I joined Willis Towers Watson as an analyst in pensions valuations in May 2018. It’s been almost three years since I joined the company and I must say that my journey to becoming a subject matter expert in this area has been enriching and fulfilling.

I had a background in insurance and with adequate assistance and training, I soon acquired the knowledge and expertise required for my role. The continuous support and excellent training provided by my senior colleagues have helped me channel my strengths and skills.

My role as an analyst involves the management of pension schemes for multiple clients. I ensure that new and existing members’ pensions are accurately maintained and serviced. I also juggle between calculating pensions and forecasts, and preparing quotations, in addition to processing pension contributions while maintaining service level agreements.

Initially, understanding the finer details of pensions in the U.K. market was a challenge, given that my past professional experience was primarily in the U.K. insurance domain. I vividly remember the difficulties I faced when I worked on the transition of a new client account. Since I was new to the team, I was aware that this assignment would be particularly challenging. However, my senior colleagues and team gave me opportunities to learn, expand my knowledge on the subject and gradually become an expert. This equipped me with the skills and confidence I needed to take up the project again in April 2020. I worked closely with the team to ensure that the transition was smooth, despite working remotely. The client was extremely happy with how the requirements were met, which would not have been possible without the support of my team.

The recent shift to work from home due to the global pandemic has been almost overwhelming being a mother of a young child. My team has always been helpful and especially flexible with my work hours, allowing me to accommodate my daughter’s online school routine and daily activities. This has helped me establish a healthy work-life balance.

I have been able to achieve several milestones during my time at Willis Towers Watson but there is one that I will always cherish. It was when our team received the ‘Best Team Award’, for our efforts on a key account of the company. Apart from this, I have also received three awards for outstanding work that I am grateful for.

The culture of a company can be inspiring, and this is something I have experienced since day one at Willis Towers Watson. The inclusive work environment has empowered me to focus on my career goals and grow professionally.
I value the transparency within the company, along with the flexible work environment that allows me to seamlessly balance work and personal life.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with talented, smart colleagues that are always respectful and go out of their way to support each other. The core values like teamwork, integrity and excellence are upheld by all of the colleagues and across every level of the company.

Yes, the thing that surprised me the most was the empathy that was shown by the senior colleagues during challenging times. Their actions confirm that the company’s values are not just on paper but are put into practice every single day. They make it a point to lead by example and inspire the team by making them feel heard, supported, and valued.

I want to ensure that I can learn and expand my knowledge and expertise to achieve quality results. In the future, I would like to develop my skills further to help my professional growth within the company.

Working at Willis Towers Watson provides opportunities that will encourage you to strive for excellence and step closer to achieving your career goals. You will get the chance to grow both personally and professionally while truly living the shared values of integrity and teamwork. The organization and its colleagues are very supportive, and they encourage you to focus on your physical and mental wellbeing, which will help you stay motivated.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?