Diary of an Insurer: Aviva’s Katriona Cunningham

Monday

I typically work from home on Mondays, which is important to me because it means I can take my daughters to school and nursery, which is a lovely way to start the week. 

Back in my home office after the school run, I set aside time for reading and responding to various reports, submissions, and change activities. 

I am the lead for Aviva’s general insurance underwriting fraud teams, so I try to keep my schedule light on meetings on Mondays so I can be available for my team and respond to any emerging issues. 

My teams are based across Perth, Norwich, Sheffield, Belfast, and Maxim, near Glasgow. As a result, I do tend to travel a bit! 

After tea and getting the girls to various after school sports and activities, I’ll pack my bag in readiness for heading to Maxim early tomorrow morning.

Tuesday

Tuesdays are all about connecting with my team at the Maxim office, where three of my leaders and their teams are based. 

We kick off the day with a senior leaders’ meeting, covering the latest insights and cross-team information to ensure everyone is set up for the week to deliver on their priorities. 

I spend time with our investigators and leaders, and once a month, we have a huddle to discuss new ideas and concerns. 

After a productive day, I return home to enjoy dinner or a walk with my husband Andrew before the girls come back from my mum’s.

Wednesday

Wednesdays often involve travel, usually to Norwich or London. This week, I travelled to London for the Association of British Insurers Fraud conference. 

The first quarter of the year is fraud conference and seminar season, and it’s been fantastic to catch-up with industry peers, share insights, and learn about new trends. 

I think insurance fraud is unique in that it drives a high level of cross-industry collaboration, as we all work together in our shared goal of detecting and deterring fraud. 

After the ABI conference, I head up to Norwich to see my teams, catching up on emails during the train ride. I always try to combine any trip to London with a trip up to Norwich to see my teams there.

Thursday

I get into the Norwich office early, where I catch-up with leaders and teams. It’s particularly useful that most of the personal lines underwriting department – in which underwriting fraud sits – is based in Norwich. 

I have face-to-face time with our analytics lead and our product owner to go through our change roadmaps, ensuring we have everything we need to achieve our immediate and longer-term plans. 

I also meet with my leader, who is based in Norwich, for a one-to-one and see my wider senior leadership team peers. 

Once a quarter, we have a longer team meeting combined with volunteering activities, like the ‘BioBlitz’ morning planned for May. I also use this time to connect with other areas, such as claims and operations.  I fly back to Scotland in the evening.

Friday

On Friday, I head over to our Perth office, where I have regular supplier and internal meetings. I also engage in cross-department leader development and mentoring sessions. 

My deal breaker is leaving on time on a Friday to head to the local junior netball club, where my eldest three girls play, and I serve as an umpire. 

We end the evening with pizza and friends at home, rounding off a busy week. Weekends are filled with umpiring competitive matches and taxiing the girls to gymnastics, tennis, and swimming.