Get to Know our Strategic Assistant

News
Apr. 2022

Following on from our spotlight interviews with Wendy Lyttle and Karuna Sirohi, we recently sat down with another member of our team, Strategic Assistant - Annabel Titmuss, to find out more about her career path and experiences working in insurance. 

 

Q: How long have you been with Bell & Clements?

Annabel: I have been with Bell & Clements for nearly 3 years and have worked in the insurance industry in a few different roles for almost 14 years.

 

Q: How did you get into your role as Strategic Assistant?

Annabel: I joined Bell & Clements as the Executive Assistant to our CEO Nick Ash, after being here just under a year, my responsibilities grew and I took on a larger role within the business and was promoted to Strategic Assistant. I assist our CEO and executive team with the strategy of our business, I act as a conduit between the office of CEO, departments within our business and other key stakeholders, whilst also managing the day-to-day running of the CEO’s office.

The key difference between my previous role and current role is that I am now much more immersed within the business, what our budget and growth plans are and how we can achieve this. My role is to help bring all the teams, people and pieces together. I am gradually taking a step back from the more administrative side of my previous role which has given me an opportunity to become a manager and develop some of my skills further. Working with our executive team and the wider business I tend to get involved in many different projects such as our return to office initiative, events like our bi-annual Advisory Council meeting, planning our executive offsite meetings and so on. My role is extremely varied.

As part of my progression and development in my new role, I was recently accepted onto the Munich Re Oxygen programme which is one of the accelerated development opportunities the Group has to offer. So far it has been extremely valuable and has given me the opportunity to meet with and collaborate with employees from other parts of the Munich Re network.

 

Q: What does a typical day look like for you in your role?

Annabel: No two days are the same, which always keeps things interesting. I tend to start almost every day with a meeting with our CEO to ensure he is prepped for his day, run through any outstanding actions and items and then the rest of my day depends on what myself and my team have on at that time, such as travel, conferences, meetings to organise and other ongoing projects.

 

Q: How have you had to adapt in your role since the pandemic began?

Annabel: I found it incredibly difficult when the pandemic first hit, I enjoy being around people and working with my colleagues. We are lucky that we are able to do our jobs from home, but I always find face to face interaction easier and more efficient. I have definitely had to be stricter with myself and my time to ensure I can speak to everyone I need to each day as we no longer had the option to ‘pop’ to their desk.

 

Q: What do you know now that you wish you had known when you first started in the industry?

Annabel: To speak up for myself. Being a young female in many industries can be challenging but you must be your own biggest champion.

 

Q: What helps you to stay focused?

Annabel: I am lucky that I thoroughly enjoy my job so being proactive and focused comes easily but in all my roles to date I have always enjoyed being hardworking and a collaborative team member. I think my focus at work comes from the balance I like to find with work and my personal life. I work hard and remain focused so that I can enjoy my evenings and weekends.

 

Q: How do you unwind at the end of a busy day/week?

Annabel: I am not very good at taking it easy so at the moment my ‘unwinding’ time is spent doing DIY and working on our house renovation. Very different to my day job but my organisational and project management skills have come in useful.

Category: News
Tags: Get to Know series