Name: Travis
Current role: Account Executive
Joined the Willis graduate program: September 2006
Degree: MSc Finance & Economics, LSE
After completing my master's program in
London, I knew I wanted to be a part of an
international company with opportunities for
travel and the chance to be involved in major
projects. Of course, striking the right balance
between work and play was an important
consideration as well. After meeting with
several different companies, the Willis
recruitment team impressed me with their
enthusiasm for the company, commitment
to its success, breadth of opportunities, and
of course the map of offices spanning the
globe!
From the application process on, it was evident
that Willis did not only pay lip service to the
importance of graduates to the success of the
company. Senior management was involved
in the interview process, and our first event as
the new graduates was a cocktail party with
the leaders of various departments to help us
immediately start building connections within
the company.
As part of the graduate program, Willis
supported us in establishing a presence within
the company and in understanding the various
components of how the company functions,
both formally and informally. Whether it
is the technical training with the office in
Ipswich, or the advice and help received from
mentors, the emphasis of the program has
consistently been on developing the potential
of the graduates, enhancing not only our value
to the company but the company's value to
the graduates.
With a background in finance and political
science, my first position was working with
the Global Markets team on the International
Terrorism Insurance desk. It was a fast paced
learning environment with responsibilities
from day one. There I spent 6 months in
training, learning contract details, negotiation
techniques and presentation skills before being
transferred to the North American Terrorism
Insurance team. In this new position, as part
of a small London group, I looked after the
structuring, negotiation and placement of
terrorism insurance programs for clients all
over the US and Canada, meeting with Lloyd's
and the company markets every day. The
size of the team also presented opportunities
to develop management skills, as I helped
with monthly and annual budgeting, new
business strategies and driving marketing
initiatives. Additionally, when we increased
the size of our team, I got involved with the
training and mentoring the new colleagues,
giving me valuable experience in building
capabilities and assisting others with defining
and achieving their goals.
After working in the North American team
for a year, I was offered a new opportunity
to build on the business development and
marketing experience gained in London by
taking on an account management secondment
in the New York office. The position includes
working with existing New York clients,
assisting network offices throughout the US
with winning new business and collaborating
with other Willis teams to develop and market
new risk transfer products (not to mention the
chance to live in New York City!). I have also
been encouraged to expand my presentation
skills through meeting with clients, senior
management and industry trade groups. These
responsibilities often overlap, as they did on
a trip to Washington DC where I participated
on an industry panel discussing the insurance
applications of a recent program launched by
the US Department of Homeland Security.
Currently my team is undertaking an ambitious
marketing project incorporating several other
US teams within Willis, a project that will
likely see me through the remaining 6 months
of my secondment. Even though the graduate
program officially lasts only two years, my
mentor and other contacts made during the
program continue to be important resources
I rely on for support and advice in evaluating
the next step. As graduates from my intake
have spent time in offices throughout the
Willis network, including Paris and Tokyo,
there are certainly plenty of possibilities for
the next destination! What is clear is that the
Willis graduate program has lived up to the
initial expectations formed by the recruitment
team - in the past 3 years I have participated
in projects for some of the largest and most
complex accounts handled by my teams,
developed skills critical to company success
and experienced living in two great cities.
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