New York (MNY) Construction Team and then moved into the Financial Institutions Team for eight months. Currently, I’m a Lead Associate Broker in the Transactional Solutions Team within Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A).

As a Lead Associate Broker, my primary responsibilities consist of assisting our private equity and strategic buyer clients in purchasing Representations & Warranties (R&W) insurance policies on a variety of M&A deals. I work closely with our Senior Brokers in every part of the transaction timeline, from pursuing new business opportunities, to placing those opportunities in the insurance marketplace.

Alongside my role within M&A, I am involved in a series of initiatives focused on our company’s Inclusion & Diversity (I&D) efforts, both inside and outside of the workplace. It is an incredibly rewarding feeling to be able to take my passion and advocacy for racial justice and equality and turn it into something tangible for our community. For example, I co-lead Willis Towers Watson’s MNY Multicultural Inclusion Network, which celebrates the cultural diversity of our company, and helps educate colleagues on differences in race, ethnicity, religion, language and culture.

Additionally, I am one of the national leaders of the Willis Towers Watson National African-American Insurance Association partnership, and I also co-lead the Retain & Develop workstream for Black, African-American and Latinx Talent.

Having a R&W insurance policy in place is a task that requires a great level of detail and that depends on the specifics of the private equity deal. This is why sometimes we have a very busy and tight schedule, however it’s always a great feeling when the deal closes and we know that we’ve delivered the best possible job for our client.

When I first started as a Willis Towers Watson graduate, I had no formal training in insurance and I was relatively unfamiliar with the responsibilities of an insurance broker. This is why I spent my first few months as a graduate getting to know and understand the insurance industry and learning the vocabulary and terminology that we use on a day-to-day basis. I also was able to get my Associate of Risk Management and Associate of General Insurance certifications through the program, which provided a lot of educational training on risk management.

One of my favorite things about the culture at Willis Towers Watson is our colleagues’ willingness to share their knowledge. Senior leaders are very approachable and happy to provide their insights and advice to more junior colleagues. I also like that the company’s culture is based on prioritizing and recognizing teamwork, which leaves no room for one-upmanship.

What I like the most about working at Willis Towers Watson is that we have all of the resources and opportunities that a global company has to offer while still having the close knit feel of a smaller organization where colleagues are encouraged to interact with everyone, including senior leadership.

One of the things that surprised me the most is our unwavering commitment to I&D, which makes everyone feel comfortable in bringing their true self to work. Also, I really like the fact that all colleagues have the opportunity to lead and take part in the company’s Inclusion Networks as well as to get involved in Willis Towers Watson’s global and regional I&D initiatives.

I’d like to continue making a positive and significant impact on Willis Towers Watson’s I&D initiatives in the future. Maintaining an inclusive workplace environment is beneficial for all of our colleagues and it also allows us to deliver the best possible solutions to our clients.

Just do it! The insurance industry has been a well-hidden gem in the world of financial services for a long time, but there are incredible opportunities for career development and growth for people of all educational, professional and personal backgrounds.

Over the span of 10 years at Willis Towers Watson, I have progressed from an account broker support role for Global Inbounds to an account executive in the Construction practice, to an account manager, Construction and Corporate — where I was responsible for managing some of the company’s largest construction and energy clients — to my current role as the New Zealand national construction manager.

My current role is very diverse and my responsibilities range from the management of our largest contractors and their risk and insurance requirements, assessment of project risks for our principal/owner clients in order to design a tailored bespoke solution, and being a resource for colleagues by providing education, collateral and assistance on any construction-related matters for their clients. Day-to-day, my time is generally split between managing our contractors, developing construction project requirements for our principal/owner clients and working with the New Business team on new client opportunities.

One of the key challenges I faced was to overcome unconscious bias I had about myself and how I would be perceived in a leadership position within the Construction practice among peers, clients, prospects, and competitors, being a 30-year old Kiwi-born Chinese in such a technical discipline. I quickly realized that our senior management appointed me for a reason, and with their full support, confidence, accessibility and “open door” approach, I was fully accepted among the wider construction business.
In November 2016, we were invited to a broker tender for one of New Zealand’s largest construction companies, whose relationship history with competitors spanned 20-plus years. Over a 10-week period, we were able to quickly build rapport and win the high-profile client. This was a great team win which validated our position in New Zealand — and in the industry — despite a changing of the guards in the Construction leadership role.

As this has been my first insurance experience, basically everything I’ve learned is a training opportunity! I started with the company at age 22 and had to quickly learn everything about risk and insurance. I was fortunate to have learnt from the best of the best (my predecessor David Hewitt). I’ve had plenty of opportunities to work in other sectors of the business and on other large corporate clients. I’ve also received plenty of support from management in regard to pursuing further formal study to achieve industry qualifications. I have personally experienced tremendous growth, and I owe that to the colleagues around me in New Zealand and in the industry who are always willing to share their knowledge and help towards my personal development.

Last year, I was recognized as the Young Insurance Professional of the Year at the 6th Annual New Zealand Insurance Industry Awards. I was also a recipient of the Willis Towers Watson’s 2017 CEO Circle Award, which recognizes colleagues who have made outstanding contributions by going above and beyond and bringing our values to life in a notable way. The CEO Circle Award involved a flight to Miami to meet other award recipients and colleagues who were guest speakers, and joining CEO, John Haley, for dinner.

The people I work with, my clients, the diversity of my role and the autonomy my manager provides me are the best aspects of working at Willis Towers Watson. Specifically, I enjoy working on varied projects spanning industries including Aerospace, Health Care, Dairy, Power and Energy, Irrigation, Manufacturing, Forestry, and Infrastructure. I enjoy learning each organization’s risk profile, supply chain, the risks inherent within each project — and then breaking it all down to create a bespoke service that is tailored. I enjoy being in a position to create value in the process.

The best part about working at Willis Towers Watson is the fact that I learn something new every day from inspiring leaders, colleagues and clients. This team spirit is the foundation of our success.

I have only worked in New Zealand, so in the future I would like to work overseas to experience other cultures and nationalities. I would also like to eventually make a transition and work in other sectors of the business.

It’s a great place to work, filled with unlimited potential for learning and development. In New Zealand, I find there is plenty of support from managers and peers.

After a variety of previous roles with insurers and brokers, I joined Willis Towers Watson as a client services team leader in Major Accounts (now Manufacturing and Industrial, Services and Utilities) within GB Retail. I then moved into an account executive role, managing my own clients within the Natural Resources Utilities team. When my personal circumstances changed (I had a baby), Willis Towers Watson was really supportive in enabling me to move into my current job where I can bring my industry knowledge and relationships to bear but also work with more flexibility.

Our team works on wordings to establish the best insurance cover for clients. I provide technical knowledge and wordings analysis, including property, casualty, motor, personal accident and travel coverage.

One of the key challenges is the non-standardized nature of the policy wordings, as each insurer has its own bespoke style. This presents an opportunity to learn something new every day, as well as use the knowledge I’ve gained throughout my career.

There is a wealth of training and development opportunities available, whether personal (interpersonal communications and confidence building) or technical/IT-based support. I have completed many courses both face-to-face and electronically – including onsite “Lunch and Learn” sessions – and enjoyed the experience.

I had an opportunity to work on the Model Office in 2012, in which the processes and roles of the client teams were mapped to help improve operational efficiency.
Also, I was honoured to be nominated and voted in as an Employee Representative (ER) through two consulting projects, and be the chair of the ERs in face-to-face meetings with senior management.

I take pride in helping my team develop and watching their careers progress.

The culture is changing – for the better. Management is taking a fresh view on everything and making appropriate changes, which is encouraging.

The people who work here are very knowledgeable and, because of its size and internal network, there’s always someone who is able to help – or can recommend someone who can!
I’m very lucky that as my life outside of work changed, Willis Towers Watson helped me find a position that fits with my home life.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn of the width and breadth of knowledge, and the longevity of service of colleagues.

I’m very glad I have the opportunity to work at Willis Towers Watson and hope that my career here lasts a long time. I hope to be a go-to person for technical knowledge and be in a position to one day lead the team if the opportunity arises.

Join Willis Towers Watson! It’s an interesting company with many different roles to consider and opportunities to learn and develop.

I’m originally from Huntsville, Alabama, and I joined the U.S. Air Force where I worked for four years in Security Forces (Military Police). In 2013, I went to college with the assistance of the GI bill and studied business. Through my fraternity in college, I made a contact who worked at Willis Towers Watson as a client service associate in the reinsurance area. When he was moved to a different role within the company in another city, he thought I would be a good fit for his job and he referred me to the company.
While I didn’t have any experience in insurance, my experience in the military taught me how to follow direction and learn, show respect for superiors and the importance of team building, comradery and networking — all transferable skills that are relevant to my current role.

I work to collect open balances from reinsurance companies for our clients who submit claims in the Northeast region within the manner and turnaround time specified in our Service Level Agreements.
I also focus on managing Willis Re Inc. relationships with key reinsurers, acting as a focal point for queries and escalated matters from the business, client services advocates, reinsurer account controllers and reinsurers.

One challenge I’ve encountered is understanding the online programs that we use to store, track and report data. I’ve learned that by taking some time to create charts and diagrams to keep track of data — that are and aren’t included in reports to the markets — helps me better understand the components. It’s a challenge I enjoy!

In my role I’ve learned about the complexity of and need for reinsurance. When you get insurance for the first time (e.g., car, life, renters and the like) you don’t think about the risk the insurance companies take in order to provide that protection. Studying the materials provided in our training folders has helped me gain a sense of clarity and understanding of what this work entails.

I’m pretty new, but I feel that I fit in well with my team. It’s been important to me to quickly become an asset to the team, and I’m proud of accomplishing this in a short period of time.

The culture is very positive and motivating. The people around me speak highly of the company as a whole and know that Willis Towers Watson cares about them as people. It’s an enthusiastic environment that I’m thankful to be a part of.

I like knowing that you can have a long, successful career here. The company really invests in their employees and helps them reach their professional goals, which was the deciding factor for me in taking this position.

What surprised me initially was the energy within my team. The team is focused on performing their jobs as efficiently as possible and learning as they go. They are constantly developing and sharing new ideas to help each other succeed, which is energizing to be around.

I have the goal of staying with the company for the rest of my professional career and giving back in whatever roles fit best for myself and the company.

I would absolutely recommend this company to anyone thinking of applying. The company values its people above all else, and career growth is encouraged. It’s an outstanding company to work for.