Charles Taylor InsureTech's Chantal Dawson on career success

By BizClik Admin
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Chantal Dawson is the Strategic Client Relations Director at Charles Taylor InsureTech. We caught up with her to find out why insurtech is her happy place

Chantal Dawson is the Strategic Client Relations Director at Charles Taylor InsureTech. Founded in 2015, the London-based company uses the latest technology to deliver customer-driven outcomes and support global insurance businesses to create change by delivering market-leading software products and SaaS solutions. To date, the insurtech provides services to 150 insurers, brokers, London market participants, as well as Lloyds.  

Who was your childhood hero and why?

This is embarrassing, but my childhood hero was – and still is – my dad. He is my best friend, supporter, and mentor. He is never judgemental, he gives sound advice and he supports me no matter what. Dad always taught me that the aim in life is to gift a child the tools to survive; it’s a tough world out there and your parents won’t always be there mopping up behind you. 

In his late 60s, dad walked from Munich to Venice with just a rucksack on his back over a period of 30 days. He encouraged me into a world of pilgrimage walks across Europe, too, and I’ve learned a lot from that. I ensure I spend many quality days with my dad because that time is really important. He’s an absolute legend and, for all these reasons and more, he’s my hero. 

What's the best piece of advice you ever received? 

The best piece of advice I have ever been given is “don’t compare yourself to others”. Everyone is unique and each person in life brings something to the table, whether it’s a glass full of wine or a coaster to put it on. We often dwell on the highlights of other people’s lives and jobs, and that can be toxic. So always focus on your strengths, celebrate other people, and learn to compete with yourself instead of others. 

What was the last book you read – and how long ago did you read it?

I tend to read two books at the same time – one fiction, so I can switch my mind off, and the other is usually travel-related as I’ve invariably got a trip in the pipeline. The last book I read was Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty. I love her books as she takes you on a journey and you can never predict the ending. I’m also reading a book about Scotland, as I’m going on a road trip there with my dad next month. 

Name one piece of technology you couldn’t live without and why. 

My beloved laptop. It gives me access to the tools to do my job efficiently anywhere in the world, which is really important to me as I split my time between four locations – London, the Yorkshire Dales, Suffolk, and Madrid. As companies move to a more flexible, hybrid work model, equipping employees with a great laptop is key.  

Who do you look up to in terms of leadership and mentorship? 

In 2019, I was fortunate to meet Tony Russell, Charles Taylor’s former Chief Commercial Officer, who over a coffee gave me some homework to think about my future. I wasn’t even looking for a job at the time, but he ended up recruiting me. 

The mutual friends who introduced us knew we would hit it off, predicting something great would materialise for both of us. They were right. Tony had a vision for me in a brand new role at Charles Taylor, helping on a big programme of work that I knew nothing about at the time, and things evolved from there. It was the best career decision I have made. 

Tony has taught me so much about how to navigate the market; he helps guide me in the right direction, to overcome obstacles and see things through a different lens. 

I am proud to say he is my mentor and inspiration as well as a close friend. His sincerity and passion is admirable, and he genuinely cares about people and the industry – hence why Tony is an obvious choice for leadership and mentorship. You don’t get many Tony Russells in the world. 

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve encountered to date in the insurtech industry? 

The biggest challenge and frustration is working with companies and individuals who are desperate to change – who need to change – but who don’t because they get caught up in politics, budget constraints, regulations, or simply not understanding the problem they are trying to solve. Quite often there’s a simple solution, but these companies invariably end up using a sticky plaster for a quick, short-term fix – or end up not changing at all. 

At the same time, there are also those who think tech is a silver bullet, without looking deeper inside their own organisation. People are starting to learn that technology alone is not enough of a differentiator to attract clients, even though it’s a key ingredient. 

Describe yourself in three words.

Driven. Optimistic. Genuine. 

What's new on the horizon for your company? 

Charles Taylor has taken a big step forward with the launch of InHub, which brings a variety of technologies and services together. Imagine a best-in-class suite of SaaS solutions, whose integrated architecture allows clients to only buy and use what they genuinely need. InHub unites all of the products CTI offers today to support the insurance life cycle, including policy administration, claims optimisation, and AI fraud prevention to name a few. 

Additionally, InHub can futureproof a client’s technology stack by migrating it to a managed cloud service, providing clients access to both InHub and their legacy programmes. From loss adjusting to complex claims handling, all services and delivery platforms are integrated within InHub. This is the key innovation for us in 2022. 

What can we look forward to seeing as the year unfolds? 

To repeat an explanation of InHub by our CEO: “Combining our insurance understanding and knowledge, built up over the last 100 years, and with our new technology and ecosystem approach, InHub gives our customers something truly different from anything else on the market.” 

That is a perfect summary, and we are very much looking forward to how this year unfolds as we roll InHub out to the market. 

What inspires you in insurtech today? 

Partnerships and collaboration. We all thrive on positive partnerships, whether personal or business-driven. Rather than creating something completely on your own, forging partnerships with technology experts in different industries enables you to grow your technology stack, which in turn boosts your value proposition to existing and future clients. 

Working together with other companies to create a vision and make a difference really inspires me, and I’m seeing more collaborations than ever before. Additionally, forging those deeper partnerships with clients and really getting under the bonnet of their problems and challenges is very rewarding. 

Chantal Dawson
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