Meet Chloe Elliott, Liability and Property Manager at KBIS. We sat down with Chloe to learn more about her career, her recent promotion, and her insight into the current equestrian insurance market.
The beginning
Chloe grew up around horses and got her first pony, Fleur, when she was 10 years old. A classic mare, Chloe remembers Fleur and their Pony Club adventures fondly, recounting that many of them ended with Chloe on the floor as Fleur’s sassiness got the better of them frequently.
Chloe’s journey into insurance began when she took an apprenticeship at a Motor insurance company, Be Wiser, whilst considering her long-term plans. At a similar time, her mother was a part-time carer for a gentleman with motor neurone disease, Quentin, who had previously worked for an Aviation reinsurer in London. Quentin learned Chloe had stepped into the insurance world and set up a day of work experience at the office of his previous company. Chloe credits her career to date and knowledge gained to Quentin, describing it as incredibly eye-opening to learn just how specialist insurance could be and the variety of paths it could take you down. This encouraged her to take insurance from an interim job to a long-term career. As a result, Chloe completed her apprenticeship and gained her Cert CII qualification.
From here, Chloe went on to work for A-Plan (now Howden) for four years, where she gained experience across Agricultural and Home insurance, and furthered her knowledge of Motor insurance. Working her way up to New Business Manager solidified the foundations for managing an insurance book as well as a team of individuals.
The journey
Chloe’s love of horses continued through the years. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Chloe was more grateful than ever for her thoroughbred mare Bella, as she was the reason she was able to leave her top-floor flat twice a day. This escape, Chloe recalls, kept her sane throughout these tough months.
When the role of Client Administrator came up at KBIS, Chloe felt it was a no-brainer to apply as the role married up her passion for horses with her insurance experience. Securing the role meant Chloe joined the KBIS Liability and Property team in September 2022.
“Being able to combine my career with my passion for horses was a dream come true. Plus, there are dogs in the office – it’s a win-win!” – Chloe Elliott, Liability and Property Manager
With her background in Property insurance, Chloe spent the first few months at KBIS working on these lines and this meant she hit the ground running. A few months in, Chloe began learning the Liability side of things, starting with Freelance quotes and policies and progressing to the larger, more complex Yard and combined policies. The team then split into new business (processing enquiries and quotes) and existing business (renewals and mid-term adjustments). Chloe was asked to manage the new business side from a workflow point of view, which was a big responsibility but tied in nicely with her experience of team management from previous roles.
The destination
In September 2023, the Liability and Property Manager role came up and Chloe recalls it felt like a big step up but a logical one, combining her product knowledge and management experience. Being offered this promotion was a full circle moment one year on from joining KBIS and is Chloe’s proudest career moment to date. This stands out particularly for Chloe, as it’s the largest team she has managed and the Liability product was entirely new eight months prior, but the commitment she has to others, both customers and colleagues, means she has the skills necessary to support the team and KBIS clients seamlessly.
As Liability and Property Team Manager, Chloe’s role is centred around helping people. Concentrating on managing team workflow, delivering training across the team, and fully integrating new team members quickly and effectively, Chloe drives the team to be as efficient and knowledgeable as possible for the benefit of KBIS policyholders.
The future
The future is exciting for Chloe and her team. With an increasing variety of equestrian individuals and businesses seeking cover, and regulations and requirements constantly evolving, the department must stay ahead of the curve when it comes to understanding these and the risks they involve. This will allow them to put together the most appropriate policy for KBIS customers. The key to this is truly understanding what it is our clients are offering as a service, researching this area, and then representing the client to approach underwriters for the most suitable terms.
With guidance around health and safety and licensing laws always evolving, Chloe acknowledges the impact this has on equestrian businesses and individuals but feels strongly that this is an important step in a positive direction for the industry as a whole. With the growing awareness of the importance of health and safety, people are increasingly conscious of their own practices and procedures. Organisations such as The British Horse Society are championing this and contributing to the wider conversation which Chloe credits as being influential in the equestrian insurance market.
“The more aware people are, and the higher health and safety standards are, the fewer claims will be made which keeps insurance premiums as low as possible.” – Chloe Elliott, Liability and Property Manager.
Alongside her new role, and with Bella in retirement, Chloe has a five-year-old ex-racehorse Oakley, who she is in the process of retraining. They may aim at a competition or two in the future, but for Chloe, having horses is all about the pleasure of owning and riding them, so they are looking forward to learning and exploring the countryside together.
For those who are considering joining the insurance industry, Chloe has one piece of advice: “Know there are countless opportunities. Whatever your interest, there will be an element of insurance and an angle to get involved. Give it a try and you will likely be surprised.”
Quickfire questions
Favourite horse, past or present? Nijinsky – Bella has Nijinsky bloodlines.
Least enjoyable horsey job? Hay nets.
Biggest inspiration? Possibly cliché but Lawrence Gill [Executive Director at KBIS] because I am following a similar path to him in terms of joining KBIS as a Client Administrator and working my way up. He is heading up the company and still has time to help us all and for his horses – talk about inspirational!
Contact Chloe or our Liability and Property team to discuss your personal or equestrian business insurance needs.