Our Culture

Summary

Adrian joined Admiral in 2015 as a Business Development Manager on the Future Leaders Program (FLP) after completing his MBA at Warwick Business School in the UK.  Tell us a bit about your first projects? In my first year I completed four or five projects (two-three months each) across all areas of the business. I also did a project at conte.it (our Italian insurance operation) for two months exploring a new app and looking at the kind of features customers would use. I came in with a fresh pair of eyes to analyse what we currently do, what we could be doing, and to provide strategic recommendations. I also worked on a project assessing the viability of expanding into life insurance. I was both directly and indirectly managing teams running tests. Putting numbers behind those strategic projects was key. We tested hypotheses around distribution channels and dug into the economics behind it all. This allowed me to learn more about insurance in general as well as life insurance more specifically. Did you have any prior insurance experience? Not at all. When I joined Admiral I had no knowledge about insurance. I came in, in a very high-profile position, and was advising stakeholders with upwards of 20 years of experience in the industry. That was an interesting challenge in stakeholder management and humility. I had to be willing to learn every day. In particular, I learned the value of spending time with teams across the business, to understand exactly what they do before I proposed recommendations. What made you choose Admiral? Firstly, the job itself appealed greatly to me. I wanted to put into practice all that I learned doing the MBA and the FLP offered this. I was looking for a strategic role and I found it with Admiral. However, the decisive factor for me was the culture. I had read many company manifestos with bold claims about their culture. But what was special to me about Admiral was how this culture really came to life. It impacts every area of the business. The way the Future Leaders Program combines a management consulting position with a sustainable work-life balance and strong company culture gives you the best of both worlds. It’s something quite unique that I don’t think many other places can offer. How did you find moving to Cardiff for the role? Although the role was more important than the location for me, Cardiff was a great fit. I was married and looking to start a family, and the city is very well-suited to young families. It’s compact enough to get around quickly and I was happy to avoid lengthy commutes and rush hour traffic. It's also a very international city and I’ve been impressed with the number of cultural events, bars, restaurants and entertainment on offer! What advice would you give to MBAs applying to Admiral? I think it’s important to come with an open mind, determination and a readiness to learn from those around the business. It’s natural, coming from the MBA, to want everything to happen fast. But having patience in those initial stages of learning and developing a network means you’ll be able to deliver even more insightful and stronger results.  You can find out more about the journeys our MBAs have taken here or read more about our MBA Leadership Programs. Alternatively, follow our MBA Leadership page on LinkedIn.