Kiwis & Insurance UK (KAI UK), a business networking group, is looking for more Kiwi insurance professionals residing in the UK to connect with.
The group, which is available on LinkedIn, was born in February 2018 when three Kiwis working in the London insurance industry realised that they might feel more at home if they were to get together with other Kiwi professionals residing in the country.
“[We] decided it might be nice to get together with other insurance kiwis for a few social events where we could use words like ‘jandal’ and ‘chilly bin’ and people would understand us,” Bryce Check, business relationship director at Marsh UK and co-founder of KAI UK, explained. “Our membership has now swelled to around 60 and after several drinks gatherings we are now looking forward to our first KAI Christmas lunch.”
The group aims to support Kiwis working in the London insurance sector by giving them a friendly social outlet and connecting them with others who might be interested in doing business together. It also focuses on supporting newly arrived Kiwis by helping them find work in London and generally settle in.
Speaking about the progress in the group so far, Check said: “We are all Kiwis working in the insurance industry a long way from home. We all have two things in common; therefore, the networking vibe is far more relaxed than more formal industry groups and as a consequence the connections made can be stronger.”
In the long term, Check shared that they would like to follow in the footsteps of its big brother group, Kiwis in Property, and have their own website for guest speaker events, jobseekers, and vacancies. For now, they are working on a Christmas lunch and planning more get-togethers in 2020.
“In February 2020, [I] will be visiting NZ and would welcome a coffee with anyone thinking about relocating to work in the London insurance sector or anyone interested in learning more about our group,” Check said. “[I] will be visiting Christchurch, Wellington, and Auckland and you can get in touch with [me] at [email protected] to arrange a coffee.”
“If you are working in the insurance sector – be it underwriting, broking, claims, adjusting, legal, reinsurance, or risk management – and you own a black passport you are welcome to get involved,” Check concluded.
