Gabriel’s 2 Worlds: Investing in the Future

As an industry, we spend an inordinate amount of time looking into the future. So, when the London School of Economics invited me to host 45 visiting students from the leading Mexican university and think tank, Instituto Tecnológico de México (ITAM), I jumped at the chance. Imagine being given a chance to look at insurance through the eyes of the next generation.

I hosted the event at the Old Library at Lloyd’s, which gave them insight into the heritage at Lloyd’s and a unique cultural experience whilst in London. In fact, it was their only external presentation away from the LSE campus.

The students are all studying International Business & Finance masters degrees, mostly part-time or during the evenings, working in private equity, investment banks, government, private industry, energy, banks and insurance companies during the day. So it was important for me to ensure my presentation was interesting, engaging and relevant.

I spoke, of course, about Lloyd’s, expanding into the intricacies of the trading relationship an underwriting syndicate like Probitas has with Lloyd’s; looking at how business flows from Mexico into Lloyd’s and the processes that have to be adhered to. And, discussing the unique business model the global insurance market at Lloyd’s is built upon.

As with everything, you learn better from examples, so I presented some specific case studies. To make it relevant to the audience, I focused on Financial Institution risks, and the types of cover international finance companies might need, what regulatory issues apply and what an underwriter needs to take into consideration.

We also used these case studies to show them the types of risk they may come across during their professional lives.

An educational experience such as this has so many benefits, but ultimately, I feel the students were able to better understand Lloyd’s position in the international insurance market and how it covers so many of the keywords and phrases that they’ll come across in their studies. Buzzwords like:

• Ecosystems
• Clusters
• Launch pads
• Business platforms

All of these are interesting and important concepts for business students, many of whom would overlook a traditional business like Lloyd’s, for companies that may appear more glamorous or disruptive.

I received very positive feedback from the LSE programme liaison officer, who passed on very encouraging comments from the students themselves. So, it seemed to be a successful presentation, adding value to their studies.

There’s always an opportunity to learn, and I was given that opportunity when I was invited to dinner with the students, hosted by LSE with one of the top International Business professors. The conversation over dinner revolved around Mexico’s impending presidential elections. With the tables turned, the teacher became the student, as I was able to see the elections through the eyes of young professionals. It provided me with a different point of view, and was a conversation I enjoyed immensely.

All of the attendees are part of the future talent in Mexico, so not only is it a privilege to be part of their education, but also to help them to appreciate the heritage of Lloyd’s and the role it plays in today’s ever changing world.

And, it provided us with a further opportunity to strengthen our commitment to Mexico and Latin America. It’s certainly an encouraging sign to be contacted by the LSE via the Mexican Embassy, it demonstrates that we’ve established our authority in the London LatAm insurance market.