Meet David Howard, Group Motor Underwriting Manager

Full Name: David Howard

Job Title: Group Motor Underwriting Manager

Where can you be found?

I have been working from home since March 2020, however prior to this I would be in the Basildon office in Essex.

What team do you hang out with (Department)?

I manage the Non-Standard Motor Team and Octane London Market team when in the office.

When did you join the Prestige Underwriting Team?

I joined Prestige Underwriting in August 2010, prior to that worked for HSBC Insurance, Service Underwriting Agency.

What are you likely to be doing on a daily basis?

These days most of my time is taken up attending various Teams meetings.  These meeting relate to performance management, Audit and control, rating reviews to name just a few.  There are some, mind you they are few, but there are days I am lucky enough to help with the quoting of risks on our portal which I still enjoy doing.

What do you find most challenging about your role and what do you enjoy most?

Performance management of the various motor accounts we have in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland or Great Britain will always be the biggest challenge.  A close eye must always be kept on these to ensure the performance of the products are in line with the expectation of the capacity providers.  The most enjoyable part of my job is always when we develop and launch a new product and we see it perform as we had planned.

If you weren’t working in the dream sector of insurance, what would you love to be?

Own and run a Pie and Mash shop.

Do you have a role model in life / business? If so, who and why?

I have had many role models throughout my career.  I have been very lucky to work with some of the very best underwriters over the years some of which are sadly no longer with us.  I have tried to learn something from all of them whilst adding my own spin on their thoughts and philosophies.

When you aren’t working what are you getting up to?

It’s all about the family.  Whether that’s running my two boys to what seems the endless amount of clubs that they attend throughout the week or spending what seems to be all weekend standing in the middle of a field, freezing my socks off watching them play football.

How would your colleagues describe you in 3 words.

Busy, busy, busy

What’s the dream for the year ahead?

For work, it would be a continued successful launch of the UK Non-Standard motor products as well as steady growth of the Irish products.  Personally, it’s to go on holiday again.  It seems like a lifetime ago when I was able to go on holiday and see some sunshine.