Q&A with Graham Clark (He/Him) Head of Navigators and General

How did you get into the insurance sector?

I joined the industry straight from university where I studied Economics and German. I wanted to apply for graduate programs where I thought my German language skills would come in handy, this meant applying to a range of organisations across lots of different sectors. My dad is an insurance broker and he always said whatever you do don’t go into insurance…

…but I’ve now been with Zurich for nine years. I started in property and casualty underwriting before moving into operations in Personal Lines followed by a role in claims. Each of these moves helped me build a solid grounding in the industry. I wanted to gain some leadership experience so then moved to lead an underwriting team in our Leeds office before relocating to Bristol, where I spent three years as an Account Executive and managed broker relationships across the South West and Wales. I was interested in working on international business and more complex areas of risk so joined the Deal Management team in the Commercial business to work with some of our largest customers - I’ve been doing that for the last 3.5 years.

But now as Head of Navigators and General, things are going to be a little different again and I’m looking forward to the challenge.

So, what made you want to join the N&G business?

It’s a business I’ve admired since first joining Zurich. Colleagues and brokers I’ve worked with have always spoken incredibly well of N&G, a true market leader within the industry and a hard-earned reputation built upon many years of looking after our customers’ watercraft and marine businesses. N&G has a fantastic blend of experience and newer talent, offering the customers and brokers we work with genuine expertise – with many of the team boating enthusiasts themselves. From our office in Brighton, we’re fortunate enough to have so many facets of a business under one roof – claims, underwriting, sales & distribution – I think that makes a real difference and helps us remain focused on serving our customers. The industry like so many others continues to evolve, and the opportunity to play my own part in shaping N&G’s journey was too good to turn down!

In your new role as Head of N&G how are you going to spend your first few weeks in role?

N&G has just celebrated its 100-year anniversary, so I’m joining a very successful, well established business with a great reputation and heritage.

Nevertheless, it's not a business that I've ever directly been a part of so my immediate priorities will be getting to know my team, understanding the culture of the organisation and meeting some of our key brokers to get their feedback on how they’re feeling about N&G. Lots of listening and plenty of questions!

With 2022 just around the corner, I’m starting to think about what’s required to make sure N&G takes its success from the last 100 years into 2022 and beyond.

Are there any particular highlights you would say from your career?

This really is like an interview!

I was fortunate enough to be part of a fantastic change and innovation programme at Zurich called ‘Make the Difference’. This gave me the opportunity to spend 2 months working in Switzerland with colleagues from all over the world – it was intense but incredibly rewarding. That aside, it’s got to be the opportunities I’ve had to work directly with some of the biggest and most well-known organisations in the world. Our customers present all sorts of interesting opportunities and challenges from their own industries; it’s been a real highlight learning from them and understanding how Zurich – and the wider risk and insurance industry - can help them be successful.

What does a typical day look like for you?

It’s only been a couple of weeks with N&G and I’m still finding my rhythm, but the welcome from the team has been amazing. With Deal Management, a typical day didn’t really exist. I’d usually spend the day meeting with different functions across the Zurich business to discuss customer strategy, potential opportunities and any challenges on the horizon – Underwriting, Claims, Zurich Resilience Solutions, Marketing, the list goes on.

That would normally be interlaced with various customer and broker meetings – it’s important to discuss what’s going on in their organisations and understand how Zurich can best support them. The variety of perspectives I got to hear on market issues and risk topics was invaluable and certainly meant I never stopped learning.

What is the best piece of advice you've ever been given?

There are probably too many to mention, but I’ll pick out a couple.

The first would be to treat people with respect, keep an open mind and be inquisitive. Is that three? They sound simple but to me all are so important. One of the great things about working in a large organisation like Zurich is the breadth of opportunity and diversity of thought within the business. Every conversation is an opportunity to learn and the experience of the people around you will help you be successful in your role – you never know when you’ll need to phone a friend!

Secondly, don’t invest too much energy worrying about things that don’t make a positive difference or are out of your control. Life and day-to-day business can bring lots of noise and distraction, but by keeping things simple and focusing on your priorities you can usually find a way forward. This one has really helped me as my career has progressed.

So what would you be doing if you weren't working in the insurance industry?

I love to travel so if I could be doing anything else I think it would be seeing the world. Exploring new places, meeting new people, experiencing different cultures and trying new things.

What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?

I have run 3 marathons (raising a little bit of money for charity along the way): Berlin, Madrid and London. Maybe I’ll think about Brighton for 2022…

What do you love about working at Zurich?

The thing that stands out about Zurich for me is that the organisation always tries to do the right thing – be that by our customers or our own people. I think that really carries through the culture of the business. Of course, there are good days and bad days but here there are some truly fantastic people that genuinely care.

Zurich can provide excellent opportunities if you work hard and are tenacious. There are so many different paths you can take – from traditional insurance roles, to newer areas like robotics and data science. It's been a great place to progress my career and fulfil my own aspirations.

I’m excited to take N&G into 2022 and am looking forward to meeting more of our key partners very soon!

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