Graduate Profiles

Julia Hofweber

I graduated from Munich University with a degree in French and English Linguistics in 2005 and went on to do an MSc in Public Communications at the London School of Economics in 2006. When I moved to London in 2006, I was immediately attracted by the lively atmosphere of the City and joining the Aspen graduate programme was an excellent opportunity to start a career in reinsurance. Whilst my degree is not directly related to insurance, underwriting gives me the opportunity to make use of the transferable skills I acquired at university. What I like most about reinsurance is the fact that it challenges me both in terms of my analytical skills and in terms of communicating and liaising with clients.

My daily tasks consist of assisting the underwriters in terms of rating and pricing business. Aspen uses the most up-to-date models to rate catastrophe risks and I have already attended several training courses to understand the current models better. Moreover, I am responsible for the administrational work in our team, which is a good way of learning about the structure of reinsurance treaties. Underwriting is a client-facing role and I have recently been in contact with brokers and clients. My team covers Central and Eastern Europe, so I get in touch with people from a variety of different cultures, which I find very interesting.

 Aspen also puts a strong emphasis on personal development, so the training opportunities I get here are excellent. The graduate programme starts with a three-week induction programme. This comprised of an intensive IT course, an induction into reinsurance, presentations from other business areas and more general skills workshops. It also gave me the opportunity to get to know the other graduate trainees in other Aspen offices around the world. Furthermore, I am fully supported to do the ACII exams and have been to numerous training events throughout the last year.

 Something that immediately struck me about Aspen is the professional, yet friendly and vibrant atmosphere. I immediately felt welcome. There are frequent social events, such as a Christmas Party and a summer ball. In fact, the insurance industry in general is quite a "people's business" and socializing and networking is an important part of underwriting. Overall, I feel joining the graduate programme has been the right decision for me.