Practice Leader - Leisure & Hospitality and Retail Insurance

An exciting opportunity for a talented individual to be our next Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Practices Leader.

With P&L responsibility and a focus on the strategic leadership and growth of the two Practices, you will have the freedom to introduce new initiatives and ideas to continue the growth trajectory of the last two years and develop / grow your team of direct reports.

A strategic thinker and experienced people manager, you will be able to demonstrate strong client relationship skills together with experience of managing large industry clients, proposition building, and deployment of marketing and sales strategies.

We welcome applications from individuals within all sectors of the insurance industry.

The Role

People Management

•    Responsible for leading, managing, motivating and developing the skills, competencies and knowledge of team members in line with Group HR policies and procedures, including overseeing and managing of staff appraisals and objective setting.
•    Maintain staff competence by ensuring skills and knowledge needs are met with appropriate training and development.
•    Establish an environment that promotes respect for the individual employee and adheres to the policies and guidelines of the company.
•    Work with HR and other stakeholders on pipelining and recruitment needs, adhering to the company’s recruitment procedures and best practices.
•    Provide leadership, direction, advice and guidance to the team maintaining high levels of integrity, motivation and morale.

Proposition Management

•    Leveraging industry insight and working with GB Retail Management / contributing to the development of the proposition for GB Retail.
•    Build and continuously evolve the service offering in conjunction with other teams within WTW.
•    Develop and maintain good working relationships across Industry Practice Group teams, regional teams and sales leaders.
•    Identify and manage key external and internal stakeholders (incl business developers, service teams, professional bodies, trade press) in the promotion and delivery of the sector specific plans.

Growth and Business Development

•    Work with the sales teams to produce a growth strategy.
•    Work with GB Retail Management to produce and deliver your strategic business plan.
•    Attend prospect and new client meetings as appropriate.
•    Work GB Retail Management and wider stakeholders to establish retention and sales strategies and support client meetings as appropriate.
•    Maximise all GB Retail sales distribution channels.
•    Personally lead the management of a number of clients at a strategic relationship level.
•    Personally lead the sales pitches to a number of prospects per annum.

Operational Delivery

•    Develop Industry Practice capability across the GB Retail distribution as required – share knowledge and develop training / communication plans.
•    Represent Retail, L&H within WTW and actively participate in conjunction with GB Retail strategy.
Other
•    Speak at Thought Leadership events/seminars and ensure Industry Practice expertise is captured within the Expertise Portal and on WTWco.com

The Requirements

Skills:

•    Strategic thinking.
•    Strong client relationship skills with experience of managing large industry clients.
•    Proposition building, market sizing and deployment of marketing and sales strategies.
•    Appreciation of how data and analytics can be successfully deployed.
•    Strong facilitation skills – able to use inclusive/collaborative styles to gain agreement and manage conflict.
•    Strong communication, negotiation and influencing skills.
•    Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence across a broad spectrum of internal clients.
•    Strong skills in problem solving with a clear focus on understanding and exceeding client expectations.
•    Strong people management skills with experience of managing teams.
•    Strong technical knowledge with specific industry sector specialism.

Knowledge/Experience:

•    Understanding and knowledge of insurance Industry trends, risks and the nuances of sub segments.
•    Knowledge and experience of industry technologies and associated risk issues.
•    Proven track record of delivering excellent client service.
•    Good understanding of company strategy, operating environment and business objectives.
•    Experience of managing teams – setting and agreeing direction and objectives for individuals.
•    Strong self-awareness with the ability to read and assess stakeholder meetings and engagements.

At WTW, we believe difference makes us stronger. We want our workforce to reflect the different and varied markets we operate in and to build a culture of inclusivity that makes colleagues feel welcome, valued and empowered to bring their whole selves to work every day. We are an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive work environment throughout our organisation. We embrace all types of diversity.