They say ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’… In the case of David Nathan (pictured), his new remit as Wotton + Kearney’s first-ever non-executive chairman has presented something of a related hurdle – that is, how do you improve something that is already doing well in the first place?
“Helping the firm continue to be effective,” was Nathan’s response when asked about his priority at the insurance law firm, “and perhaps even be more effective in making sure that they’re ready for the next challenge and making sure that they’re able to execute [as smartly] as they can on their strategy.
“And it’s really all about ensuring that they’re as relevant as possible to the insurance sector. Frankly, one of the attractions for me in coming to Wotton + Kearney was that they do that very well already. So, my challenge is to help them do it even better. That’s going to be hard, because they do it very well.”
Both honoured and excited to have assumed the post on December 01, Nathan is tasked with providing an informed and independent perspective in guiding Wotton + Kearney towards achieving its goals.
An experienced chair and non-executive director, the former Baker McKenzie national managing partner told Insurance Business: “I hope that I can help them on their fabulous journey by opening their eyes up to new opportunities, helping them be smart in their decision-making, help them keep focussed on their strategic growth, and make sure that they maintain their strong focus on the insurance industry and on those clients that they support in that sector.”
Nathan, whose long list of credentials includes time spent as chief executive of Avant Mutual Group, is also hoping to bring “quite a breadth of insurance expertise” to the role. Additionally, he is looking at leveraging his experience in being on the client side of the equation.
“I’ve been a provider of services to the insurance industry, but I’ve also been a buyer of legal services from the legal sector,” said the Wotton + Kearney chair. “So I hope that I have clarity about what clients want from their legal services provider from the perspective of being a buyer as well as being a provider.”
Meanwhile, on top of his own challenge within the firm, Nathan is also bracing for the wider ones facing the world of insurance.
He noted: “I think that the challenges for the insurance industry are going to be around increased regulation – and that’s not going away – and areas like cyber that just keep becoming an increasingly challenging space, as well as the risks associated with what we’re seeing is this growing tendency around class action law, particularly around shareholder activism.
“So we’re going to see those sorts of claims, and then the aftermath of COVID and what that brings in terms of business interruption-type claims and how that plays out in 2021 and beyond.”
