Thursday 27th June saw members of DUAL Asset and some of our wonderful clients descend on The Grange Hotel Tower Hill to attend the Reactions London Market Awards, where our very own Sarah Gateaud had been nominated for the “Up and Coming Underwriter of the Year Award”. After a champagne reception and dinner, the winners were announced and Sarah had won! It was also a great night for the wider Hyperion Group, as David Howden CEO won “Insurance Broking CEO of the Year” and Hyperion X won “Innovator of the Year” making it a Hyperion hat-trick!

Sarah had been nominated for this award by one of our lawyer clients, who Sarah had impressed with her handling and underwriting of a complex portfolio transaction (for which she created an innovative insurance solution).

All of us at DUAL Asset were extremely proud of Sarah in receiving her nomination, but none more so than myself, being her line manager. I think it is fair to say that two and a half years ago Sarah probably never expected to become an insurance underwriter, but a chance meeting with DUAL Asset’s Kirstin Nee put her on the path to underwriting stardom. Kirstin was in an All Bar One in Holborn one Saturday afternoon (possibly enjoying an espresso martini or five), where Sarah was working as the bar manager. Notoriously fond of a chat, Kirstin got talking to Sarah and discovered that she has a Master of Laws degree and is fluent in French with basic proficiency in Spanish. Kirstin was so impressed with the way in which Sarah was handling a very busy bar that she suggested that Sarah send her CV in to us at DUAL Asset, as we are always looking for people with a wide range of skills.

The rest is history and having started with very little knowledge about title insurance, Sarah has now won an award for her underwriting. In the last two and half years, I have witnessed Sarah strive at every possible opportunity to further her underwriting knowledge. She challenges and pushes herself on a daily basis, whether it be leading a conference call with our French clients or helping me out of a hole with my own caseload at the drop of a hat (if I am stuck in a meeting or travelling for example). She is a diligent, hardworking, and extremely helpful member of the DUAL Asset team and I couldn’t be prouder of her. Congratulations Sarah!

If you have any questions please contact Kelly Lines, Senior Underwriter, DUAL Asset Underwriting on +44 (0)7395 788 957 or klines@dualgroup.com