Spotlight on…is an initiative of WICI (Women in Credit Insurance) aiming at highlighting females working in the Trade Credit Insurance business. Every month, a new interview article will be published on ICISA website.

In June, the spotlight is on Lisa Humphries from Xenia.

What is your favourite part of your job?

My role cuts across a number of areas in the business, but for me the most enjoyable aspect is looking after clients, sorting their problems out and renewing their policies. I have a number of clients that I have known or looked after for over 20 years and these have become friends as well as clients.

What is one frequent mistake you witness leaders making?

Not listening or taking other people’s opinions into account.

How did you get to where you are today?

I started in 1988 and at that time there were only two insurers, Trade Indemnity for UK trade and ECGD for export trade. There were no online systems and my first job was to telex credit limits to insurers. From there I was promoted to an Account Broker then to Account Executive and Account Director/Manager. In 2003 I started Credit Risk Solutions with two others and in 2018 the business was acquired and become part of Xenia. The rest, as they say, is history.

What are the biggest challenges facing our industry?

The lack of ‘new blood’ into our industry over the last 15 years, which means we have an industry where a lot of experience has been lost due to retirement. There isn’t enough new trainees coming in to replace the loss of experience.

What are you proudest of having achieved to date?

Bringing in trainees straight from school or college with no work experience or understanding of what credit insurance is, and watching them develop, grow and be promoted within the business.

What helps you to unwind/destress?

Reading, swimming, gardening and a few white wine spritzers while watching the world go by!

If you could be anyone for a day who would you be and why?

There are so many to choose from however, it would have to be the suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, founder of the Women’s Social and Political Union, which changed the shape of politics when women got the vote.