Another Successful Member Training Week
The dust has settled on another successful Member Training Week here at West P&I! We’d like to thank our wonderful Members who joined us in London for what was a jam-packed week of presentations and activities. Here’s a snippet of what we got up to….
Monday saw a hive of activity as the West P&I team descended upon up our “home” for the week, the beautiful Trinity House. Our MTW venue for the second year running, the maritime history of the House proved a fascinating and serene backdrop for the week. We kicked off MTW with a welcome lunch and a great opportunity for the West team to mingle with Members who had flown in from every corner of the globe. The inaugural presentation of the week was led by our Senior Claims Manager, Steve Knaggs, with an introduction to the Club, followed by a talk on P&I & West Defence, hosted by our Head of European Claims, Paul Kaye, and Head of Defence, Nicola Cox.
The afternoon rolled by as we were joined by David Baker of the International Group and James Cooper of Astaara, who provided an insight into Cyber and the Marine Insurance Market. It wasn’t long before 5pm approached and time for a much needed refreshment and game or two of indoor golf at Puttshack. Despite a stellar performance from all, it was clearly the luck of the ladies that night (or should we say, excellent skills) as Marzena of Chipolbrok and Maxime of Euronav became our standout scorers of the evening.
It was a bright and early start on Tuesday at Trinity House, with our first presentation led by Adrian Hodgson on Collision Claims. Our guest speakers of the day were Dennis Kelly, Jucilla Walters, Julian Hodnett and Gavin Dickson of Waves Group, with a discussion on FFO Claims and a subsequent case study from our Group Head of Claims, Suzanne Byrne. Soon after, we headed for Tilbury Port. After a talk and walk (with some windy but brilliant rooftop views), it was on to a boat for a leisurely cruise up and down the Port, a cup of tea in hand. On return to London, Members enjoyed a free evening and the opportunity to sightsee, shop, sleep and, for the committed folk- catch up on emails!
We started Wednesday with Claims presentations by West P&I’s Claims Manager, Trudy Pisani Cerulli and our Assistant Corporate Director Erin Walton. Our guest speaker, Dr Annabelle Nicolas-Kopec delivered an interesting presentation on Marine Pollution and the role of ITOPF.
A delicious buffet lunch followed before we were straight into an afternoon of presentations including Salvage and Wreck Removal, led by Head of Eastern Claims, Enam Hussain who was also co-host of this year’s MTW. Our next guest speakers were from MTI Network, Alice Mahon and Martin, Baxendale, presenting on Media Awareness. Our final presentation of the day was given by West P&I’s ESG Manager, Gina Panayiotou.
Before we knew it, our evening activity called; a wonderful, Parisian inspired dinner in Covent Garden and a trip to the theatre to see Mamma Mia. We were lucky enough to be joined that evening by our Group CEO, Tom Bowsher, and several others from West P&I. The wine and conversation flowed as Members had the opportunity to relax after a hectic day of talks. Soon it was time for us to put our dancing shoes on and head to Mamma Mia.
A glorious night of all singing madness had everyone on their feet.
Thursday began with a morning dedicated to Underwriting. Chris Adie, Underwriter, and our Deputy Head of Underwriting, Mark Mathews, kicked off the morning with a presentation before the group was whisked off to Lloyds of London. In the safe hands of Millers, Members were given a dynamic and insightful tour on the history of Lloyds. Throw in an inside-outside lift and brilliant views of the Gherkin, and it was a wonderful way to end the morning. After lunch back at Trinity House, our Global Head of Loss Prevention, Simon Hodgkinson delivered a talk on Loss Prevention, before Senior Claims Managers Helen Chittenden and Monica Lambrou Whiting delivered a triple whammy of presentations on Personal Injury, People Claims and Stowaways.
As the afternoon drew to a close, we started the evening relaxing on the Trinity House terrace before heading for a sunset cruise and dinner along the Thames. We were treated to a glorious sunset as we cruised past Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and then back to Tower Bridge. The evenings wow factor came from magician Martin, who blew the minds of all onboard with his jaw dropping tricks. Dinner was a delicious affair, accompanied by bursts of “NO WAY” as he, quite literally, worked his magic. It was all too soon before we returned to Tower Pier and were treated to a magnificent final view of Tower Bridge, lit up in all her glory.
It was then Friday and time for one last presentation on Sanctions from Tony Paulson (West P&I’s Head of Asia & Corporate Director). A lovely breakfast and a case study later, and it was time to hand out certificates and farewell our Members. As the last person left and the doors closed, all was quiet again in Trinity House and time for a moment of quiet reflection on a wonderful week.
We look forward to doing it all again in 2024.
If you missed out this year, email Megan.Jackson@westpandi.com to register your interest for Member Training Week 2024.
