As the inaugural Mathew Pain Award recipient, I had the opportunity to experience two weeks in the Lloyds of London market under the stewardship of the team at Consilium, as sponsors of the award.
Meetings were had with a number of underwriters from various syndicates at Lloyds with specialty in Executive & Professional Risk. During these meetings discussions were had about the workings of the Lloyds market, the state of the market in Australia and opportunities to engage on the offering and appetite of the various syndicates. I learned how the importance of close commercial relationships plays such a crucial part of ‘doing business’ at Lloyds, a skill which was undoubtedly well honed by Mat Pain, based on the innumerous anecdotes heard during my time.
The trip was also marked by visits to a number of Mat’s famous (and infamous) favourite haunts together with our CEO, Marc Chiarella, who was a very close friend and colleague of Mat’s.
Mat’s legacy truly lives on in the market as his name is remembered fondly by many underwriters, brokers and claims professionals whom I met over a desk…or a pint, in true Painy fashion!
To the team at Consilium, as sponsors of the Mat Pain Award, thank you for the time taken to arrange and host meetings, your hospitality and preparation of a tour of Lloyds (which, was unusually busy at the time) being a spectacle for an insurance nerd to see first hand. Being invited as a guest of Consilium to the Spanish F1 Grand Prix in Barcelona was a simply unmatched and unforgettable experience that gave me the chance to meet F1 driver Oliver Bearman – a surreal moment!
Reflecting on my time, I am truly honoured and grateful, especially to my colleagues at Bellrock, particularly our CEO Marc Chiarella and the team at Consilium, to have reaped the “trophy” that is the Mat Pain Award. The experience was unforgettable and it brings me joy and humility that the Award exists and Painy’s legacy lives on.
I shall continue to strive to emulate Mat as he inspired those around him in this field of risk and insurance for the decades he devoted to it.
This is the London Underwriting Centre where Mat used to work during his days at Newline.
This is Landis in front of Davy’s – across the Road from where Mat and I used to meet for a coffee – ordinarily the first meeting when I would get off the plan on a Friday morning after arriving in London.
This is the Paris Grill on Crutched Friars. I dined there with Mat often, it was one of his favourite restaurants. On Monday 13 April 2013, we were having lunch and news broke of Margret Thatcher’s death… On hearing the news, and being two bottles of red in, Mat proceeded to sing the Wizard of Oz classic singing “ding dong the witch is dead”.
100 yards up the street is the Cheese. Mat’s favourite pub. So many laughs, so many memories.
Landis pictured with the Lutine Bell at Lloyds
