Tell us a bit about yourself and your university experience so far? (academically, have you done any extracurricular societies or internships to aid your experience)
I’m going into my fourth year of university. I study Chemistry at the University of Warwick, so far it’s been tough but very rewarding, areas of it that I like are energy and materials, there’s been exciting developments in that sector which have been interesting to learn about. Throughout my undergraduate degree, extracurriculars I’ve taken part in are being project lead for Warwick Enactus, where we led a weekly afterschool clubs for children in primary schools in Canley centred around reading and Maths. I am also a member of BLK consulting where I took part in a case study competition and had sessions focused around business strategy and case practice. Last summer, I volunteered teaching Maths in South Africa in a secondary school which was a really transformative experience for me, especially for my confidence. In my second year of university I was also external outreach executive for the Warwick African Business society which strengthened my communication skills.
What attracted you to Allianz – and to insurance specifically?
A friend had told me about how unique the insurance industry is, where you could go from insuring renewables to musician’s lungs. I did not know that was a thing, and it really intrigued me. It led me to attend the SEO Insurance academy which was a 4 day workshop doing a breakdown of the insurance industry it was very useful to me and I networked with various professionals in the industry. I knew Allianz was a big insurance firm because I see it everywhere, so when I was applying for target jobs UGOY awards I decided to pick the insurance award which happened to be sponsored by Allianz. And from my research I resonated with their values and sustainability strategy as well as their strong focus on caring for their customers and wider community.
How are you finding the internship so far? (What department are you in, what kind of projects have you been working on?
I have found the internship really enjoyable! I loved being on the sustainability team, it helped me get broad overview of insurance since it is embedded in so many areas of Allianz. I was working in data and reporting, so everything to do with ensuring that the own operations data we receive is being reported correctly, and analysing the data to look for ways to cut down emissions where possible, I had a chance to present my findings in meetings. I also had a project which was to create an AI agent for competitor analysis and AI-friendly reports in sustainability and I presented that to the team at the end of the internship. Outside of sustainability I got the opportunity to spend a few days shadowing in underwriting and strategy which was g exposure too.
Congratulations on winning undergraduate of the year – can you tell us a bit about your experience and what’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone applying for a summer internship at Allianz?
Thank you ! The process was an online assessment, and a written application. Then 10 finalists got chosen and they announced the winner at the awards ceremony. In the application I would advise to do some research about Allianz and pick out the things you like, for example, I liked their sustainability strategy so I made sure to mention that, it helps to convey authenticity about why you’d like the role. Also, if you have had any experiences you feel like has shaped you, include that in your application too! And link it to Allianz’s values even if it is unrelated to work or insurance, everything counts, as an intern they aren’t expecting someone who knows it all but someone who is curious and ready to learn.
Have you got involved in anything outside your day-to-day work (volunteering, networking, or social events?)
There was ESG grad farm day which was centred around sustainability and climate adaptation, we volunteered on a farm and did various sessions around our environment and on climate change. It was nice to spend a day out of the office and meet graduates from different offices around the UK and learn what they’ve been up to. I also attended an iCAN event which was targeted towards summer interns in insurance, it was lovely to meet others who are also working in insurance and build that network.
Is your degree directly applicable to Insurance? Does that matter?
My degree is not related to insurance whatsoever, but studying a STEM degree has given me transferrable skills which were very useful on this internship, such as being logical and analytical, that helped me with learning how to excel efficiently and working with data to present my findings in a way that was understandable to others.
What skills or knowledge have you gained during your internship that you didn’t expect?
I didn’t understand how much of an impact it had on our daily lives; how tangible the work was and how varied it can get day to day. One skill I didn’t expect to gain was networking, I spoke to various people across different teams such as actuarial, investments, legal, underwriting and strategy and that helped me a lot since I’m not sure on what area I’d like to start my career in so it gave me a broad overview of the type of work people do.
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