David Allan
Workplace Risk Solutions Director Corporate Risk and Broking
5 questions in five minutes with David Allan
1. Can you tell us about the day-to-day responsibilities of your job?
My role is a varied one that involves working closely with our clients and prospects to ensure that our market-leading service and solution offerings meet their needs and exceed their expectations.
With this in mind, a typical day involves me helping people. This can range from helping current or prospective clients, our insurer partners, and also my colleagues. Whilst helping others I am constantly learning. I get to hear about different challenges that organisations are having and I get to work with them as to how best to overcome each challenge. No two days are the same!
2. What are the key challenges of your role? How have you overcome them?
My biggest challenge was starting my role the week Sydney went into its first lockdown at the end of March 2020. The challenge was that I was going to work from home and not have the ability to meet my own new team, and the wider team, in person.
Thankfully, we have internal resources who were really good at connecting people, allowing me to build rapport, albeit virtually.
The whole Willis Towers Watson ‘family’ were so welcoming. I felt that they understood what we were trying to achieve through my newly created role in our Workplace Risk team and they wanted to enable me on my journey. I was able to quickly overcome the initial challenges of remote working and the support I was given definitely assisted in the transition to success, which I’m pleased to say has been ongoing.
3. What’s something exciting and innovative that you’ve been involved in working on?
I’m proud of the way we are continually evolving our People Risk proposition at Willis Towers Watson to ensure it remains the best in the market.
The ongoing improvements to what is already a great solution is really exciting, particularly as I know that what we are doing is going to have a positive impact for our clients. It will allow us to achieve our purpose of supporting our clients in Protecting Their People and Their Organisation.
4. What do you like best about working at Willis Towers Watson?
One of the things I heard a lot before coming to Willis Towers Watson was about how “nimble” it is. I personally thought this was part of the recruitment strategy to get me to join the organisation.
However, I soon found out just how nimble it is! You come up with a good idea, take it to your leader, and the next thing you know it is being rolled out as a new solution for our clients. This was, and remains, unbelievably refreshing. Willis Towers Watson encourages new ideas and creativity.
5. Based on your experience, what advice would you give someone considering employment with Willis Towers Watson?
My experience has been positive from day one. If there was a honeymoon period, it must still be going as the feeling I had on my first day has not stopped.
Right now is the most exciting time to be here. We are on a growth trajectory in terms of our capabilities and how we support our clients and our people.
