Getting to know Gary Curran, Senior Technical Underwriter Commercial Motor
Q. How long have you been with Ornella Underwriting and what does your role here entail?
A. July 2021, my role entails the underwriting of commercial fleet risks
Q. Give a brief history of your career to date
A. I began my insurance career in AIG Europe focusing on the administration of the personal lines business before moving into underwriting of both personal lines and commercial risks. I moved from AIG to QBE in 2008 where I continued to focus on commercial fleet insurance and moved to Liberty Insurance in 2013.
Q. What’s the best advice you can give to someone who has just started their career in insurance?
A. Lead by example even if you are not in a leadership role. This encompasses treating others with respect, having clear and direct communication, providing and being receptive to constructive feedback, having a positive attitude and letting others know you appreciate their work, assistance, or advice.
Q. Tell me something about you that most people don’t know
A. Before moving into insurance I worked as a car mechanic for 3 years.
Q. What are the toughest challenges you’ve had at work and how did you overcome them?
A. Insurance by its nature is cyclical, the toughest challenges are when the market shifts and we need to re-evaluate our books of business. During these periods we must ensure that we maintain our underwriting disciplines, drive continual improvement in product offerings and continue to provide service excellence to our broker and clients.
Q. When you are at work, how do you motivate yourself?
A. A simple daily ‘to do list’ then focus on delivering one task at a time and check items off as I go along. This helps push productivity throughout the day.
Q. If you could meet any person, living or dead, who would it be?
A. Steve Jobs or Bill Gates
Q. Describe Ornella in 3 words
A. Motivating, Rewarding, Agile
Q. What hashtags describe your personality?
A. #Idontdohashtags
Q. Outside of work, what are you passionate about?
A. My children, I spend most of my free time with them and then football