Diary of an Insurer: Zurich’s Paul Green

Monday

I’m always up early, so the day starts at 6am. 

Working from home, I ease into the morning with breakfast and coffee before spending an hour on self-development. 

It’s my ritual whenever I’m not travelling. Over the last two years, that discipline helped me complete both a Chartered Insurance Institute Fellowship and a data apprenticeship alongside my role at Zurich Municipal. 

Now, in my new position heading up a team of multinational underwriters from Zurich UK’s property and casualty multinational underwriting hub in Birmingham, my focus is on engaging with our brokers and customers.

At 9.30am the team huddle begins. We run through the renewal picture, new business pipeline and anything else that needs attention. It’s the daily plate spinning exercise that keeps us sharp.

Lunch means a walk by the river with my labradoodle Sookie, easily my favourite reset in the day. If my wife is home too we roam together, which is always a welcome moment in an otherwise fast-paced week.

The afternoon is spent trading, speaking to brokers and working with our junior underwriters. By 6.30am I’m in the kitchen. Cooking is how I decompress, and tonight’s batch-cook special is cottage pie.

Tuesday

I spend a couple of days each week in our regional offices. Last week it was Birmingham, today it’s Manchester, which means a 5am start from my home near Southampton. 

As much as I groan when the alarm goes, the four-hour train journey is great preparation time. 

I catch-up on emails and mentally shift gears for face-to-face trading. Meeting different people and understanding how they work is always interesting, learning what matters to each individual and how I should flex my style to support them.

Today’s focus is two broker sessions to talk through renewals and explore new business. 

I’m joined by two senior members of my fantastic underwriting team who between them have many years of experience and some great relationships, which enable open and honest trading discussions. 

These conversations bring home the realities of the current competitive market. 

It’s hitting brokers just as much as insurers, and that reinforces how crucial service quality is as a differentiator. When rates are flat or reducing, service becomes everything.

I reach the hotel around 8pm, call my wife to catch up on the day and wind down with a book - fiction on this occasion.

Wednesday

Day two in Manchester begins with an introductory broker meeting, discussing how we can support their multinational book. The conversation flows well and it feels like the start of a strong relationship.

This is where the complex world of multinational insurance for UK-domiciled customers really comes alive. Every country brings different regulations, tax requirements, coverage norms and compliance demands. 

It’s a specialist discipline but that’s exactly why customers value it so much. We help them navigate complexities, meet local requirements and give them reassurance that their people, assets and operations are protected wherever they’re based. There’s huge satisfaction in delivering that clarity.

After the meeting, I head into our Manchester office for a conversation about improving our operational landscape and finding ways to respond faster. 

Broker feedback is constant and taken seriously. Speed and agility are crucial, especially in the multinational space where businesses often need solutions across multiple countries at pace.

I jump on the mid-afternoon train home. Emails first, Netflix after. I’ve got a gadget that hooks my screen to the tray table for comfortable viewing; simple pleasures.

Thursday

Back home I use my personal development time exploring how artificial intelligence can help us dig into data and identify business prospects more efficiently, freeing up more time for broker conversations and quality customer engagement. I’ll share what I learn with the team.

Most of the morning I spend online with my team, discussing and preparing market engagement plans for all of our brokers. 

It’s also an opportunity to do some coaching with the team; helping people build confidence and work through how to reach goals for both themselves and the business is a key activity that I get a lot of satisfaction from.

Lunchtime brings another river walk, sun shining, dog happy. It clears my head perfectly before an afternoon looking at operational efficiencies. 

The AI work ties in nicely here, finding low value tasks we can automate so underwriters can spend more time trading and developing.

After dinner I jump online for some virtual racing with friends, we’re big Formula 1 fans. I take an early lead which I manage to hold for most of the race, until I clip a wall and end with a did not finish. 

A lesson learned in patience and consistency.

Friday

The sun is just rising as I take the dog out. After coffee, I dive into reviewing renewals and new business activity with each underwriter. 

Troubleshooting, supporting, keeping things moving, Friday mornings always fly.

My day is made when we achieve a significant win – securing new business with a broker we’ve been focused on building connections with. 

We’ve also set up a pipeline meeting in a couple of weeks with more opportunities on the table. A brilliant way to close out the week.