Nicola Kingman
Underwriter
I joined the Shipowners' Club (London office) in May 1999 after
being made redundant from my previous job. I was originally
employed as a Secretary and Technical Assistant to two
Underwriters, this involved the usual secretarial work, but also
included processing documentation, such as endorsements and debit
notes etc. I enjoyed this role, as I was not only typing and
filing, but getting involved with the actual business, having
direct contact with the people we were dealing with.
When I joined the Club it was a much smaller company, but even
though it has grown somewhat over the years that I have been here,
there is still a very friendly and sociable atmosphere in the
office.
After about nine months of working here the Underwriting
Assistant on our team had decided to move onto pastures new, and so
I enquired about the possibility of taking over that role when they
left, and to my delight I was given the opportunity to do so. I
remained in this role for around five years, and during that time I
got more and more involved in the portfolio of business, including
Eastern Canada, Europe, India and the development of our yacht
business. I even got to travel to Canada with my Underwriter and
found this very beneficial in progressing further. I guess it was
during these five years that I had decided that this was no
longer a job, but a career opportunity that I really wanted to work
hard to achieve.
It was shortly after this time that I again was offered the
opportunity to progress up the career ladder to Deputy Underwriter,
handling my own accounts and travelling with colleagues as well as
on my own. After a further two years I was promoted to
Underwriter. It was such a good feeling to know that I had worked
my way up to this level and I was so grateful to my colleagues who
had helped me to get there.
Working at the Club has been a fantastic opportunity for me that
I am not sure I would have had with any other company and I hope to
work here for many years to come, continuing to progress up the
career ladder.
I really enjoy my role at Club, particularly the travelling to
meet our Members and brokers and seeing first hand the risks that
we are insuring. I also feel lucky that I have had the opportunity
to see how our business works from different levels and therefore
have a good knowledge of many different areas of our business as
well as different areas of the world, having worked with different
Underwriters. I have even had the opportunity to work for a short
period in the Claims Department, giving me some more experience in
the way different areas of the business work.
It is a real team effort, everyone pulls together, particularly
during the times when we are really under pressure. The office
environment is very important and I am lucky that I work in such a
friendly office where everyone gets on well and are willing to help
each other out.
To work at the Shipowners' Club you need to be a team
player, but also have your own individuality with a good fun
personality. You need to take work seriously when you need to, as
there are times when there is a lot of pressure on all of us.