Hannah Frost (WillisRe)
Name: Hannah Frost
Subject: BSc Geography
Year Graduated: 2015
College: Grizedale
Where are you now and what are you doing?
I am currently a Catastrophe Risk Analyst at Willis Re. This involves estimating how much insurance companies are likely to lose if a large catastrophe was to occur. Currently I am specialising in the Turkish Earthquake market which is very interesting as Istanbul sits on top of the North Anatolian Fault, but I also deal with floods, windstorms, hail events and terrorism. In my work I get to run a range of catastrophe models and interpret the results based on exposure location and building characteristics. Then I have to communicate to clients about my findings in reports and presentations. So far I’ve been luckily enough to have business meetings in Paris and Istanbul!
How did you get there?
An understanding of hazard, vulnerability and exposure is essential for evaluating catastrophe risk. My interest in risks developed through different geography modules and my dissertation on the use of postcodes in flood insurance. GIS skills are also helpful to evaluate the location of insurers risks and therefore how likely they are to be affected and clients love looking at maps.
There is a current lack of supply of catastrophe analysts and there are plenty of opportunities for new graduates. I would suggest that current students interested in catastrophe modelling in insurance and reinsurance keep up to date with the developments in the industry by reading blogs and news articles from large insurance companies and brokers such as Swiss Re Sigma reports.
What would you like to do next?
The catastrophe analytics field is a growing aspect of the insurance market and there are plenty of opportunities to develop into interesting new fields such as cyber, pandemic and terrorism insurance. I’m hoping to develop into a more research based role which allows me to really focus on understanding the hazard component of the catastrophe.
Why did you choose to study at Lancaster?
I visited lots of universities before applying but Lancaster was the place I felt most comfortable at, I think because of the community feeling of the campus.
What was your favourite part of your degree and why?
The glacier and volcano interaction field trip to Iceland was a highlight of my time at Lancaster, especially as the Bárðarbunga volcano was erupting. Besides that I definitely miss having the time to read about the things I’m really interested in.
How do you think your time at Lancaster prepared you for what you’re currently doing?
One of the key things my degree has prepared me for is working with very large datasets. My job involves looking at portfolios of hundreds of thousands of properties but because of my experiences in my dissertation and various modules I’m not afraid to tackle the data.
Connect with Hannah on LinkedIn. Hannah is also happy for students/alumni to email her (Hannah.Frost@WillisTowersWatson.com) if you have any questions about getting into catastrophe modelling.
