Wed 25 Sep. 2019
A Day in the Life of... Paul Sturges
Like many people I never planned on a career in Insurance. I studied Law and Economics at college and had little idea what I wanted to do. I was offered a place at university to study Economics but was not filled with excitement! I heard that Guardian Royal Exchange were recruiting in Ipswich so I applied for an interview and shortly after accepted a job as a trainee claims handler in 1983.
After a few years I realised that the work that really interested me was carried out by Loss Adjusters and so I moved to become a trainee Loss Adjuster with Trundle Heap and Baker in Colchester.
1987 delivered the best training I ever received. I started the year being sent to Cornwall for a few months to help with thousands of burst pipe claims, followed by the October Hurricane which meant spending the next year working 6 days weeks and writing all my reports on the 7t
Over the next few years I completed my ACII and ACILA qualifications and I moved to various opportunities before opening a new specialist liability Loss Adjuster branch in Ipswich for McLarens.
Life as a Loss Adjuster can be interesting, with exposure to a wide range of industries and meeting new and sometimes challenging people.
The adjusting industry has undergone significant change over the last 30 years; many of the companies that once existed have disappeared through a merger or acquisition; there is now significantly more demand for complex data and processes and it will be interesting to see what happens to the industry over the next 30 years.
In the early 1990s I started to manage a number of volume claims programmes and in 1997 I developed a new multinational TPA (“Third Party Administrator”) scheme for a global insurer which still remains one of my largest clients to this day.
I now spend most of my time / days looking after various global clients, with activities ranging from stewardship meetings, renewal pricing, service monitoring and even resolving the occasional complaint (!).
I joined our local CII Council about 10 years ago and have undertaken a number of roles including Education secretary and President. I was honoured to receive the Distinguished Service Medal from the CII last year. I have really enjoyed my time on Council, having met new friends, new business contacts and helping to shape our education agenda. I would thoroughly recommend joining Council to anybody in our industry.
Outside of work I live a busy life, my kids are all grown up and now I get to spend most of the summer either ‘camping’ in my 1972 VW Campervan, or riding my Harley Davidson (some might say it is a midlife crisis!!!....).