In Person: Covéa personal lines director Carol Geldard

At the very beginning of her insurance career Covéa personal lines director Carol Geldard did not know she was actually part of the insurance sector.

She was working at a contact centre for Green Flag, a product which is underwritten but in Geldard’s words “not quite seen as an insurance product”, thinking she was doing a job “where you help people”.

“When I took on a broader role in the company I started seeing that our product was being connected with an insurance product and that’s when it dawned on me that I was working in an industry that was linked to insurance,” Geldard remembers.

After an 11-year stint at Green Flag she was approached by Provident Insurance in 2001 and in 2012 Provident was merged with MMA Insurance to create Covéa Insurance. As personal lines director Geldard is responsible for the provider’s intermediated and direct business.

According to Geldard her tenacity, honesty and sense of humour have helped her succeed in the sector, as well as a drive to always do her best.

An active and energetic person, her spare time includes sessions at the gym and doing family activities with her 12-year-old daughter, as well as going to concerts and keeping her mind healthy by practicing meditation and yoga.

We’ve worked with most of our brokers for such a long time that you are building relationships

She also notes she does her best to switch her mind off work when she’s out of the office, adding: “I’m proud that I can do the job that I do and still keep a decent level of work life balance.”

The aforementioned honesty comes back into play when talking about Geldard’s strategy around building relationships with brokers.

“We’ve worked with most of our brokers for such a long time that you are building relationships, but you’re building on what you’ve got and the relationship angle – there is that openness and transparency,” she continues.

“Honesty is important as well; if you’re going to let someone down, let them down quickly.”