A day in the life of an Underwriting Manager, Liability
by James Tuitavuki
Where are you from and what does being a Pacific Islander mean to you?
I am of Tongan descent, my father is from Vaotu'u and mother from Vaini. Pacific Island culture for me is about three F’s family, food and faka'apa'apa (respect). My culture keeps me grounded and I apply some of these aspects to how I manage my team and the business unit I look after.
What does a typical day look like for you?
The job of a liability underwriter is to form a risk picture based on a number of information sources in order to decide whether or not to accept an application for insurance on behalf of the insurer.
A typical day for me could include;
Running performance reports and allocation of work to staff as required.
Chat to various staff about risk referrals for new business opportunities.
Endless virtual team meeting with broker clients, organising lunches, and generally talking alot
Quoting of risk sent direct to my inbox
Set rules and guidelines for team in terms of risk acceptance and appetite including risk tolerance
Product development, revision, drafting endorsement and wordings
Audit and compliance checks on risk acceptance and portfolio including risk audits, APRA review and audits related to product and corrective actions,
Review of portfolio performance with actuarial, APAC/company boss and remediation or exiting of loss-making lines of business
Hire of new underwriting personnel, performance, and performance management (if required)
Travel all over Australia including regional area, conferences, trade shows/expo, client PD days, awards nights, golf days and any client event that is fun.
Training and development of team in both individual and team formats
What excites you most about your work?
No one day is ever the same but people, diversity of risks to quote, broker interaction, travel and entertainment but most importantly never stop learning about things.
What qualifications are required to get into your line of work?
Typically, a degree to enter technical role (now) but will consider financial services experience.
What Pacific Island values and traits help most in your line of work?
Family (working together) and respect are values that I integrate into the management of my team to create an inclusive environment and show that their contributions are valued.
What would you like someone who’s interested in your line of work to know?
An underwriter does not work at a graveyard. This is an undertaker.
If you can relate, have a lot of common sense and can problem solve this might be a career for you.
How did you find your path? What advice would you give to a young person exploring career options?
Look for jobs that will not be automated or be made redundant in the future to ensure longevity in that career and look for a job you love and want to do or relate to a common interest or passion.
Fun Fact
My daughter is a dressage rider, so I often find myself cleaning horse poo in the stables most weekends. To clarify, I do not eat the horses, I just care for them.
