Ian Jerrum, managing director at Tifco, is always ‘after this sense of relaxation and pleasure that comes from being organised', but in his spare time his ambition is to achieve a single digit golf handicap.
What newspaper do you read?
The Times, Financial Times, and – from time to time – Insurance Times.
What career did you want to have when you were a child?
Professional cricketer.
What was the worst business decision you have ever made?
Dipping a toe in the personal lines motor market back in 1995.
What do you like best about insurance?
The people. This is still very much a people business, and it's the challenges and rewards of human relationships that make it all worthwhile for me.
What would you do tomorrow if you left the insurance industry?
Cancel my subscription to Insurance Times.
How do you relax if you do not play golf?
Spending time with my family, watching cricket and working in the garden.
What is the biggest insurance claim you have ever made?
Nothing very spectacular: £500 for a burst water pipe.
Whom do you most admire?
Winston Churchill. This country owes a debt that's hard to calculate to his tenacity, his oratory, and sheer force of
personality.
Do you have an unfulfilled ambition?
See answer two. But for the future: a single digit golfing
handicap.
On dress down Friday, what do you wear?
Polo shirt, chinos and deck shoes.
How many people have you sacked?
Not many. But one's too many as far as I'm concerned.
What is your favourite quote?
I am always after this sense of relaxation and pleasure that comes from being organised – Mark McCormick. It's not exactly Oscar Wilde, but I know exactly what he means.
What is your most over-used phrase?
What's the bottom line?
What keeps you awake at night?
Unresolved issues at work – or the kids having a sleep-over.
What advice would you give to someone starting in insurance today?
Get some professional qualifications behind you, keep an open mind, and always remember the customer is king.
What was your first job?
Stacking shelves in a supermarket during the university holidays, and then joining Eagle Star in Leicester as a graduate trainee.
Where did you grow up?
West Sussex.
What was your education?
School in Sussex, university at Leicester.
What is your favourite film?
It's hard to pick a favourite, but it's always great to see a low-budget British film like The Full Monty succeed against all odds.
What is your favourite book?
Practically anything by Frederick Forsyth.
What is your favourite tea?
No comment – this has to be a trick question.
How often do you use public transport?
At least once a week when I take the train and tube from Hitchin into London.
Who do you vote for?
Politicians, regrettably.
How did you vote in the last election?
Unenthusiastically.
Are you in favour of the Euro? Yes/No?
Thanks for providing options, but the jury's still out as far as I'm concerned. I see pros and cons on either side.
What is your favourite joke?
I'm more a fan of humour of the moment than of pre-prepared set-pieces. But since we're on the subject: Why do anarchists drink herbal tea? Because proper tea is theft.
