The beginning of a new year usually poses a lot of big questions for hirers looking to grow their teams and for the talent market, the New Year resolution movement tends to spark interest from those who are curious about making their next job move.
When it comes to talent acquisition for the year ahead across the Wealth Management, Insurance and Life & Pensions sector big influencers are merger and acquisitions, regulation change, digital innovation, IoT & Data. Organisations will look to increase their bottom line with automated customer focused products & services across the board.
We’ve spoken to our Practice Lead’s and posed the question “What will influence your market in 2017” and here is what they had to say:
Nick Tagg, Head of General Insurance says:
“It is very clear that even in the 2nd week of the year there is high demand for Insurance specialist staff across our core market.
“Early indications reveal that transformation and innovation programmes will be key drivers for sought after Business Analysts & Project Managers in 2017”
Find Nick Tagg on LinkedIn
Denise Morris, Head of Strategic Accounts – General Insurance says:
“The trend continues for Insurers to adopt largely outsourced IT delivery, with a specific increase in Management and SME hires.
Our clients require candidates who not only have experience of outsource/offshore delivery partners but have been involved in the set-up or continuous improvement in the supply chain.
Insurance disruption/InsurTech/BlockChain, most innovation is from break-through start-ups, as opposed to invest and develop solutions of established corporations and these insurers are partnering InsurTech organisations to deliver innovation within their businesses.
As a result, Insurance Management appointments need a strong strategic focus and the ability to drive outsource partners to adopt, implement and drive innovative solutions into their service offering.”
Find Denise Morris on LinkedIn
Rupert Morton, Practice Lead - Wealth Management says:
“We predict one of the main drivers for change this year will be increased merger and acquisition within the sector. Many smaller wealth management companies will be swallowed up by the larger players, as they look to expand their distribution channels and create stronger vertically integrated businesses with clear competitive advantage.
We also expect to see an increase in innovative software solutions being launched by new and disruptive FinTech providers. These providers will capitalise on changing consumer demands, as people look to utilise more digital tools and slicker investment solutions.
There will be a strong demand from clients who need people with knowledge of Adviser technology tools, digital proposition experience, regulatory knowledge (in particular MiFID II) and data / product migration experience.”
Find Rupert Morton LinkedIn
Mark DeLacy, Sales Director - Life & Pensions:
“The start of 2017 has seen increased proposition activity across the broking, and end user communities to drive better customer on-line services and new products.
We’re also seeing a rise in the use of technology to automate processes such as robo-advisors to deliver cost-effective tailored services to customers and reduce unit costs.
The leading pensions and asset management groups will continue to invest in FinTech innovation to gain competitive advantage and innovation.
Tax changes will also continue to challenge the status quo and shape future propositions and customer products, furthermore the mis-selling of SIPP products will be a major challenge to the sector in 2017.
Our clients need strong BAs with good pensions knowledge, it is advantageous to have Agile and SQL for the suppliers, whilst Project Management roles for Change and Regulatory programmes are in demand with GDPR and MiFID featuring strongly.”
Find Mark De Lacy on LinkedIn
For over 30 years, Highams Recruitment has been a leading recruitment supplier across the Insurance, Wealth Management and Pensions sectors within the UK.
Our specialist recruitment knowledge and experience means you can trust our team to quickly provide you with the expertise you need whether you’re looking for your next role or your next hire.
Speak to our team today - phone (0) 1883 341144 or visit www.highams.com to look at our latest vacancies.