Name: Vince Wilkins
Title: Underwriter
Company: Vantage Underwriting Agency
Website: vantageua.co.uk

About the company:

We are a leading, privately owned, independent underwriting agent providing insurance capacity for personal and commercial products, either individually or via schemes.

Vince Wilkins

How did you get into your line of work?

Vince has 29 years’ experience in the insurance industry, firstly as a Lloyds Broker and for the past six years as an Underwriter at Vantage.

What do you do day-to-day?

Provide insurance quotations for liability and crisis management insurance for Tour Operators and Travel Agents around the world.

What’s the most exciting part of your role?

Working with the travel industry to ensure they have appropriate levels of cover and, in the case of crisis work, assisting in the formulation of crisis management plans and seeing those plans through when a claim occurs.

What will you be discussing ay ABiC?

What is a crisis and what it can do to your company. How to be ready – the worst time to plan for a crisis is when you’re in one. It’s your crisis so how do you want to deal with it? Working through a crisis. Running your business through a crisis. Paying for a crisis and surviving to trade another day. Case studies.

What type of companies/individuals will find the talk be relevant to?

Principals & owners of tour operators, travel operators, travel agents, schools trip organisers & anyone who arranges travel.

How will they benefit from the talk?

Awareness of the expectations of their business from the customers, families and the media during and after a crisis. The costs of crisis management and the costs of doing nothing.

In your field, what exciting developments will 2012 bring?

Being able to work with the travel industry as they innovate and change. We will change with them and cover them for the best and worst of times.

How best can the travel industry use social media and the internet?

This industry is one of the most competent and innovative users of social media & the web. In crisis management it can be an advantage or a curse depending on how it is used.

What’s your favourite travel destination?

Southern France

Where’s your favourite place in London?

The Dorchester

Sum up the capital in five words:

Vibrant, Sassy, Happening, Fun, Amazing.