Leading third-party administrator Gallagher Bassett has launched a new resource consulting service to tackle the insurance industry’s talent gap and significant ‘grey hair’ demographic issues.
Across the past few years, recruitment groups and peak insurance bodies, both in the United Kingdom and around the world, have warned the insurance industry is facing a shortage of high-calibre and skilled staff to handle dispute resolution, claims management processes and other key roles.
Gallagher Bassett United Kingdom’s Chief Client Officer, Pete Diskin says the third-party administrator saw an opportunity to leverage their technical claims and market knowledge to provide focused talent search capability for carriers and their suppliers.
“Gallagher Bassett has the technical know-how of the claims market that is above and beyond an internal HR teams’ expertise – claims are our bread and butter, and we know what skills are required to drive superior outcomes,” Mr Diskin says.
From addressing climate change to cyber-risks and the long-term impacts of COVID-19, the changing risk landscape creates new talent requirements for insurers. The industry needs to evolve their capabilities to address the expanded use of data and mitigation and meet customer expectations – no matter your product line or specialisation.
The new resource consulting service will be led by Gallagher Bassett United Kingdom’s established claims consulting division. Mr Diskin says the team will utilise a blend of recruiters and claims professionals to meet clients’ unique recruitment and skills requirements.
“Provided by claims people for claims people, carriers who sign onto Gallagher Bassett’s resource consulting will receive a highly-focused and specialised claims recruitment service,” he says.
“We know a claims consultant coming from a major volume carrier may not be best suited for a specialist carrier and likewise, a claims consultant with an IT background may be a better candidate as automation and technology comes to the fore of the industry.”
“Carriers – like any business – need the best talent to drive the best outcomes for their clients. Equally, in the world we live in, time is of the essence and Gallagher Bassett can provide a decided recruitment capability that reduces the lead time from new position sign-off to through the door,” Mr Diskin says.
Insurers that succeed in the coming years will be those who recognise talent strategy has the same importance as the core business strategy.