Always learning, always adapting

At Allianz, career development is something that starts right at the beginning of your time here. For Jenny, this meant taking part in our rotational Grad program, which offers participants the opportunity to experience many parts of the business.

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    "Starting at Allianz in the Grad program was fantastic. Right off the bat, we were a tight-knit group, and it was really comforting to have colleagues that were at a similar stage in their career because we were able to learn together and support each other."

     

     

While studying International Global Studies at The University of Sydney, Jenny says she hadn’t necessarily considered insurance as an option for her future career.

“I hadn’t planned to go into insurance, but I knew I wanted to work for a global company. I started out not knowing what exactly I wanted to do, but the culture at Allianz was so fantastic and my leaders were so invested in my development that I knew I wanted to continue exploring my options within Allianz after the Grad program. I decided that if I wanted to make long lasting impacts in my work, I had to understand the fundamentals of insurance as a first step, so I moved into underwriting, after completing the Grad program.”

Technical development for your success

 

“The biggest factor in my early underwriting success was my leader, who was so supportive of me, always in contact and making sure I had what I needed. There are some incredible leaders at Allianz who invest in you, and you in-turn invest back into the team. I’ve been encouraged to apply for new roles and develop my skills. It’s unusual for a company of this size to have so many opportunities for employees at all levels, it really does make you feel quite valued.”

To support the development of employees in the technical space, Allianz Group has developed The Property & Casualty Academy, a structured program tailored to everyone’s individual career paths and aspirations.

“The P&C Academy helps employees to further develop their insurance knowledge in specific areas, tailored to their role and personal development goals. I was learning alongside people from all over the business, including people from my own team, underwriting teams, senior managers, etc. It’s great to hear the perspectives from a real mix of people from across the business and learn from them. Hearing about Allianz Group’s global research was really interesting and fuelled my desire to take those learnings and apply them locally. I learnt so much that I use every day in my current role. My participation in the P&C Academy aligned very closely to my development plan, and goals to broaden my insurance knowledge. “

A culture of equality

 

Something that has really stood out to Jenny is the way Allianz champions women and supports their progression, a practice she didn’t expect from a large global company.

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    “I was concerned a big corporate brand would be a ‘boys club’, but that’s not the case here at all. I was so relieved to see so many women in technical and underwriting roles. There’s not only an active commitment to encourage women into this space, but also for them to progress in insurance roles that have historically been male dominated. It’s really refreshing, and you feel like you work for a company that is committed to equality, as opposed to simply talking about it.”

One of the ways in which Allianz nurtures equality in the workplace is through the Allianz NEO program - our network for gender equity and opportunity. Allianz NEO is an employee run group with the ambition of encouraging both men and women to become advocates for gender diversity at Allianz and beyond, because we believe everyone should have the same sense of belonging and the opportunity to bring their whole selves to work.

“Allianz NEO runs great networking events and offers a fantastic mentorship program. Employees looking to progress can partner with Senior Leaders, which removes the challenge in finding a mentor on your own, because you have access to an existing group of passionate and experienced mentors. It makes you feel like someone is looking out for you and encourages you to be intentional about your success and pursue career development.”

Always learning, always adapting

 

After four years at Allianz, Jenny is now a Product Manager in the Technical team. She says it’s the constant learning and opportunities throughout her time here that have led her to this fascinating and rewarding role.

“I currently look after some of our partner underwriting agencies, where I have the opportunity to make the most of the skills I learnt in the Academy and during my master's degree at university, including portfolio and performance management, product development and review, and strategic planning. I collaborate with our agencies to make data-driven decisions, which is what I’ve always wanted to do.  It’s incredibly challenging in the best way, I’m learning new things constantly, which is my biggest driver when it comes to work - I want to constantly learn.  It’s rewarding because this is something I’ve been working toward for a long time, and all the development opportunities I’ve had have thus far have led me to this role. It’s never dulled in this space, you’re always adapting.”
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