THE JOB with MICHAEL MURDOCH-SMITH
Age: 26
Role: Underwriting assistant, Allied World
What is your job? To assist the underwriting team for the general casualty and accident and health reinsurance departments. To keep it simple, I receive submissions from reinsurance brokers who wish to gain placement of their client's reinsurance needs from our department. Our underwriting team then analyses the pricing and risks involved before deciding on whether to write the treaty or to decline it. I have recently started to model our workers compensation submissions as well, and have been gaining more insight on potential niche markets.
What is your favourite part of the job? My favourite part of my job is learning and understanding the underwriting process, and how it fits into the general operation of the company as a whole. With underwriting, you just can't have knowledge within any one field. You need to have an understanding of the world as a whole, keep up to date with current events, understand certain trends within the market, and know prior histories, all in order to understand what risks are involved. It is a never ending learning process - which I find very appealing. The underwriting team I work with is very friendly and helpful. In the short time I have been here I have definitely learned a lot from them, and continue to do so.
What is your least favourite part of the job? I think my least favourite part is waking up to the sound of an annoying alarm early in the morning, and I think many would agree to that! Otherwise everything is great.
What is your most interesting experience at work? Participating in business meetings with brokers who have travelled some distances to our offices from all over the world. I am also studying for reinsurance and underwriting designations through the Bermuda Insurance Institute, and find the course material to be very interesting...although juggling a full-time job and studying along with my extra-curricular activities can be a challenge at times. Currently the opportunities here, and the room for professional development, are outstanding.
What would you be doing otherwise? After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree from Acadia University I was preparing to be off to England for law school commencing in this academic year. After discussing and weighing out my options over the numerous possibilities in the insurance/reinsurance field here in Bermuda, I decided to forgo my acceptance and pursue a career in underwriting instead.
Interview by Alex Wright
