Interview with Holly Hill for Citywealth

What does a typical day look like for you?

I spend a lot of my days out and about in the city talking to other professionals or meeting clients. Sometimes I even find myself on Harley Street helping clients complete their insurance medicals! The rest of the time I’m based in our Holborn office writing advice notes and making sure everything’s running smoothly across our active cases.

Tell us about some recent, interesting client instructions you have received.

Life insurance has some interesting uses… from satisfying pre-nuptial agreements to protecting clients from Inheritance 1975 Act claims. We also had a case recently where a Balfour structure had failed and we needed £10m of 2 year term on an 87 year old… the solution required an interesting combination of the UK and Barbadian life markets!

What challenges are your clients facing currently and how are you helping your clients to overcome them?

Political uncertainty is obviously a big one at the moment. But from an insurance perspective, the biggest challenge has become navigating the medical underwriting process which has become more stringent since Covid-19. We’re seeing a lot more detail being requested by insurers and are having to fight harder to secure first class premium rates. To help clients, we find that communication is key. We ensure that our underwriter gets an honest medical picture up front and make sure that we tie off all loose ends before the client’s application touches the life market. In this way, we avoid surprise disclosures and, because the life market has confidence in our underwriting, ensure the best possible premiums.

What is your proudest professional achievement?

Keeping up with my boss, Paula Steele!

What do you consider to be the most important attributes for a leader?

Communication is key; listen to your people and make sure they’re brought into your vision. I’m also a big advocate of the ‘work hard, have fun’ method – life’s for enjoying! So do right by your clients and have fun along the way.Who do you most admire and why?

Katherine Grainger – not only because she’s was my rowing hero, but because of the way she always combined enormous success with a huge compassion for others. I really admire this quality in leaders; keep your feet on the ground and don’t forget the engine room that supports your success.

Where was the last place you travelled to for work or pleasure?

Took my Campervan for a two-week climbing expedition around the Dolomites. The heights were slightly out of my comfort zone and it was a proper switch off from London life!

If you weren’t in this industry, what else might you be doing?

I used to be a professional athlete with the GB Rowing Team. In another life, or maybe later in this one, I’d love to be more of an advocate for young girls staying in sport through school and university. I also think sport is a great place to test and hone leadership skills, so would love to explore how business leaders can use sport to keep learning over time.

How do you relax after a long day?

By planning my next adventure

Article published in Citywealth on 22 May 2024.