Next up in our ‘People behind the tech’ series is Todd Carter who joined WCL in September 2022 as Senior Sales Executive. Before joining WCL, Todd worked as Territory Sales Manager EMEA at Ventiv Technology.
Name: Todd Carter
Job title: Senior Sales Executive
1. Can you tell us about your career journey so far?
After finishing my Business Management Degree at University of Newcastle Upon-Tyne, I joined the usual mass migration to London – still relatively unsure about what I wished to do. I initially fell into the world of capital markets headhunting, which I thoroughly enjoyed but after several happy years a certain Lehman Brothers (our largest client) collapsed, and I saw the writing on the wall.
From there, I transitioned into the insurance industry, joining the research and consultancy firm, Celent – part of the Marsh & McLennan group – where we helped insurers to navigate the technology landscape. After six years advising insurers which technology provider to partner with, I was approached by Ventiv Technology – a risk management information system firm – and decided to test myself in the world of SaaS sales. Ventiv’s solutions support multinational corporates as they look to take control of their policy programme, claims, and renewal management processes – an essential tool for risk/insurance managers, globally.
In September this year, I joined WCL. Although sad to leave a successful role at Ventiv, the attraction of being at the forefront of large-scale digital transformation within the insurance industry was too hard to turn down.
2. What is an average day in the life of a Senior Sales Executive?
The old cliché “no two days are the same” certainly rings true in my role. Our role is to act as the first port of call for both existing customers and organisations who wish to engage with WCL, which means the discussions and meetings are always varied.
Although it’s likely I’ll have several pre-planned initial discovery calls and demos throughout the day, account executives also have to be reactive to any new requests or follow ups as they arise.
I believe WCL can act as a key partner in this ecosystem by pulling data, analytics and reporting capability together to ultimately improve decision making for our clients.
3. What do you enjoy most about your job and why?
Building strong personal relationships is key within any industry, but within the close-knit world of insurance, it’s essential. You meet a variety of people, and it means all discussions are different – you’re always learning, and everyone is open to exploring how the industry can improve/do things better. It ensures nothing ever feels stale or boring, and building a network is fun and rewarding.
4. Which areas for developing technology do you see as the most important for your business and industry?
Connectivity is key. New technologies and platforms are being developed all the time. As the industry continues to innovate, I believe the way in which these systems communicate and provide actionable information for end users will be the key. I believe WCL can act as a key partner in this ecosystem pulling data, analytics and reporting capability together to ultimately improve decision making for our clients.
5. What is your proudest moment in work or your greatest achievement in your career and why?
In my previous role at Ventiv Technology, I onboarded the firm’s largest client to date, outside of North America. The evaluation and RFP period had been particularly thorough and arduous, so it was a proud moment to be the point person in starting that partnership.
6. As part of the wider Zywave group, what are you most excited about/where do you see opportunities to explore?
With a portfolio of successful insurtech companies under the Zywave umbrella, I’m looking forward to exploring the opportunities across the industry, and potentially supporting clients in areas they wouldn’t previously have envisaged we could help. We’ve only just started to evaluate where these synergies may exist – so watch this space!