Lee Sadowski, director of platforms for UK and Ireland at Crawford and Company, tells Insurance Times why his company should win the Excellence in Professional Development - New Talent category at the 2022 Insurance Times Awards
Explain briefly about your entry in the Excellence in Professional Development - New Talent category.
In 2021, Crawford’s sector-leading subsidence business embarked on a sustainable recruitment plan for our SMART field adjuster proposition, by recruiting and developing 10 graduate employees.
We are committed to adding an additional 20% of new graduates every year, as we believe subsidence claims will become more regular due to climate change.
The insurance industry continues to create a more diverse and inclusive environment in which a much broader spectrum of employees have access to the same level of career potential.
However, one area that is critical is facilitating more effective social mobility. Levels of social mobility across the UK are deplorably low and we want to highlight the work that Crawford and Company is doing to tackle this issue.
New talent is needed in the insurance industry as there has so far been a lack of new entrants paired with an ageing demographic.
Having reorganised our approach to manage the surge in subsidence claims in 2018, we identified a growing future talent gap – we devised the SMART graduate programme to encourage new talent to develop these vital, specialist skills.
We have seen a 45% decrease in the number of adjusters aged over 50 through this programme. We are not only protecting our own talent pipeline, but also continuing our investment in the industry.
Our overall goal is always to improve outcomes for our customers. Our 2021 intake graduated into our field team in August and have already helped to reduce visit to report time by 65% on low value claims.
What do you think makes your entry stand out or different from your competition?
We are committed to supporting graduates to achieve their industry qualifications. We also support people with soft skill training, to deliver better customer experience.
With social mobility key to our diversity, equity and inclusion strategy, graduates from all backgrounds - with no specific degree - can enter the programme.
What would winning this award mean to you and your firm?
For us, encouraging the development of our talented people is core to our strategic priorities. Winning this prestigious accolade would endorse this and help set the blueprint for programmes in key areas of specialism.
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