Diary of an Insurer: Axa’s Brendon Moodley

Monday

My week kicks off with a very early start for a 5am gym session. I like to start my day listening to self-help and motivational audio books during my workout to help set a positive tone for the week ahead. 

After the gym, I walk my two Pomeranians, Jaxon and Bonnie, and get my 11-year-old daughter and nine-year-old son ready for school.

Once the household is sorted, I dedicate the first part of my working day to planning and organising the week ahead. I review my tasks, prioritise what needs my attention and set myself three goals for the week.

Discipline is key for me, especially with my intense weight training, which I prioritise three to four times a week. So, I try to block out my lunch hour every day to stay on top of my diet, which usually consists of eggs and steak in the morning, chicken and dates at lunch and steak with avocado for dinner.

In the afternoon, I have some one-to-one meetings with my team members and catch up with my data engineering colleagues on leftover tasks from the previous week.

Tuesday

On Tuesdays I usually have a two-hour commute to our London office. I use this time productively, working on approvals, presentations and reports on the train.

Once I get to the office, I usually have quite a few in-person meetings. I try to maximise face-to-face interactions as much as possible, as I believe building strong relationships with colleagues and partners is key to collaboration.

One of the highlights of my day is meeting with the finance team to discuss updates on our financial operations transformation project. It’s the biggest project we’re working on this year, so keeping everyone aligned is super important.

Lunchtime in the office gives me a chance to catch up with some of our partners from Databricks and Capgemini.

Wednesday

Midweek, you’ll usually find me at our office in Redhill, which is closer to my home. My morning is spent preparing for key meetings, including one on our machine learning operations project. 

This is another major initiative, building the foundations for Axa’s artificial intelligence capabilities.

Throughout the day, I work on various other engineering programmes, sharing expertise and ensuring we’re building best practices across teams.

After work, I often meet up for drinks with the teams based in Redhill. It’s a nice way to network and catch up outside of work.

Thursday

Typically, I work from home on Thursdays, but this week I’m headed to London again for an event after work. 

My morning starts with a meeting with the chief information office financial operations team, where we explore ways to optimise costs across our data platforms. 

This kind of strategic discussion is essential as we aim to get the most value from our data investments.

I leave the office a little early so I can attend a roundtable event in central London focused on data sovereignty in the digital age, an area I’m passionate about as it directly impacts how we manage and protect data at Axa.

Friday

The week concludes in our Tunbridge Wells office, where I usually have one-to-ones with my direct reports. It’s a great time to discuss recent successes, address any challenges and align plans for the upcoming week.

Friday is also the day we have our regular leadership meeting with the chief data and AI office where we review our progress, discuss updates and set targets.

It’s also a great opportunity to catch up with the Axa Health data engineers and data governance teams based in Tunbridge Wells.

Before heading home, I review my to-do list and book my travel for the following week. It’s about staying organised.

Friday evenings are reserved for family time. My kids usually choose a film for us to watch, most recently it was Lilo and Stitch. I had to hold back tears, it was that good!

We always end the week with traditional fish and chips on a Friday, which is a family favourite and a perfect way to unwind after a busy week.