Keith Lee is an Associate Director in Charles Taylor Adjusting Natural Resources.

Keith has been with Charles Taylor since 2014 and is based in Singapore.

What made you join CT?

I had previously worked with Mike McMahon and we’d stayed in touch over the years. When he told me that CT were looking for someone with an engineering background who understands UK culture but also has an appreciation for the Asian world, it got me thinking. I really liked working in the UK but after a bit of deliberation, and with family in Asia, this felt like a great opportunity. So I joined CT in 2014 and spent the first 6 months in London before moving to Singapore in March 2015. Having never worked in Asia before it was like coming home but in a very different working environment and I’m delighted to say I’ve not looked back.

What does your job entail on a day-to-day basis?

Currently my day is focussed around responding to clients’ emails, Teams calls, virtual conferences and desktop reviews. Due to the pandemic we can't go to sites so we rely on local colleagues in-country for full visibility on site. 70% of my work comes from China so normally I would travel to China every couple of months.

What is your favourite thing about working for Charles Taylor Adjusting?

I really like the team. London and Singapore are very aligned. I really like my manager and the leadership. We work together to bring our expertise to the table so that as a team we are much stronger. The company rewards people well and provides the necessary tools to us for work flexibly.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

I ask myself now why I didn’t join this industry earlier so I would say to myself: go for it. Insurance is interesting because you have underwriting, claims and risk consulting: for the business to thrive all three need to work well together. With hindsight, it might have been useful to have gained experience in the other areas as well as loss adjusting. I joined with an engineering background. As an engineer I ran projects - engineering and project management. They were highly technical, and much of that work involved interpreting contract wording. Insurance isn't as black and white as engineering; there is always room for interpretation. In my current role I get to work with lawyers which can be very interesting.

"Insurance is interesting because you have underwriting, claims and risk consulting: for the business to thrive all three need to work well together."

Keith Lee