All I want for Xmas…is to be closer to my clients

Getting closer to clients and giving them what they really want—that was one of the main themes coming from re/insurance executives when asked for their New Year’s resolutions in our year-end questionnaire.

Kelly Lyles, chief executive, client & country management, insurance, XL Catlin, said she aims to spend more face-to-face time with clients in 2018.

“Staying close to clients is regularly at the top of my New Year’s resolutions—there really is no substitute for understanding their businesses. I’ve already blocked time in my diary far into 2018 for sitting down with clients and brokers to stay informed about the issues and challenges they’re facing,” Lyles said.

Samit Shah, insurance solutions manager, BitSight, also said he plans to work directly with a broader range of clients.

“I resolve to engage not just with larger, enterprise customers in 2018, but also small and medium sized businesses. While large enterprises often have the money and resources attractive to hackers, in 2018, I would like to illustrate the importance of cyber insurance for small and medium-sized businesses, which also have much to lose if not properly protected.

“In 2018, I hope to see more cyber insurance providers underwriting for these small companies in an effort to help them efficiently transfer their cyber risk as well,” Shah said.

Artur Niemczewski, chief executive, Pro, expressed a similar wish—to make his clients more successful.

“I would like the market to become more efficient, and my New Year’s resolution is to help Pro’s clients become more successful in their endeavours, by achieving greater profits, better management of risk and cost efficiency savings,” he said.

“There is always a case for keeping your core competencies in house, including pricing, underwriting or actuarial work. However, specialists like Pro are able to deliver support functions cheaper, faster and in a more flexible manner. This might include underwriting support, accounting or claims processing.”

This is just a snapshot of what executives told us in our Christmas questionnaire. For the full comments from all 16 executives who took part in our survey, please click here.