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Kerry D.

Head of Home Underwriting

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Top Insider Advice

Be open to change and grab opportunities that come your way to help you grow and develop yourself. Always have a growth mindset and don’t close down opportunities because you’re afraid that you can’t meet the challenge. Pushing yourself outside your usual skill set will help increase your confidence and show you what you’re capable of.

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Career path

Head of Home Underwriting

First Central

Started 01/2022 to Present

Head of Business Change

RSA Insurance

From 05/2020 to 12/2021

Motor Underwriting Manager

RSA Insurance

From 05/2017 to 05/2020

Company

What do you like about your job and the company?

Working on Home insurance is new to First Central and we are a small team within the company who are very focused and enthusiastic around what we want to achieve. I feel very lucky to work within a team of great people who love what they do and are focused on getting the best outcomes for both our customers and First Central.

Greatest achievements

The opportunity arose and I put myself forward – it felt like a bit of a leap, and I was nervous and second guessing myself, but I wanted to push myself into something new and ambitious. I had a small team, and we were really thrown in at the deep end, suddenly working in a large change project, which was also trying to implement agile methodology. It was a really challenging time as we had a number of deadlines to meet and there were a lot of stakeholders involved. I quickly saw that the key to success was to ensure that we really focused on our deliverables by creating ambitious but realistic plans that we stuck to. The team was small but had a variety of experience which we used well to plan and prioritise our output. We built our underwriting rules in record time and showed how quickly we could produce output within the organisation by embracing the agile methodology and focusing on one common goal.

Other insiders

Chris B

Customer Claims Manager

Top Insider Advice

I really enjoy change delivery, developing ideas and simplifying processes in my role. ‘Find a role that supports your interests and develops your skills’, it provides longevity in the role, gives a sense of achievement and, overall, you’ll get enjoyment from the work you do.

Oyinda O

Head of Operational Excellence Development

Top Insider Advice

Often people have limitations set by others or sometimes even by themselves that stop them from progressing to that next level both in life and in their career. Self-belief is one of the key stepping stones to building confidence in yourself and your abilities. Imposter syndrome is something most people who enjoy varying levels of success have dealt with at some point or another in their careers. It is important to recognise that this can manifest in many forms, such as doubts about your skill level, not applying for that role even when you meet the requirements or generally not going for the things you want. Once you see that happening, you can start to take the necessary steps to overcome the negative self-talk. Start to engage with people who’ve achieved the type of career success you’re looking for. Surround yourself with positive people who encourage and believe in your success. Apply for that role! You never know what could happen

Parisa M

Risk & Compliance Governance Manager

Top Insider Advice

Whatever you’re good at, whether it be organisation or leadership or analytics, try your best to draw on those skills within your current role to really showcase what you do well. And not just in your role, look at other roles such as championing or volunteering to provide additional opportunities to really highlight what you are good at. This may then give you the chance to consider where you have improvements to make and think about how that can be achieved through shadowing, mentoring or further education / courses. There are so many opportunities at First Central to shine a light on our talents or improve our weaknesses. Take them!

Discussions with Kerry D
Whats the best thing about working at FC?
in Career Tips·Friday, April 28, 2023
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2 responses
85 views
What does growth and development look like here?
in Career progression·Tuesday, May 9, 2023
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3 responses
154 views
What is the work-life balance like in your role?
in Career Tips·Thursday, March 23, 2023
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5 responses
191 views
What motivates you about your role?
in Career Tips·Tuesday, November 7, 2023
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2 responses
18 views
Hello Kerry D, how do you leverage Data Analytics in underwriting with Automation?
in Application support·Thursday, January 25, 2024
1 response
22 views