Shaun Carter is a senior management information analyst at QBE. He’s worked for the company for ten years but had to overcome his introverted nature to put himself forward and develop his career. Luckily, he met a senior underwriter who had experienced the same thing and encouraged him to differentiate himself from his peers.
Can you tell us a bit about your career to date?
I got into the insurance industry through a job at RBS, but having studied at Wolverhampton University and met my wife there, I wanted to return to the West Midlands. I was researching jobs and QBE popped up, so I started working here writing minibus insurance. It’s been a long and convoluted route getting to where I am today, but my interest in the technical aspect of our products has seen me move into portfolio analysis as opposed to individual cases.
How has QBE supported you in the development of your career?
QBE recognises talent that sits outside of its current job role and if you show a willingness to go off and do something else, you’ll be rewarded. After proving myself, I found that team leaders were happy to put my name out there and new opportunities came my way. One colleague gave up a lot of his time to share his experience with me and put me in front of the right people and in meetings I wouldn’t otherwise have had access to.
Being able to shadow someone for six months and see what they did day-in, day-out was invaluable. This was a casual arrangement but gave me a greater insight into other aspects of the company. It helped me to see if I would fit in a similar position and then it was just a case of playing the waiting game for a role to come up.
Can you describe any challenges you faced during your career changes? What did you learn from these experiences?
I’m an introvert and I’ve never liked talking about myself, but I’ve had to get over this in order to not let my career stagnate. I’ve come to realise that having opinions and asking questions in a town hall environment is a good thing, even if it’s against my nature. I’ve been lucky to have team leaders and portfolio managers that have helped me push for promotions and to be seen by my superiors.
One particular senior underwriter had a big impact on my career, as he said he’d suffered from the same issues. He told me the things that had worked for him and suggested they might work for me too. I now consider speaking up a necessary evil that enables me to differentiate myself and push my career forward.
What’s the most fulfilling thing about your role at QBE?
When you’re working in underwriting there’s a lack of transparency about what goes on further up the ladder. I now work on projects that I know will impact those who work at the assistant level, because I’ve been there. I get to help them overcome their frustrations, which is the best part of my current role.