MEET Emily Reading
Client Service and Analytics Manager
Team MarineMar team
Segment Corporate Risk and Broking
Location Ipswich, UK (with one day per week in London office)
Year hired 2018
Personal interests
I’m passionate about anything creative. I play a number of musical instruments, enjoy photography and ran a side business as a self-taught chocolatier for a short time.
Can you tell us about your career progression and how it led you to Willis Towers Watson?
I formerly worked for a small field marketing company that was outsourced to conduct retail sales for large technology companies. I worked on various accounts for about six years where I managed client relationships and worked to increase sales for the company, and eventually worked my way up to a client service manager role. Through LinkedIn, I was exploring other roles but had not considered one in insurance until I was contacted by a company recruiter. I learned through a phone interview that my skills were transferable, and I was hired as a client service manager. My current role requires making a lot happen in a short amount of time, but the skills I learned in my previous role – staying organized, creating lists, learning systems and processes – prepared me well.
Can you tell us about the day-to-day responsibilities of your job?
In my role, I provide market insights to insurers who are my clients, as opposed to the policyholders. As client service and analytics manager, the key responsibilities of my role are to ensure that clients receive their reports and are kept updated through meetings, per their contract agreements. This involves building relationships with both colleagues and client teams to ensure processes are in place and followed effectively throughout the quarter.
What are the key challenges of your role? How have you overcome them?
So much of my role depends on building strong working relationships with a large number of colleagues. Being completely new to the company, I’ve spent the last few months meeting and working with as many of these key individuals as I can to ensure that we build a mutually beneficial working relationship.
What training and development opportunities have you received in your role?
I will be completing a training course with the Chartered Insurance Institute, which will allow me to earn certifications helpful to advancement within the company. This training provides an entry-level understanding of the insurance market as a whole in London. From here, I can progress to higher levels of certification, which will open me up to other roles within the company.
How would you describe the culture at Willis Towers Watson?
The culture here is inclusive, supportive and there is a good work ethic.
What do you like best about working at Willis Towers Watson?
The diversity of people and the variety of challenges presented to me are two of my favorite aspects of working at Willis Towers Watson.
Also, there is a much better work/life balance in my current role, since I am not spending the majority of my time on the road, which was required in my previous position in field sales marketing. I’ve learned that I can accomplish a great deal within a reasonable amount of time.
Was there anything that surprised you about your role or the company?
I’ve spent most of my career working for much smaller companies so the breadth of benefits and support available here was more than I’d expected.
Also, my move to Willis Towers Watson meant a change in industry for me. I wasn’t aware of how transferable my skills could be from my previous role and how open the company would be to considering them.
What is your hope for your career in the future?
My definition of success is to be constantly challenging myself, learning in whatever role I have and enjoying my day-to-day work. I remain open-minded as to what opportunities may present themselves or that I will look to create.
Based on your experience, what advice would you give someone considering employment with Willis Towers Watson?
Keep your LinkedIn profile up to date – it’s a powerful resource and representation of yourself, even if your experiences don’t necessarily match a position. I’m very grateful that Willis Towers Watson has remained an open-minded and inclusive company when considering applicants. Don’t think that you shouldn’t apply for a job if you don’t already work in that industry – many people that work in field marketing sales like I did may not realise that their skills are transferrable to other kinds of work. Keep yourself open to the possibilities!
MEET Nuno Arruda
Head of Clients
(dual hatted with Broking and Carrier Management)
Team Client Management
Segment Cross Segment
Location Lisbon, Portugal
Year hired 2003
University Universidade Lusiada de Lisboa, Degree in Business Management
Personal interests
I have a three-year old daughter, who will be joined by a brother in January! I’ve played rugby for 14 years and love water-related sports. I love good food, and one of my favorite things to do at home is cook.
Can you describe your career progression within Willis Towers Watson?
I joined as an account executive managing large accounts, mainly in the Energy and Industrial sectors. I then moved to New Business Development for a few years and then moved again to be in charge of our Facultative Reinsurance unit in Lisbon from 2011 to 2015. In 2015, I became the sales leader for Portugal and, following the merger of Willis and Towers Watson, was appointed head of clients.
Can you tell us about the day-to-day responsibilities of your job?
I work together with colleagues in all lines of business to identify opportunities and continuously deliver best-in-class service and solutions to our clients. I also oversee our Marketing team locally, and I’m charged with making sure that our relationships with carriers remain close and strong.
What are the key challenges of your role? How have you overcome them?
Sometimes it can be challenging to get everyone on the same page when people come from different business cultures. It takes optimism, resilience, and the ability and conviction to constructively look for common goals and show that our differences can make us stronger.
What training and development opportunities have you received in your role?
Willis Towers Watson has enabled me to progress and evolve in my career, working on different projects within different teams and steadily growing professionally and personally.
What is your proudest achievement since joining Willis Towers Watson?
Immediately following the merger of Willis and Towers Watson, I was proud to work with our leadership on the design and implementation of a plan to find synergies between people and businesses to create a new way of working together. It was very rewarding to engage with our new colleagues, learn about what they do and discover the amazing new world that our combined company is as a whole.
I’m also very proud to be a coach in the company’s incredible internal professional development program, Client Acumen, which is a 12-month learning and development program that facilitates a deeper understanding of the key business issues facing the companies we serve. And I’m proud to have colleagues that I can also call friends.
How would you describe the culture at Willis Towers Watson?
Willis Towers Watson is a very inclusive company, where one can expect to be challenged to strive and excel. A company where our values are not “corporate marketing” but something to uphold and live by. And, especially, a company where commitment is recognized.
What do you like best about working at Willis Towers Watson?
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.
Was there anything that surprised you about your role or the company?
When I first joined the company from a local independent broker, I was surprised by the sheer size and, yet, how collaborative the work was. The ambition and teamwork of our colleagues and management is something that still amazes me today!
What is your hope for your career in the future?
My greatest ambition is to see Willis Towers Watson become the market leader in Portugal, in terms of being a provider of choice. I’m already in the best possible position to try and make this happen. The company has always given me the right opportunities at the right time.
Based on your experience, what advice would you give someone considering employment with Willis Towers Watson?
Be open-minded, be generous, be ambitious, and be innovative. There is a world of opportunities in our company — be ready to go for them.
