Diary of an Insurer: ERS's Chris Wilson

Monday

The week kicks off with our daily 30-minute surgery at 8.45 am, where the fleet team can bring business opportunities, complex or unusual risks for quick direction and approval. 

These sessions help us stay responsive to brokers, retain momentum on decisions and keep me tuned into the (underwriting) front line.

That’s followed by our leadership team meeting, pulling in heads from underwriting, sales, pricing, and claims. Alignment and short feedback loop across departments is one of our strengths, teeing up multiple touchpoints throughout the week, allowing us to adapt fast and stay ahead of market shifts.

Later, a member of our sales team pitched a niche opportunity, where the existing market had exited. These are the opportunities we lean into, ask questions, and underwrite if we get comfortable.

Then it’s a catch-up with our regional development manager for the south-west and South Wales, a key region for us. 

The premise is to keep each other honest, ensuring our brokers have relevant access to the underwriting team and we have the right brokers in the crosshairs. 

Tuesday

The day starts with some face time with the fleet team, bringing together London, Swansea, and Scotland, where we flag market observations and gather actions quickly.

Closely followed by a commercial trading meeting, where I’m still learning some of the detail following my recent role expansion. 

While it’s still commercial lines and underwriting is underwriting, there are plenty of nuances, the obvious one being the bias towards online trading. 

Taking time to listen is great, observing plenty of opportunities to share learnings and best practices across both fleet and commercial. 

Learning continues, diving deeper into the detail with a pricing strategy group, where we leverage our data capabilities, identify hot and cold trading spots and make changes as needed. It’s not about knee-jerk reaction, instead finessing from a risk appetite and rating viewpoint.

Then it’s our monthly reserving meeting, where actuaries meet underwriting and claims for a closer look into how we’re tracking, discuss trends and projections.  We are an underwriting business, so taking the time to understand how our proposition is performing is fundamental, identifying any early warning signs or opportunities.

I leave the office at 4pm, as Tuesdays and Thursdays are my nursery pick-up days. My wife and I split drop-offs and pick-ups equally. Having left, I shut off completely. No emails, no messages – for those two to three hours before bedtime I’m at the mercy of a two-year-old. 

I want to be present for our daughter, and that starts with setting a work boundary, because balance isn’t just a talking point, it’s something to be modelled.

Wednesday

Back in morning surgery before joining a fleet deep-dive, with underwriting, pricing, and performance analytics. 

We pick apart our weekly trading performance, focusing on what we can control: quotability, quote rates, and retentions.

We’re always looking at ways to drive incremental improvements – using data to support and inform underwriting decisions. 

Face-to-face broker meetings are a core part of how we do business; I had the opportunity to join one to discuss development and market positioning. Relationships matter, and our brokers need to feel close to our decision-makers.

The rest of the day is filled with one to ones, catch-ups with my direct reports, and checking in on progress.

Thursday

An early start again with the morning surgery, then straight into our weekly catch-up with Martin Hall, underwriting class heads and department leads. 

It’s our opportunity to share what we are seeing across the portfolios, wins, warning signs, shifts in trading or ask for support.

Later, I’m involved in presenting bespoke solutions to a broker partner and their client.  We played back their business in data form, bringing to life with visuals, pitching an array of solutions.  

Getting in front of brokers and clients is something I really enjoy and doesn’t happen as often as I would like these days.

That’s followed by time with our approved repairer network. Awareness of headwinds past, present and future is key.  

Range of topics impacting claims costs such as skilled labour challenges post-Brexit, how world affairs impact parts supplies, the increasing exposure to hybrid and electric vehicles across the motor market and the appropriateness of their network to deliver for our customers.

The day ends on a high: our quarterly social, bringing the commercial and fleet teams together. It’s important to take time, celebrate our success, and spend time together outside the 9-5 routine.

Friday

The final surgery of the week, with a few quirky ones presented. I then head into back-to-back trading reviews, first with fleet, then with commercial. 

These sessions take insights from Wednesday’s deep dives and translate them into actionable takeaways for the teams – the good, the bad, and what we will do differently next week (if anything). 

That thread between action and product is essential.

The afternoon is filled with various one to ones and mentoring sessions.  Later in the day, I check in with one of my team ahead of a planned (lengthy) absence. 

It’s part well-being, part handover, but mostly just a reminder that work does not stop us being human. Being available for these conversations matters as not everything important shows up in a spreadsheet or on a dashboard.

The week ends with our leadership trading round-up at 4pm with our managing director, active underwriter, sales director and heads of class to set us up for the following week.

Laptop now closed, Dad mode enabled and preparing for a trip to Peppa Pig World!