Bermudian Ryan Sommerville, 30, has already been exposed to a number of facets of the Island's financial, insurance and reinsurance world.

After studying for a degree in Canada he returned to the Island and took a job on a trading desk, where he was involved in trading deals involving international companies.

But that was a relatively small community on the Island and was not exactly what he was seeking as a long-term career. He had friends in the insurance industry and after hearing them talk about their jobs decided to send his resume to a number of companies. He was subsequently hired by Aon.

For three years he worked for them in the insurance field before he again took a look around Bermuda and saw the potential growth within the reinsurance sector in the wake of the devastating hurricanes of Katrina, Rita and Wilma in 2005.

As a young Bermudian with a degree and a grounding in finance and insurance, Mr. Sommerville made his next move, joining Guy Carpenter and Company.

That has now taken him to London for a one-year secondment to experience how the industry operates in Europe and the quirkiness of the Lloyd's insurance market.

He has found the London environment, particularly the Lloyd's market, to be very similar to Bermuda in terms of regularly crossing paths with clients, colleagues and familiar faces working within a confined geographic area.

"This opportunity is fantastic," he told The Royal Gazette.

"Just moving from Bermuda to a large city for the first time in seven years has been an eye-opener. You learn daily lessons and it gives a much broader prospect of the industry.

"London is such a hub for international exposure and you get a feel for so many different cultures that are here. There is a real buzz."

The kiosk-type set up of the Lloyd's market - where there is eye-to-eye, personal contact between clients - is also something altogether different from the norm.

Mr. Sommerville said he liked the more sociably aspect of reinsurance work.

While in London he is being trained in three, four-month rotations covering broking, casualty and property, and retrocessional property. Mr. Sommerville has just passed the lloyd's and London Market Introductory Test, which gives him a permanent pass to broke business at Lloyd's of London.

Kevin Fisher, head of Guy Carpenter's Bermuda office, said: "Aiming Ryan with the right tools and having him learn in a dynamic, fast-paced environment like London will not only expose him to a new array of rewarding and challenging experiences and opportunities for professional growth, but will also serve him well as he advances in his career over the long term."