MEET Paul Dowding
Account Executive
Team Latin America and Caribbean Property
Segment Property & Casualty
Location Ipswich, United Kingdom
Year hired 2018
University Leeds Beckett University, Spanish and Tourism Management
Personal interests
Goal-driven gym workouts with a coach, following the Foreign Exchange market and playing online video games.
Can you tell us about the day-to-day responsibilities of your job?
I work alongside brokers in a supporting administrative role – anything from the initial placing of an account to drafting contracts between insurers and reinsurers, to keeping track of ongoing amendments to the policy during the active period. We negotiate with underwriters to make agreed-upon changes and liaise with our Mumbai office to ensure that our billing for the accounts is processed in a timely manner. No day is never the same!
What training and development opportunities have you received in your role?
I thoroughly enjoyed the online training provided by Willis Towers Watson as it put aspects of my role – such as various protocols and legal requirements – into perspective for me before I actually had to conduct business.
How would you describe the culture at Willis Towers Watson?
The culture is friendly and professional. Everyone appreciates that we all have certain responsibilities to deliver in conjunction with the business units and we all work together to accomplish our goals.
What do you like best about working at Willis Towers Watson?
I enjoy the autonomy within my daily routine. I can decide when to take a break, when to have lunch, when to put in the work and when to go home. I believe this freedom allows me to maximize the time I put into my job.
What is your proudest achievement since joining Willis Towers Watson?
I worked on a large account based in Panama, which required careful strategic planning due to its size. It was a good experience for me in terms of its scope and also getting to know the team I worked with. I enjoyed getting to know my colleagues in London and observing the entire process of working on a client account.
Was there anything that surprised you about your role or the company?
The commitment to delivering excellence and the strong work ethic within the team has been pleasantly surprising. If a task is nearing a deadline, the team works cohesively to complete it, even if this entails putting in additional hours.
What is your hope for your career in the future?
I am currently focused on my short-term goals to ensure that the work I produce as an account executive is the best it can be, while making sure I have time to continue my professional and personal development. I don’t have a specific role in mind for the future, but I imagine it would entail working with others, creating positive relationships and coming up with innovative ideas to address a variety of situations.
Based on your experience, what advice would you give someone considering employment with Willis Towers Watson?
Update all of your professional and social media accounts to be more “professional”. Do your research on the role, the company and who you’ll be working for. Also remember that the employer will do their research on you too, prior to you even landing an interview, so ask yourself – would my profile be acceptable to represent this organisation or a prospective or current client?
MEET Melanie Harding
Head of Operations New Zealand
Team Operations
Segment Corporate Risk and Broking
Location Auckland, New Zealand
Year hired 2006
University University of Limerick, Ireland, B.A. (honors) European studies (Insurance major/ French minor)
Personal interests
I spend a lot of time cheering on my three soccer-mad boys. I’m also passionate about rugby, and have competed in half marathons and other running events.
Can you tell us about your career progression at Willis Towers Watson?
I came on board as an account director, where I served as a client advocate across the largest brokerage accounts the company managed in New Zealand. I worked together with the broking teams in London, Singapore and Australia to put together complex insurance programs that were tailor-made for some of these clients. Within this role, I was also involved in establishing the Risk Solutions practice in New Zealand, together with a national client service manager role to create “best practice” service standards for clients across New Zealand.
After I gave birth to twin boys in 2008, I wanted to reassess working five days a week. Thankfully, the company was amenable to me working part time, and keeping my key accounts and maintaining the strong relationship with clients I had established. I took a leave of absence in 2010, and then returned to Willis Towers Watson working on a project basis. In 2015, I assumed my current role as head of Operations, where I am accountable for the execution of the Operations strategy within the New Zealand business. I have three boys now and still work on a part-time basis, which affords me a positive work/life balance.
Can you tell us about the day-to-day responsibilities of your job?
My role is to lead the Operations strategy for New Zealand which reflects the international objectives to deliver value to both the business and our clients. I work in partnership with both the Australian Operations team and our support team in Mumbai to achieve optimum service delivery for our processes. My days are varied but I usually have Skype meetings with key stakeholders, cross-geographies, as well as weekly huddles with my team to check in on workload and prioritization, and work through any challenges we may have — engaging in problem solving and coaching where necessary.
What are the key challenges of your role? How have you overcome them?
Working across various geographies requires a different way of communicating; however, Skype is a key tool to overcoming this issue, especially if there is more than one country to align for meetings. The Operations role in New Zealand was a newly created position at the time I was appointed and there wasn’t a framework I could reference. However, this has given me the opportunity to access my background in broking to approach the role with “fresh eyes” and identify opportunities within the business to improve efficiencies and help define the role.
What training and development opportunities have you received in your role?
Having been with Willis Towers Watson for 12 years to date, I have watched the company change and evolve over time. I have been involved in client advocacy, change management and leadership training. I also participated in the Operational Development Program, which was a three-day introduction to the fundamental principles of operational excellence. As part of this program, I had to submit a portfolio to the Institute of Leadership and Management, which resulted in an accreditation. The post-course coaching was invaluable, and I use the tools I learned in this course every day in some form.
What is your proudest achievement since joining Willis Towers Watson?
I am most proud of the fact that my career and the opportunities here have given me the flexibility to work reduced hours in an effort to balance my role as a mum with the work I do at Willis Towers Watson. In a more traditionally male centric industry such as insurance, I was one of the first women to design a work/life balance that worked for both me and the company. Now, across the company, there are a number of “nontraditional” work arrangements that are in line with how people work today, with the flexibility and agility to get the job done. It’s been a win/win for both.
How would you describe the culture at Willis Towers Watson?
The culture is one of the standouts for me at Willis Towers Watson, as the term “one team” is really practiced within the organization, to the benefit of our clients. It really is “glocal” at Willis Towers Watson.
What do you like best about working at Willis Towers Watson?
I love working for a company that has global reach and allows me to tap into the experience and resources that come with this benefit. The colleagues that I work with, both in New Zealand and overseas, make my day-to-day experiences really enjoyable and challenge me in different ways. In addition, as my role is a national one, I work with everyone across the business and the rewards for being able to help someone else, even if it’s just a “quick win,” make my job really worthwhile.
Was there anything that surprised you about your role or the company?
I found the degree of teamwork and client commitment to be top priority — whether I was working with London, Singapore, Australia or a local team — the client was the key focus, regardless of geography or business unit.
What is your hope for your career in the future?
The ability to make a difference is really important to me, both from the perspective of a woman in the insurance industry, a working mother and a member of the leadership team in New Zealand. Part of my role is to drive change that will make our organization more efficient and effective in what we do, which, in turn, will directly impact the work/life balance for my colleagues.
