Insider profil
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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.
Career path
Head of Home Underwriting
First Central
Started 01/2022 to PresentHead of Business Change
First Central
From 05/2020 to 12/2021Motor Underwriting Manager
First Central
From 05/2017 to 05/2020Company
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.
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
Joe M
Leadership Development Business Partner
Top Insider Advice
My advice would be to grow and develop with the business and don’t box yourself in with one particular career route in mind as other career paths can open up.
Paul F
Director of Data and Analytics
Top Insider Advice
My career experience causes me to provide the following advice, which is relevant for opportunities here at First Central: • Build credibility by doing what you say you will • Team spirit trumps all • Seek to understand and don’t judge a book by its cover • Give people space; micro-management is a killer • Be relentless in seeking to understand yourself • Coaching and mentoring are transformational and are amazing gifts you can give to others • Take risks and be brave • Be human, be vulnerable, show emotion to make yourself accessible
