A Day in the Life of... Kelly-ann Quirke

I always knew that I wanted to work in some form of corporate role. When I was younger my Mum and I lived in East London and while I was little she worked in Westferry Circus in Central London as an accountant. She took me to her office and I remember thinking ‘I want to be like mum’, ‘I love the big buildings’ and of course ‘I love the spinning chairs’! From this point I knew I wanted to work in a business role.

When it came to leaving college, I applied for jobs, mainly at insurance companies. I didn’t apply to go to University as I really wanted to learn whilst working and to earn some money! Suffolk One College in Ipswich had close links with some major insurance companies in the area and several of them spoke about apprenticeships and having the chance to ‘earn while you learn. As a result of this, I decided that that the insurance industry was where I wanted to work and, if possible, I wanted an apprenticeship so that I could continue to learn and to develop myself.

I joined Willis Towers Watson (WTW) in September 2016 on a 16 month school leaver programme with the goal of achieving Cert CII within this time frame. I reached my goal and continued my studies achieving my DIP CII last year. I hope to complete my ACII studies this month too.

I work within the Willis Reinsurance division as an Accounts Controller. I work in the North American team and I am responsible for handling a varied portfolio of client accounts. My main responsibility is handling client money. In addition, I often reconcile accounts, deal with client queries, liaise with US colleagues and clients and coordinate with Mumbai to maximise Client Servicing outcomes. I am also now involved in the training of new joiners to my division and enjoy sharing my knowledge and experiences.

I joined the local CII Council in April 2018 and work with the Social Media and Young Professional Groups. I also assist with WTW’s Young Professional Network. I decided to join the CII Council to broaden my network of contacts and to develop valuable workplace skills through CII projects. Since joining council I have made some great friends and have been involved in a wide variety of projects which have helped me gain experience and develop my skills.

When I’m not working, I am often studying to finish my ACII. However, I love going to visit my old friends in East London when I get the chance to and I also enjoy (binge) watching television series and films. My absolute favourite thing to do is to spend quality time with my dog Beau, whether that be taking a long walk along Felixstowe seafront or cuddled up on the sofa. I’m a big animal lover so I couldn’t think of any better way to spend my time!