Hear from Jasmine about life in Operations
What does the Operations team at Velonetic do?
The Operations team enable the London Insurance Market to operate efficiently with centralised claims, policy and premium services. We provide bespoke services to meet the needs of our customers, ranging from administration to complex and niche market services. The team oversees premium processing and payment through to final settlement of claims and we have one of the largest claims adjusting teams in the London Market. Ultimately the team ensure that our agreed service levels are managed and met.
Why is Operations a good team to start your career in?
Operations at Velonetic is interesting because our work is impacted by real world events, globally and across land, sea, and air. You get to learn a huge variety of business classes including Property, Medical Malpractice, Sports, Contingency, Political Risk, Space to Cyber (basically everything except Life and Direct Motor insurance transacts through Velonetic). There is a wealth of knowledge across the function with many people having years of industry experience - there’s always someone who can answer your question! As the centre cog of the business, you also get to interact with all our other business functions including HR, Finance, Sales and Technology. It’s a large function and there is a wide variety of roles.
How would you describe the culture at Velonetic?
People at all levels are incredibly friendly and welcoming, and I have felt included and part of the team. In the office and when connecting virtually, people are approachable and open to conversations and questions, no matter how small. The office environment is calm, making it easy to focus on work and attend meetings with minimal disruptions - everyone is considerate of one another.
How do you connect with colleagues in a virtual-first environment and are there opportunities for you to collaborate in person?
When we’re connecting virtually, the main communication channel is Microsoft Teams, which we use for messages and video calls. It makes it easy to reach out to people and everyone is friendly and responsive. Working in a virtual-first environment has helped me to develop my communication skills – there are some team members who I have only collaborated with online, so it is important to regularly ask how people are and notice changes in tone, and to adapt my approach if needed.
There are also opportunities to collaborate in person and I attend the office regularly, connecting with my team and others in different departments.
What are you most looking forward to in the next 12 months?
I’m looking forward to feeling fully comfortable in my tasks and responsibilities and developing in confidence both personally and professionally. I’m also excited about achieving the goals that have been set for me and building on the many new connections I have made here.
What advice would you give to someone thinking of applying to Velonetic’s Early Careers programmes?
The best advice I could offer someone who is looking to apply is to be confident in their skills, ability and all they have to offer. Don’t be put off if you don’t know much about insurance – just do your research! Once you join there is a lot to learn, but you will be immersed in the world of insurance, picking up some of the information seamlessly, so don’t worry!
I didn’t have an insurance background, but I was excited by Velonetic’s innovative work to make insurance more digital and modern. I chose Operations because it matches my skills and interests in problem solving and enabling things to run smoothly.