Tell us about your role and how you got to where you are today

I’m currently Head of Investigations and a Director for Claims Solutions in Ireland. This role involves managing a team of twenty investigators and three administrators, ensuring the coordination and completion of all investigation instructions we receive. I also carry out investigations in relation to Motor/Employer Liability (EL)/Public Liability (PL) and handle a select portfolio of claims.

I entered the insurance world in 2000 as a Junior Claims Handler, initially dealing with property claims and quickly moving into motor and liability claims. I completed my insurance exams to ACII level and earned a promotion to Investigator, then joined Davies in 2008 and after several promotions, here I am!

What types of losses do you evaluate & deal with day-to-day?

I investigate and evaluate injury claims of varying severity and act as a referral point for other adjusters in relation to their own cases. These are mainly EL & PL type losses, although some motor cases are referred too. What I enjoy most about my role is that it enables me to make a difference within clients’ organisations and support the development of my team’s experience and knowledge.

An interesting loss I dealt with involved an incident at a swimming pool resulting in complaints of injury from multiple persons, many of whom were minors. By contacting all complainants and engaging with them as early as possible following the incident, the overall cost of claims was minimised by discharging medical and other associated expenses incurred by the injured parties.

This reinforced to me that it is key to interact with injured parties at the earliest possible opportunity to minimise claims spend.

What do you see as the biggest challenge for loss adjusters across Ireland in the next year?

I think the biggest challenge over the next twelve months will continue to be arranging investigations given the ongoing COVID restrictions, although these will continue to ease. Access to key stakeholders in a claim is vital to any investigation.

What are three things you’ve learned in your career, and what is your best piece of advice to someone starting out as a loss adjuster?

1. Follow up every lead and explore every avenue in a claim or investigation.
2. Take pride in your work, always.
3. Be very honest and up-front with clients/potential clients in relation to what you can and cannot do for them.

If you’re starting out as a loss adjuster, I’d recommend you try out different types of claims and identify which areas interests you the most. Try to find out what type of work you enjoy the most – as it’s a lot easier to succeed and be the best you can be when you love what you do.

For more information, please contact Ronan Buckley, Head of Investigations via ronan.buckley@davies-group.com