101: How do you stand out without feeling like you are showing off? with Georgie Simister

And I think the insurance industry is incredible for, like you said, the networking events.

And one thing that always stands out to me is obviously.

from looking through your LinkedIn and seeing your events, you know, you're incredibly well-connected, whether it's Future First Insurance Network, the Young Members Committee, your own podcast, or simply the people you know across the market.

Relationships, you know, seem to sit at the center of everything you do.

In terms of like the insurance industry being a relation-driven market, what does that actually mean to you?

I think to me, you know, it's people that you never know when you're going to kind of pull on these connections or whether that could be from a new job opportunity, whether that could be like a new partner in client opportunity.

You just never know.

And I get I kind of throw myself into these these networking opportunities to meet as many people as possible and.

and learn from them, you know, where I'm on the insurtech side and now even predominantly just really at a tech vendor that sells to the insurance industry.

I am really on the outside.

I am passionate about the insurance industry.

So I love learning about the way that, yeah, people place risk, kind of what people's roles look like.

So I spend as much time possible of like kind of getting accustomed to learning about... kind of what other people do and I always find it fascinating like when you ask people to tell you about themselves like they are they're really passionate and I like that so yeah there's definitely lots of relationship building that goes on there is a lot of kind of face to face and I think that comes down to the trust element that kind of what the Lloyd's market was built upon.

And I think that it's a really, it's a special place to work.

You know, everyone's so close together.

People, you know, would choose to go meet face to face rather than having a virtual meeting because they see the value in relationship building and your network effect.

No, 100%.

And I think there's just something so different.

Even when I go down to London, you know, like you said, everyone, it's still old school, but in a positive way in the sense that, you know, Teams hasn't taken over those client meetings.

And, you know, there must be times where you're having three or four coffees a day and meeting with people.

With networking, do you think networking is something people are naturally good at or is it a skill that can be learned? I

definitely think it's a skill that can be learned.

And I think it's about being okay with being uncomfortable.

Like I found like, again, just coming from the insure tech world and being in the insurance space, you know, I go to events or I've previously gone to many events where I know absolutely nobody, but I kind of set myself a bit of a challenge.

Like, can I make three new connections? And it's okay to be uncomfortable.