shoes

If there has been one theme running through my life over the last six months, its change – with a capital C!

In January this year, I left Canada to take on a new job, working for a new company, in a new marketplace. I’m living in a new home, have new colleagues and new friends…and a new car to drive on the wrong side of the road. When I approached Aviva and asked for a job in the UK (so I could be closer to family), I thought I had a really good idea of what was in store – after all, I grew up in Ireland, had worked for a UK company for 20 years (Guardian) and spent lots of time in the UK, etc. In reality, I didn’t know the half of it. The things I thought would be difficult were easy and what looked easiest from a distance was the most difficult.

Easy things were engaging in the work, getting to know the people and the company and settling into a new home. Insurance people are lovely in the UK too. The difficult things were those annoying little details like opening a bank account (not easy!), getting a drivers licence, am I on the right train? Did I mention wearing high heels on cobblestones? OK, so maybe the difficult things don’t stack up very high in the scheme of things, but I do have some really nice high heels!

So it’s been a bit of a breeze really – it helps that I love what I do and what Aviva is all about. What’s not to like?!…working with John Kennedy and the Fast Trade team on launching and deploying this great offering (and hearing such nice feedback), meeting and working with branch staff and seeing their passion about what brokers need and want from Aviva, getting to understand our underwriting capability (impressive) and working with Janice and our team to make Aviva the company that brokers value most. Anyone would love that job!

And six months in, change is still in the air. Most people have heard that George Berrie has decided to ‘call it a day’ and is retiring at the end of the year. George has been one of the people who made my early Aviva experience such a pleasure. I was directed by Janice in the first week to ‘talk to George…he knows everything’ and, sure enough, he does. I’m delighted to have the chance to work closely with him over the next six months or so, but I have no illusions about the hard act I’ll be following when I take on his duties at the end of the year. At least the first six months were easy.

Brigid Murphy (Director of Trading)