Get to know Jane Bean

Our newest member of the Executive team, Jane Bean, joined us two months ago. So, we sat down (virtually) with our Group Chief Risk Officer to find out a little bit more about her and what her key focus is for the rest of 2020.

COULD YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE?

I actually graduated with a biology degree and, like a lot of people, never expected that I would have a career working in insurance, but I landed a job in the industry, and have never managed to escape! I’ve been working in the industry for around 30 years, with half of that spent in risk and compliance related roles. My years working at Bluefin, which consisted of a very acquisitive general insurance broker, a network and an MGA, are particularly relevant to my role at Bravo Group.

WHAT DREW YOU TO THE BRAVO GROUP?

There were two things that drew me to the Group; the first is the people and the culture. I think Des and Susan felt that my personality was a good fit for the Group, and I felt that the company’s culture was the right fit for me. The second is I felt it was an exciting time to join a company that was really expanding, going places and had a strategy to continue to lead and stand out in the marketplace.

HOW HAS IT BEEN FOR YOU JOINING THE BRAVO GROUP DURING THE LOCKDOWN?

Of course, nothing beats face-to-face contact with the people you work with, but the next best thing to physically meeting is speaking to them on a video chat. Without Teams it would have been so much harder. It will take a little longer to get to know others than it would do in person, but people’s personalities still come across on a video conference.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR HIGHLIGHT SO FAR SINCE JOINING THE GROUP?

We had our first face-to-face Executive Committee meeting and it was fantastic to see the rest of the Exec team in person, some of whom I’d only ever met via Teams. It felt surreal actually leaving my home office!

WHAT’S THE MOST EXCITING THING YOU’RE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?

What excites me is getting involved in the strategic development and evolution of a business, and I’m currently involved with both the Ethos and Network Exec teams to help shape the future strategies.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE REMAINDER OF 2020?

I have two main priorities for the year, one is building an Ethos Broking compliance framework to bring a more consistent approach to our compliance culture and practices across the business. The second is looking at the Member and Network proposition, specifically reviewing and refining the renowned risk and compliance proposition we are known for.

WHAT’S YOUR MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE WHILE WORKING IN INSURANCE?

Two immediately come to mind! At Bluefin, we did the Three Peaks Challenge to raise money for charity. We completed it in around 30 hours, which was fantastic and rewarding. More recently, when I was working for UK General, I was incredibly lucky to be invited by our capacity provider to attend Munich’s Oktoberfest – a brilliant and totally different experience!

HOW DO YOU WIND DOWN AFTER WORK?

As I live on the edge of the countryside, at the end of a day, I like to get outside, either going running or for walks.