What stood out to you about Aon?

Aon is a powerhouse in the insurance industry and is renowned for its exceptionally welcoming culture. I began as a Summer Intern in 2022, and during the nine-week programme, I encountered many helpful colleagues. Aon excels in nurturing its talent and offers everything I consider important. This is why I chose to begin my career here upon receiving my return offer for the graduate programme.

What are your main duties?

My graduate programme is made up of 3 x 6 month rotations across various teams within PCCM (Property, Casualty and Crisis Management). My first rotation was in International Casualty where the team deals with placing complex liability risks for clients from all over the world. Next, I will be rotating to the North American Property team and will focus on property risks emanating mainly out of the US.

My day-to-day involves meeting underwriters, helping on risk analysis and creating submission documents and presentations. Due to my background, I am also responsible for helping to build sustainable data pipelines within PCCM and building a robust reporting structure. I am also pursuing my CII qualification.

Why did you choose this sector?

Being in the business of “risk” is extremely interesting, as almost everything in the news can somehow be linked back to / can affect the insurance industry. There is surprisingly a lot of problem solving required in insurance, for both placing complex risks and managing internal operations to really keep up the competitive edge. My favourite part is that you can carve out your own career path within this space, and it is extremely people focused.

What skills are useful in your role?

Attention to detail, problem solving, effective communication and networking. Your usual Excel and office suite, and some knowledge of visualization tools and databases can give you a competitive edge as the industry is moving from more traditional ways towards being very data driven and tech focused.

Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to enter the profession?

• Networking is key – get to know people, build relationships, and build a personal brand for yourself.
• Hard skills are irreplaceable – be focused on building true hard skills, your insurance knowledge and tech skills.
• Be a knowledge-sponge – if you intently listen and effectively capture information in your day to day, you can really learn a lot, even in a few weeks!