Diary of an Insurer: CFC's Chris Mullan

Monday

My week usually begins with a small child waking us well ahead of the alarm. With five kids, mornings are always lively and unpredictable.

Mondays are about setting myself up for success for the week ahead. I have a full day of meetings planned and work from home in my ‘shoffice’, a shed converted into an office.

The morning starts with weekly catch-ups with my direct reports from the product, software, and data teams. We discuss high-level updates and outline key priorities, with plenty of ideas buzzing around.

In the afternoon, I meet with our data security and governance team. While AI is the shiny part of my role, most of my time is spent on data management. With cyber threats constantly evolving, it’s vital to keep our valuable data assets secure.

By 5pm, it’s time to step away from the screen with seven mouths to feed and bedtime routines to begin. Once the youngest two are asleep, I unwind by going precision rifle shooting in the Reigate caves.

The caves block mobile signals, so there are no distractions. After a busy day, it’s the perfect way to clear my mind and relax. It’s just you vs you.

Tuesday

Office day! Today is all about deep work following a brisk walk across London Bridge, coffee in hand, mentally preparing for what’s ahead.

The data and AI team has a broad remit: building and improving our data platform, developing insights and automations, refining risk selection and pricing, creating AI services for submissions, and advancing our agentic roadmap.

The day begins with our weekly product sync meeting. With around 30 people globally, this session is crucial for reviewing our roadmap, required skills, and delivery capacity.

Later, I meet with one of our industrial placement students joining the team on rotation where we discuss career advice and how AI will shape future workplaces.

Graduates entering the workforce are very familiar with tools like ChatGPT, so they’re often surprised that many corporate organisations are yet to adopt these technologies widely.

A question I’m always asked by our placement students is: “What advice would you give to computer science graduates entering the workforce in this new world of AI disruption?”

It’s tricky. I think it’s reasonable to be cautious. We’re in a transition phase where AI is here, but businesses are still learning how to use it effectively and manage the risks.

AI has its limits, and business is ultimately about relationships and people. Jobs will evolve, but you can’t replace the value of a real human expert, especially in insurance.

Wednesday

An early start in the office today. Like most days, a large part of my morning is spent automating the handling and data extraction from several thousand quote submission emails.

This involves training our AI software to interpret quote requests in whichever form they come, a tricky task when every broker has their own unique way of requesting a quote!

Then it’s time to walk through the latest designs for our upcoming AI pipelines with the product managers and architects to ensure we’re building safe, secure and robust tools to power the business.

These meetings aren’t glamorous, but they’re foundational to building the infrastructure that helps us deliver long-term results.

One of the best things about being in the office is the chance encounters in the coffee queue or by the lifts - conversations that matter, but would never happen if they relied on scheduling a 30-minute slot, weeks in advance.

As the day winds down, I head home with a renewed sense of energy.

Thursday

My third day in the office. We’re nearing the launch of a new product, which is very exciting. I start the morning by checking in on delivery timelines and clearing any technology roadblocks.

The team are making good progress and are currently working on some feature updates. At CFC, doing things “our way” means pushing boundaries and challenging what is possible. This usually results in a demand for more data, deeper insights, and greater automation.

One of the real strengths of our AI product owners is the network they bring to the table, especially when we’re navigating complex decisions.

This afternoon, I have an inspiring session with one of our advisers about what it takes structurally, culturally, and organisationally to evolve an engineering function and fully harness the potential of AI-powered coding tools.

It’s all new territory, so we’re learning from each other as we go.

Friday

Fridays are for reflection and tying up loose ends. I start my morning writing weekly notes, reviewing key performance indicators, and preparing for the following week.

Working from home gives me the chance to enjoy a midday walk, ideally with someone else.

Reigate is crawling with fellow actuaries, so I often take a 45-minute walk on the South Downs with a good friend. As the days get shorter, a little time outdoors in the (grey) winter sunlight helps refresh me for the final stretch.

The afternoon is filled with one to ones and general check ins with my direct reports.

Fridays always finish at 5pm on the dot, when I switch roles to become the family chauffeur, ferrying the kids to tennis, stagecoach and gymnastics.

By 8.30pm, everyone is home, and I can finally collapse into bed. My bedtime reading of choice is catching up on the latest arXiv papers.

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend reading up on BDH [baby dragon hatchling, biologically inspired large language] models!