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Andy's story

Introducing Andy

Project Manager for Digital Transformation at Howden Specialty Marine.

Introducing Andy

Project Manager for Digital Transformation at Howden Specialty Marine.

It has also been interesting when looking at how insurers’ considerations overlap with the politico-military world e.g. marine war risks are focussed on very areas of the world where I spent a considerable part of my career.
Andy House

Service and Corps/Regiment, Rank, last day in Military?

Royal Navy Warfare Officer specialising in Navigation, Lieutenant, left the RN in 2017.

How did your transition from the military to the Insurance Industry happen?

When I left the RN I spent my first 2 years working as a Project Manager in R&D for a defence aerospace company in Edinburgh, this was a good introduction to commercial environment with the benefit that I brought my knowledge of defence with me to use. After finding my feet I was keen to move out of a defence orientated sector and for personal reasons it made sense to relocate to SE England which opened up many additional sectors and potential pathways to me. Using service and personal connections I networked around the City and established that insurance was an industry with a great track record and heritage in London but also one poised on the cusp of great change with the attendant opportunity that comes with strategic transformations. The LMN were vital in helping me make the key connections to veterans already in insurance alongside those who want to help service leavers and generously give up their time. I was fortunate to be able to use my existing Project Management experience to secure a contract role in The Future at Lloyd’s Programme – a great place to dive head first into that transformation journey – an after 6 months there I was offered a role, aptly enough, in a brokerage’s Marine division very much looking to ‘lean-in’ and embrace insurtech solutions.

Please describe your new role and what specific skills you feel you have developed within your military career that assist you in this position?

Adaptability has been crucial as well as working comfortably in a limited information environment where there are many wheels within wheels and a clear focus on ‘command intent’ needs to be constantly updated. Of course joining my current company in April 2020 was a challenge with Lockdown in full swing and it has taken me the best part of a year to meet the majority of my colleagues and build personal relationships, critical when you wish to transform their very roles. It has also been interesting when looking at how insurers’ considerations overlap with the politico-military world e.g. marine war risks are focussed on very areas of the world where I spent a considerable part of my career.

What advice would you give service leavers looking to pursue a career within the insurance industry?

Be humble and upfront about your (lack of) direct commercial experience but conversely do all you can to minimise the risk any potential employer faces when looking to employ you. Use resettlement and/or other leave you have to spend time with anyone you can as we all know “time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted”. The CII qualifications are well taught through the course syllabuses and the exams are a solid way of demonstrating your intent and seriousness to an employer. The LMN Internships are a very useful way to ‘try before you buy’ if you are unsure about which part of insurance you want to work in i.e. broking, underwriting, operations, technology…and they also allow you to demonstrate to employers why you are worth the investment to convert that internship into a full time role.

What’s been the biggest challenge for you moving from the military to insurance?

I think the majority of challenges will be common across many sectors, especially in professional services and office based roles, and let’s not forget that post-Covid there many companies looking at the whole ‘what does work look like?’ question afresh. There is certainly a readjustment to a different pace of life and I have found it a more steady pace of existence i.e. less extreme highs/lows, which for someone with a young family who travelled extensively during my service time has suited me just fine. Being a self-starter is crucial in an arena of far less strict laid down terms of reference or functional authority; sometimes you may look back at the cohesiveness of military life decision-making with some rose tinted spectacles.