After a variety of previous roles with insurers and brokers, I joined Willis Towers Watson as a client services team leader in Major Accounts (now Manufacturing and Industrial, Services and Utilities) within GB Retail. I then moved into an account executive role, managing my own clients within the Natural Resources Utilities team. When my personal circumstances changed (I had a baby), Willis Towers Watson was really supportive in enabling me to move into my current job where I can bring my industry knowledge and relationships to bear but also work with more flexibility. Recently, I have been promoted to lead the GB Retail Wordings Team and deputise managing the wider P&C Wordings team, both of which are exciting career opportunities within WTW.

Our team works on wordings to establish the best insurance cover for clients. I provide technical knowledge and wordings analysis, including property, casualty, motor, personal accident and travel coverage.

One of the key challenges is the non-standardized nature of the policy wordings, as each insurer has its own bespoke style. This presents an opportunity to learn something new every day, as well as use the knowledge I’ve gained throughout my career.

There is a wealth of training and development opportunities available, whether personal (interpersonal communications and confidence building) or technical/IT-based support. I have completed many courses both face-to-face and electronically – including onsite “Lunch and Learn” sessions – and enjoyed the experience.

I had an opportunity to work on the Model Office in 2012, in which the processes and roles of the client teams were mapped to help improve operational efficiency.
Also, I was honoured to be nominated and voted in as an Employee Representative (ER) through two consulting projects, and be the chair of the ERs in face-to-face meetings with senior management.

I take pride in helping my team develop and watching their careers progress.

The culture is changing – for the better. Management is taking a fresh view on everything and making appropriate changes, which is encouraging.

The people who work here are very knowledgeable and, because of its size and internal network, there’s always someone who is able to help – or can recommend someone who can!
I’m very lucky that as my life outside of work changed, Willis Towers Watson helped me find a position that fits with my home life.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn of the width and breadth of knowledge, and the longevity of service of colleagues.

I’m very glad I have the opportunity to work at Willis Towers Watson and hope that my career here lasts a long time. I hope to be a go-to person for technical knowledge and be in a position to one day lead the team if the opportunity arises.

Join Willis Towers Watson! It’s an interesting company with many different roles to consider and opportunities to learn and develop.

I came into the company in 2015 as a claim handler on the Companies, Transport and International team. Two years later I became a team leader.

I currently lead a team of seven people handling Company, Cargo, Commercial and International claims. My day-to-day duties consist of running the team, attending to their questions, overseeing the deadlines established for the revision of claims, supporting the team as needed, and addressing client feedback.

My biggest challenge has been to assume a managerial role and take on responsibility for the entire department. I continued working on my day-to-day tasks, but with a higher level of responsibility, and I also work to make my team feel supported.

I received support from my superiors. When one has a strong commitment to the company, development opportunities are possible.

I’ve worked in the Business Support Claims department, which handles high-frequency claims with maximum productivity, since its inception. Working together, this team has improved claim handling and created a more efficient process for our clients.

The culture is dedicated to serving clients with proven solutions that can be targeted to their needs.

The warm attitude and transparency shown to all colleagues was a nice surprise, as this wasn’t what I had experienced in other multinational companies.

I would like to continue growing personally and professionally with this great company, and help meet our business and strategy objectives while looking to increase value for our shareholders and clients.

With hard work and patience, you can meet all the challenges that come your way.

I was hired as a seasonal benefit advisor, which is an agent licensed to sell Medicare plans to retirees of Willis Towers Watson client associations. Benefit advisors talk to participants nationwide to assist them in transitioning from group insurance to individual insurance through the Medicare marketplace. I then transitioned to a seasonal customer service representative, which is a customer support role for those enrolled through our Individual Marketplace, where I assisted participants with claim resolution, appeals and other account services. This led to my role as enrollment operations supervisor, where I led a team of 15 benefit advisors in selling Medicare plans to retirees of our client associations, and then to the position of enrollment operations manager of 10 to 12 benefit advisor teams. Now, as senior enrollment operations manager, I’m focused on new client transitions while managing multiple enrollment operations managers and their respective teams. I also serve in a dual capacity as a corporate site lead, focused on site-wide operations for our Tempe, Arizona, call center facility.

In my role as senior enrollment operations manager, I manage transitions of new client employers who are moving their retiree populations from group to individual health care coverage. I’m responsible for meeting transition enrollment goals for all Medicare-eligible clients, daily check-ins with enrollment teams focused on the retiree experience, and successful plan enrollments, weekly reporting to segment leadership for enrollment progress and performance management of enrollment teams and agents.
In my role as corporate site lead, I oversee site-wide operations relative to performance management and employee engagement. I also host site tours for current and prospective clients visiting the center and oversee site-wide activities related to charitable events, safety, new-hire onboarding, and so on.

The biggest challenge in my role is the degree of staff turnover from year to year, as a large percentage of the staff are hired for seasonal positions to handle the influx of calls during enrollment periods. This requires constant retraining year over year to ensure we deliver a quality experience. We do our best to overcome this by maintaining simplified processes and having a focus on career development. The goal is to help these seasonal colleagues develop quickly enough to progress to other roles in the organization prior to their seasonal position ending.

I have had many opportunities to drive my own professional development at Willis Towers Watson. I’ve been responsible for creating the performance management system used for all operations roles within our Individual Marketplace for retiree benefits. This tool is used by operations supervisors and managers to track the daily, weekly and monthly performance objectives of colleagues. In the last two years, I also was the project lead for implementing semiannual performance reviews of seasonal colleagues not evaluated in our company-wide system. This gives all colleagues an opportunity to receive real-time feedback and coaching in addition to semiannual reviews, which include a broader summary of completed work and adherence to Willis Towers Watson values.

I’ve been most proud of my role in helping to launch our new customer service facility in Tempe, Arizona. I was involved with building layout decisions, initial recruiting efforts, off-site training accommodations and establishing the culture of a completely new workforce. The Tempe site was also the first of its kind, having multiple lines of business within the same building. This required a lot of integration work, which is still ongoing. The site has now been operational for three years, with over 500 employees including seasonal colleagues.
Additionally, I was recently one of 100 employees who received a CEO Circle award. To qualify, I had to be nominated by at least two colleagues. Reviewers judge the recommendations based on how well the nominee lives the Willis Towers Watson values of client focus, teamwork, integrity, respect and excellence. Contributions are also evaluated based on value brought to the company upon project completions. Being recognized for the hard work you put into your daily work is humbling and motivating.

There is a client-first culture here where people at all levels are focused on constantly improving how we can better serve our clients. This includes the new agents who come on board to speak daily to retirees enrolled in our Individual Marketplace — to ease their burdens and concerns, and let them know we are the place they can turn to for help.

I really enjoy meeting with prospective clients and talking to them about the experience we can provide for retirees transitioning from group to individual coverage through our Individual Marketplace. There is an emphasis on client choice; we make more options available for participants so they can find something that best matches their individual needs. There’s no bias in helping people enroll in plans, the focus truly is on finding the best fit for each person.

I am proud of the company’s focus on the client/retiree experience over revenue. There is a large emphasis on doing what’s right for the client and trusting that this focus will have a positive impact on revenue and growth in the long run.

I would love to be more involved in strategy and sales. I feel like my knowledge base of the segment can be useful to help innovate and move the company forward, expanding into new markets and increasing our product offerings.

This is a company where you can advance. Focus on learning your role quickly so you can progress and move into other positions within the company. Take what you learn from one role and learn how to make the next role even more impactful. The more impact you can have on the clients we serve, the more value and fulfilment you’ll be able to derive from your role.

I’m a major accounts bid manager in the team that helps GB retailers manage risks to their businesses and develop mitigation strategies, including the purchase of appropriate insurance coverage. In this role, I serve as the project lead and coordinator for our Technical and Account Management teams, with particular responsibility for ensuring that our bids for retailers’ business, both technical and commercial, meet both the client needs and proposal requests as well as our own financial objectives. My role also includes organization and management of annual reviews for key clients, including assessment of business strategies and outlook, and assisting in the transition and implementation of projects won.

Once we receive a request for proposal (RFP), I have to make sure that delivery of our services proceeds according to what was promised during the initial bidding process. My key challenges involve getting the right people involved in the proposal and overseeing the RFP so it’s submitted on time and according to the client’s needs.

I had the opportunity to manage a major proposal involving multinational support from our offices in Paris, the U.S., and our Natural Resources specialty team in London. This project exemplified Willis Towers Watson’s approach to working as one team to offer the best possible value to a client.

I originally worked as a bid manager in Paris. Being involved in cross-country projects has allowed me to visit other offices and eventually transfer to a different business unit that required relocation to the UK.

I had invested a high level of involvement and quality into my role in Paris, so being recommended internally by upper management to transfer to the London office showed me that the company supports my personal goals.

The culture is very much client-focused, with colleagues eager to differentiate our company from our competitors. I also feel that inclusion and diversity is a true part of the company’s culture, evident on a day-to-day basis.

I like the level of goodwill shown by all colleagues within the organisation as well as the recognition received for bringing added value to the team and contributing toward the growth of the business.

I was surprised by how close-knit colleagues are considering how large the organisation is, particularly in their ability to work together to achieve mutual goals of growth and success — and the fantastic view from the 15th floor of the Willis Towers Watson Lime Street building in London!

I hope to reach a management-level position within the organisation or a role in which we could further develop the relationship between GB and France. Specialising in a field such as the reinsurance market or an industry such as natural resources might also be of interest. The choice is endless here!

Within the past three years, the merger of Willis and Towers Watson has brought tremendous transformation and offered good opportunities for talented individuals who are looking for a dynamic and challenging environment. I joined the Paris-based insurance broker, Gras Savoye, now a Willis Towers Watson company, prior to the merger. I recently transferred to the London office knowing that there’d be opportunities to evolve within this fully-integrated organisation.

I work alongside brokers in a supporting administrative role – anything from the initial placing of an account to drafting contracts between insurers and reinsurers, to keeping track of ongoing amendments to the policy during the active period. We negotiate with underwriters to make agreed-upon changes and liaise with our Mumbai office to ensure that our billing for the accounts is processed in a timely manner. No day is never the same!

I thoroughly enjoyed the online training provided by Willis Towers Watson as it put aspects of my role – such as various protocols and legal requirements – into perspective for me before I actually had to conduct business.

The culture is friendly and professional. Everyone appreciates that we all have certain responsibilities to deliver in conjunction with the business units and we all work together to accomplish our goals.

I enjoy the autonomy within my daily routine. I can decide when to take a break, when to have lunch, when to put in the work and when to go home. I believe this freedom allows me to maximize the time I put into my job.

I worked on a large account based in Panama, which required careful strategic planning due to its size. It was a good experience for me in terms of its scope and also getting to know the team I worked with. I enjoyed getting to know my colleagues in London and observing the entire process of working on a client account.

The commitment to delivering excellence and the strong work ethic within the team has been pleasantly surprising. If a task is nearing a deadline, the team works cohesively to complete it, even if this entails putting in additional hours.

I am currently focused on my short-term goals to ensure that the work I produce as an account executive is the best it can be, while making sure I have time to continue my professional and personal development. I don’t have a specific role in mind for the future, but I imagine it would entail working with others, creating positive relationships and coming up with innovative ideas to address a variety of situations.

Update all of your professional and social media accounts to be more “professional”. Do your research on the role, the company and who you’ll be working for. Also remember that the employer will do their research on you too, prior to you even landing an interview, so ask yourself – would my profile be acceptable to represent this organisation or a prospective or current client?

Willis Towers Watson was on the top of my list as I had been aware of its name and reputation for years. Consulting was the area I knew I wanted to explore.

It was positive. The responses I got from the recruiting team were always quick and clear. The online application process was easy to follow.

My responsibilities included sorting and analyzing data, making clear outlines and summaries, and communicating efficiently to managers and clients. I participated in major projects, which included summarizing data on provider assumptions on pricing models, rates and the like, as well as reviewing tech reports and conducting an analysis of potential outsourcing clients.

I gained professional skills and knowledge and improved my communication skills. Every project I took part in, every discussion I attended, every colleague I worked with — contributed to the overall educational experience.

It was somewhat overwhelming at first to realize that, as an intern, I had full responsibility for a specific part of a project. Getting used to a new role initially felt challenging, and I wasn’t sure if I was understanding things correctly or delivering things as expected. But all my peers and managers were so encouraging. They gave me positive feedback and full credit for doing my part. All this helped me feel supported throughout my internship. I felt appreciated and trusted by my team, which made me want to work harder.

The outsourcing case I worked on was creative and interesting. We needed to analyze the financial data, strategic information and human resource strategy of potential clients. We used various information sources to create benchmarks for pursuing new business and making deals. It was a great opportunity for me to solve open-ended, real-world problems from the ground up.
I also enjoyed getting to work with nice, friendly people who were always open to questions and offered help when I needed it. As an intern with limited knowledge, they were always patient with me and taught me a lot. Also, the company provided a great deal of support for me to continue my course of study and take certification exams, which I very much appreciated.

The culture is flexible and respectful. Working on multiple projects while studying for my exams required good time management skills. People and management are flexible — you get to make your own plan as long as you can deliver your work on time.

I look forward to studying and passing exams so I can get industry certifications. I’d like to explore different business lines and work toward becoming an expert in the insurance industry, and pursue a consultant role.

Be willing to learn quickly. Working in a consulting company can be diverse and intense, and you have the opportunity to try different roles on different projects. You should take the initiative and be confident, as the work moves quickly. Know you were hired for a reason and are there to make a contribution. Every single day can be your opportunity if you are willing to take it in and enjoy it.
You’ll feel comfortable and appreciated working here.

I found out about the apprenticeship through a government website. Even though I had already started at university, the experience wasn’t for me; so I left and set out to look for an alternative. I found the apprenticeship to be the career experience I was looking for, one that could advance my skills and qualifications.

I have learned about insurance through shadowing colleagues, various training courses and my certification exams. Additionally, having never worked in an office before, I learned day-to-day office skills such as how to use company systems and office communications. My responsibilities as an apprentice change frequently as I gain more experience and knowledge. I have progressed to where I am now involved in renewals, processing and servicing clients.

The highlights so far have been building relationships with my colleagues/underwriters and gaining knowledge that helped me pass my exams. I also enjoy seeing new apprentices coming into the programme and being able to answer their questions and help them feel comfortable.

In the future, I would like to gain more responsibility in my role and one day be able to move into a management position.

Having some previous work experience would be an advantage. I would also say to anyone exploring this route: Don’t rule out university too quickly and don’t rule out the apprenticeship too easily. Explore all your options and try to avoid tunnel vision.

I am a member of multiple client teams. As the most junior person on the team, I am generally responsible for preparing data, doing benefit calculations for our clients, setting up processes in our programs that reflect the plan we are working with, preparing deliverables for clients, and much more.

The key challenge for me, especially at the beginning, was learning about all the different pension plans that clients set up for their employees. They are all unique either in their plan benefit formulas or their assumptions, or in the benefits they offer. While the basic idea of a pension plan is simple, clients’ needs vary greatly and their plans will reflect that.

Definitely my first in-person client meeting. I was given the opportunity to deliver a portion of the presentation that we had prepared. The senior consultants on my team had faith in me, and that gave me the confidence I needed to deliver calmly under pressure.

People who like to work hard and are self-motivated will do very well at Willis Towers Watson. If you put your hand up and ask for interesting new projects, you will get them! The more you put into your work, the more opportunities you’ll have to lead new projects or work on things that interest you. People here are very supportive and like to have fun as well. I’ve had the opportunity to play sports in many corporate leagues with my coworkers, not just from Retirement but from the entire Toronto office.

Definitely the people. My colleagues are supportive of my work and have become great friends as well. We regularly go out for lunch, play sports outside of work, and we genuinely enjoy each other’s company. Also, the business casual dress code of ‘dress for your day’ is amazing!

I would like to continue to grow within our company. I don’t think of progress as a role or a title, I’d like to get to a point where I’m using my experience to simplify problems for my clients. I’d like to solve real world problems.

Obviously the technical skills are very important, but what recruiters are looking for are great people they can connect with. Having a meaningful conversation with a recruiter where you can demonstrate your people skills is a great first step.

Having studied for some actuarial exams at university, I was keen to understand the practical aspect of the theoretical knowledge I was gaining. Willis Towers Watson gave me the opportunity to work for some of the biggest pension schemes in the country, which was a perfect opportunity to learn the essence of the industry.

I started my career as an intern with Willis Towers Watson India a few years ago and now I work as an associate with Willis Towers Watson UK. Having worked as an associate on defined benefit schemes in India, I wanted to get exposure to the pension industry in another country. As one of the largest actuarial companies with a presence in multiple countries, Willis Towers Watson made getting an opportunity to work in another country easier. I applied for a position in the UK, was contacted by HR and after a few in-depth interviews, was made an offer to transfer.
Willis Towers Watson’s Global Mobility team made the transition a smooth one, and I felt supported at every step. It was definitely a big change driven primarily for the purpose of career advancement. Now that I have been in the UK for almost 10 months, I feel the move has helped me grow both professionally and personally.

As an intern I was responsible for shadowing consultants in the preparation of valuation reports for clients for accounting purposes. It gave me a good understanding of how pension liabilities impact the ledger for multinational corporations. I also got an opportunity to sharpen my Excel skills by creating a spreadsheet for automating a process.

Willis Towers Watson has an extensive training programme, along with great study support. To succeed an actuary, we need to maintain a balance between work, study and social life. Having a generous study policy made things easier. Also there were frequent social events with the team where I got to interact with senior consultants and actuaries; learning from their experiences was definitely an added benefit.

At a very early stage in my career, I had an opportunity to work closely with a senior consultant supporting a client that was implementing a government-driven defined contribution pension scheme. It involved managing a project with multiple stakeholders and tight timelines. We started by selecting a third-party administrator, and then had discussions with senior management at the client company to ensure they had the platform required to introduce the new pension scheme to employees.

From having the opportunity to attend client meetings and work with communication experts to prepare content for employee awareness, this experience provided incredible exposure to project management and to the client.

The culture is diverse, with something for everyone. One of the best things about my job is the ability to interact with members of the team at all different levels. I love that I get to learn new things from highly experienced actuaries. I also enjoy the sincere appreciation I receive from not only my manager, but from the people I work with directly.

As one of the leading and most sought after companies for actuaries, Willis Towers Watson enjoys goodwill in the market. The highly positive reviews of people who work, or have worked, here was the most compelling factor for me in deciding to start my actuarial career here.

I have primarily been involved in life insurance consulting projects, with a bit of exposure in non-life insurance consulting as well. For life insurance consulting, I’ve worked extensively on valuation and regulatory reporting as well as various other aspects of life actuarial work. For non-life insurance consulting, I’ve worked on competitor benchmarking for an overseas insurer.

In my current role as an analyst, my primary responsibility is producing quality work within a defined timeline for various projects. In one year’s time, the scope of my responsibilities has expanded, and now I also get to review the work of my peers.

The main challenge that I face is adhering to deadlines, especially in light of unanticipated events. However, this has taught me how to work under pressure and ensure accurate, high-quality output.

The graduate program has been a great stepping stone for my career. As part of my graduate onboarding, I was provided with extensive training sessions and workshops, which helped me build industry knowledge, gain practical insights and learn various software used in the industry.

The culture at Willis Towers Watson is unmatched. Everyone works as a team here and is always willing to lend a helping hand. People are hardworking and passionate about what they do, which is conducive to a great work environment. There is also a focus on training and development; everyone has numerous opportunities to learn more and progress in their careers.

The best thing about working here has got to be the people. The people who work here tend to possess great knowledge and also great humility at the same time. If you need someone’s help, they often take the time to assist you even if they’re loaded with their own work. Everyone loves what they do and is really ambitious, which serves as a source of motivation — especially when you’re just starting out in your career.

I aspire to become an actuary. I would like to learn and grow, and become a seasoned professional, excelling in my field of interest, which is insurance.

Research the company well and make sure it’s the right fit for your ambition and career path. If it is, then give it your best shot by preparing well in advance and progressing a bit every day, instead of leaving it all to the last minute.