Mark SimonsAge: 45Role: Insurance broker, Bowring MarshWhat is your job? I’m an insurance Broker with Bowring Marsh. My role is split between handling various client accounts requiring insurance capacity from within the Bermuda market and overseeing the office’s sales function.What is your favourite part of the job? Working with senior risk management personnel of Fortune 500 companies to assist them with solving their insurance needs. The Bermuda market is a mature insurance centre that from its genesis attracted sophisticated buyers of insurance. Being an integral part of the client’s buying experience is very rewarding, particularly when it involves developing extraordinary insurance products. I enjoy negotiating with the underwriters seeking to tailor insurance solutions for our clients. It’s always challenging convincing an underwriter to offer a solution, which falls outside the framework his or her company has in place. Managing the delicate balance of keeping both the client and underwriter happy is a large part of what a broker does.What is your least favourite part of the job? While it’s rare, not being able to deliver a solution that meets the client’s needs in every way is frustrating.What is your most interesting experience at work? In one of my prior jobs I was part of the management team at the time the company was acquired by another firm. While the acquirer’s due diligence process was tedious from our side, it was a great leaning experience during which I gained intimate knowledge about the inner-workings of both companies. The experience helped me better understand what to look for when reviewing the operations of my current clients.What would you be doing otherwise? If I wasn’t in the insurance brokerage business, which I’ve been in since 1989, I’d be in banking or telecommunications. Failing those two, I’d be a sports agent. In all cases I would be using my negotiation skills!