Benfield/NZ-UK Link Reinsurance Scholarship
4 March 2008
Established by the Benfield Group in conjunction with the NZ-UK Link Foundation, the Benfield NZ-UK Link Reinsurance Scholarship recognises an outstanding young New Zealand insurance professional and encourages educational links between New Zealand and the UK.
The next Benfield Link Reinsurance Scholarship is planned for 2010. Application details will be posted in due course.
More about the Benfield/NZ-UK Link Reinsurance Scholarship
The Benfield/NZ-UK Link Reinsurance Scholarship is biennial. It was established in 2005 by the Benfield Group and the NZ-UK Link Foundation to recognise an outstanding New Zealand insurance professional and encourage educational links between New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
This prestigious biennial award will help the recipient gain a sophisticated understanding of the operation of the London reinsurance market from a Lloyd's, company market, intermediary and an underwriter's perspective.
Among the many and varied areas of interest, the recipient spends time with a global broking team and an analytical modelling team. They also observe the operations of a counterparty security team and the high importance of this specialist function to customers. Benfield will also arrange for the recipient to spend time with a London company market reinsurer and with a Lloyd's syndicate underwriter.
The recipient is hosted by Benfield's London office and will be predominantly based in the heart of the City of London. The winner is expected to present a report on the trip, which will be published and widely distributed. They will also have the opportunity of raising their own profile by presenting their written report at appropriate conferences and through industry publications.
The scholarship is awarded by a specialist panel comprising representatives from Benfield, the NZ-UK Link Foundation, the Insurance Council of New Zealand and industry leaders.
Previous winners
The 2008 Benfield Link Reinsurance Scholar was Marcus Smith, an account underwriter at Vero Insurance in Palmerston North who spent time in London's reinsurance market in September that year. He says his career can only benefit from his experience: "To anybody considering applying for this scholarship in the future, I can't encourage you enough," he says.
The inaugural winner in 2005 was Melanie Elliott of AMI Insurance in Howick, New Zealand. Read more. Her report covered her hands-on experience at the heart of London's reinsurance market. She said that the Scholarship had a significant impact upon her career. "I am certain that I will continue to benefit from these experiences for many years to come. The trip was an experience of a lifetime," she says. "Through my now increased depth of understanding I feel more grounded within my chosen industry. I understand, not only the global effect of the industry, but also New Zealand's place within it."
Files
- Benfield Link Scholarship Report - Melanie Elliott
- Download: Benfield-Link_Report_-_Melanie_Elliott.pdf (49.4 KB)