“Surprise, elation and a lot of emotion”. Looking back on how it felt to be named ‘Young Broker of the Year 2024’ by the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) Ethan Godlieb (pictured) pinpointed hearing his name announced as one of the proudest moments of his life.
It was quite a bittersweet moment too, he said, as his grandfather’s funeral was being held on the same day, but he had his family’s assurances on how proud his grandfather would have been to see him recognised by the market, in front of so many of his peers. The moment was made even more special by the fact the award was delivered by Aon UK CEO Jane Kielty given that he joined the market through Aon’s acclaimed apprenticeship program, working his way up the become a cyber & tech E&O broker.
Lauded by BIBA CEO Graeme Trudgill for his determination, innovation and ‘visionary leadership’, a conversation with Godlieb affirms not just the opportunities presented by an insurance career – but the strength of a market able to recognise and nurture emerging talent. And unlike many of his peers, he said, insurance was not a new prospect for him or something that he “fell into”, not least because his parents met working in the sector.
“My dad worked in property lines in North America and he travelled a lot for work,” he said. “He’s from Peckham originally and really built himself up from scratch, from basically being a teaboy in Lloyd’s. He’d often bring me back little souvenirs from US colleges or football games, and plenty of great stories. So, I knew from the get-go that insurance has the potential to be a really good career route.
“Then during my school years, I took a psychometric test matching your skills to a potential career path. Number one was, for me, law and number two was broking. I did a little bit of law experience thinking it would be like you see on Suits, but it turns out it isn’t quite as glamorous as Netflix made it out to be! So, I explored the broking avenue, and the rest is history.”
At the time, he knew of Aon largely through its then-sponsorship of Manchester United, he said, but when the opportunity arose to join its award-winning apprenticeship program, the early roots of what has since become his personal and professional mantra took shape – “go for it, what do you have to lose?” The apprenticeship program proved to be an exceptional foundation for the rest of his career, and it’s one of the key reasons he’s so passionate today about supporting early careers initiatives and programs.
“I want to give back because I see that insurance is one of those hidden gems that no-one really knows about,” he said. “But I also see that there are people looking at the profession and trying to figure out a way to get into it. I was very fortunate to have got a place on the program and to have that early insight into insurance because so many of my family work in the sector. But I never lose sight of that fact, I never take it for granted and I want to help create more access routes into this great career.”
Looking back on some of the milestones that have marked his career to date, he highlighted how it felt to win Aon’s CEO award for excellence in broking and to be named the youngest broking manager in Aon’s history in 2021. Being recognised as a ‘Rising Star’ in Insurance Business’s ‘Rising Stars 2024’ report was another standout moment, he said, while the BIBA award was just a dream come true, particularly given the incredible calibre of the peers shortlisted alongside him, Bamishe Alao, of WTW, and Ana Gomes-Freire, of Berkeley Insurance Group.
For Godlieb, success in insurance comes down to being humble enough to recognise opportunities when they arise and brave enough to embrace them. Being grateful to the people around you who have opened doors for you and shown faith in your abilities doesn’t mean you don’t recognise your own strengths, he said. And there’s no doubt that you do make your own luck to some extent - but only because those around have helped you get to the place where you’re equipped and empowered to do just that.
“Something that continues to surprise me about the whole industry is the kindness of all the people who give me the time of day, whether it’s sitting down for a chat over a coffee, or having a conversation about work,” he said. “I don’t think you could imagine from the outside looking in just how willing people are to spend the time to support you. So, while I recognise that I’ve worked really hard and I am so proud of what I’ve achieved, equally I’ll also recognise that people have been so kind to me as well.
“And if there’s one thing that I would hope this article will do is encourage other people to really seize the opportunities available to them. Because it might sound like a cliché, but it’s true that anything is possible if you’ve got the right qualities of integrity, professionalism, determination, and the ability to work hard for what you want. So, if you’ve got an opportunity on the horizon, my advice is to ask yourself that critical question: “what do you have to lose?”
