The next member of WCL we want to introduce you to in our ‘People behind the tech’ series is Diane Danbury (née Hoskins), who re-joined WCL in 2021 as Client Services Product Owner. Diane has spent the last 15 years of her insurance career in the insurance software space, having started her professional life working in claims.
Name: Diane Danbury
Job title: Product Owner
1. Can you tell us about your career journey so far?
I started my working life at a large broker over 36 years ago, in claims, where I stayed for over 10 years covering everything from direct and reinsurance claims worldwide. My last role in claims was running a large team specialising in UK and US business.
In 1999, after leaving the claims space, I got heavily involved in project work with another broker in the insurance market. Part of that work involved looking for improved efficiencies and better software to support the business, gaining a detailed insight to all the roles within a broking world around placement including wordings. Through that project I was involved in the standardisation of the Market Reform Contracts (MRCs) and system generation of contracts. The second part of that work involved training, setting up and running training programmes to support the roles within a broking world and to improve understanding.
As part of the role, I also worked with a software company to look at how we could trade electronically. I later moved across to work for the software company and continued working in the electronic placing space to look at how technology can be used to support the placing role, supply consistent structured data to all parties and speed up the process.
2. What is an average day in the life of a Product Owner?
Much of my role is about meeting new and existing customers to understanding their needs, aspirations of their business and how WCL can support that today or how that might look in the future.
I also do a lot of work with the WCL development team, business and data analysts to design roadmaps for WCL solutions to meet growing customer needs. My role at WCL also has me involved in the project management of new product releases, which includes overseeing the testing, training and creation of training material.
It is really important that I keep up to date with current and potential market initiatives and ensure WCL are involved in the right initiatives that would benefit our customers so we can provide a best-in-class service.
I am most excited about the support of a larger organisation that the acquisition of WCL by Zywave will give to WCL, particularly in supporting WCL’s plans to scale and develop new and existing product offering and client services.
3. What do you enjoy most about your job and why?
The most enjoyable part about my job is the variety of my day-to-day work. I also really enjoy engaging with different types of people, working with them through any challenges they are facing helping them to build solutions to support and enhance their roles.
I love being able to direct the development of solutions and the pleasure when it helps others to do their role it is extremely satisfying.
4. Which areas for developing technology do you see as the most important for your business and industry?
With the recent pandemic it has got to be mobile and easy to use technology that enables everyone to access essential data and applications wherever they are situated, and it doesn’t require extensive training. The other part is the need for structured data which means data is captured once and reused, reducing the time spent by brokers and underwriters on manual tasks in the life cycle of a risk.
5. What is your proudest moment in work or your greatest achievement in your career and why?
I would have to say my proudest moment in my career so far has to be the first modernisation project I was involved in. I worked with a broker and Citibank to process letters of credit (LOC) for US and Canadian business electronically instead of on paper. This project allowed visibility at all times of the LOC, and against which claims funds were held as well as speeding up the process massively for all those involved.
6. Following the acquisition by Zywave what are you most excited about / opportunities to explore.
I am most excited about the support of a larger organisation that the acquisition of WCL by Zywave will give to WCL particularly in supporting WCL’s plans to scale and develop new and existing product offering and client services. I am also really looking forward to access to other cutting-edge technologies in the Zywave suite that would, together with what we do at WCL, enhance what we can offer customers.