Dishni Payagalage-Don, Lloyd's of London

Dishni Payagalage-Don is an exposure management analyst for the London insurance market Lloyd’s. She has a BSc in economics from the University College London.

You chose insurance over an investment banking career. Why?

While at university I completed an internship with an investment bank that piqued my interest in the finance industry, so in my final year I researched areas of work through my careers service. Insurance appealed to me because it looked like a good way to make use of my economic background and boasted a better work/life balance than other City roles.

I applied to my employer because it runs the global specialist insurance market, dealing with some of the largest risks in the world. I was attracted to the unusually diverse and dynamic range of fields I could be involved in: we insure anything from natural catastrophes to large-scale sporting events – and even celebrity body parts!

Tell us about the work you do on your graduate scheme

'We insure anything from natural catastrophes to large-scale sporting events – and even celebrity body parts!'

My graduate scheme is rotational. I’ve just been seconded to a company operating in the market, but in my previous placement I worked in a research-based role as part of the exposure management team. My job involved identifying potential threats or risks that might emerge and accumulate in a variety of events. I established contacts, attended seminars, interviewed a number of eminent professors and extracted as much relevant information as possible, with the ultimate aim of presenting a full report to the market.

Alongside full-time work, I’m also part way through my Advanced Chartered Insurance Institute (ACII) qualifications. It involves a lot of study but my employer is supportive and, as long as I remain disciplined, I’m confident I’ll do well.

What skills do you need to be an exposure management analyst in the insurance industry?

In exposure management you’re investigating things that have never been looked into before so you must be open to new ideas.

Analytical skills are obviously key when interpreting spreadsheets and graphs, along with the ability to communicate effectively via a range of media: on paper (when writing reports and outlining statistics to the less numerate) and in person. When interviewing, for instance, you’re only going to learn as much as you can get out of people, so you have to be able to ask the right questions.