Flood models, caving & #CAT. An interview with....Jane Toothill.

Hope everyone is managing to stay safe and well. Although we're in the thick of the lockdown, there are glimmers of optimism emerging from Asia and indeed central Europe.

Recruitment probably isn't at the forefront of peoples minds, which is kind of why I thought this interview-blog was a good idea. It's nice to be able to take a little peek behind the LinkedIn profile. :-)

This week's contribution comes from Jane Toothill of JBA up in beautiful Skipton. I hope you enjoy it, Jane is probably the Industry lead on Flood-related Insurance.

Name: Jane Toothill

 Job: Director, JBA Risk Management

 How do you explain what you do to an elderly relative?: I tell them I work for a company that creates flood maps and model flooding for insurance companies. This is normally the end of the difficult questions because everyone (in Cumbria at least!) has a story to tell about flooding. If they’re more curious I’ll say that I try to work out the possible cost and likelihood of different events for insurance companies.

 Following Coronavirus, what do you think is going to be the hot topic(s) of 2020? I suspect it’s going to be a year of interest in pandemic, but if I limit the question to flooding, then I think the impact of climate change impact will continue to grow as a topic of interest. I hope that the movement to encourage open source modelling and extending the pool of cat model “vendors” will also continue apace.

 Why did you end up doing what you’re doing? Much of my childhood was spent in the hills, and a trip to Iceland when I was 16 confirmed my growing interest in the outdoors, geology, and in particular volcanoes. I went on to take a PhD in volcanology and when I ran out of time and money towards the end, a colleague who had taken a job at EQECAT found me a part time position there. I started out working on configuration files, but it didn’t take me long to become involved in the hazard modelling teams and accepting a full time position was an easy decision once my PhD was complete.  I started modelling hail damage to crops in SW France but quickly became more involved in flood because clients were more interested in that than volcanoes. Later I trained as an International Mountain Leader as an obvious step forwards in my life in the hills, and the resulting combination of cat modelling and the outdoors must be as entertaining as life can get.

 Favorite film? I’m not sure a favourite is possible, but perhaps the most influential film in my life has been Sid Perou’s Sunday at Sunset Pot (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_9CktsqOWM). Sid was the first person to teach me geology and I took up caving after seeing this. It’s very old (1968) but still worth a watch today.

 What excites you most about your job? I think it’s seeing knowledge and skills develop and grow - at all levels from right across the industry to seeing the amazing individuals who work for us expand and progress. I like a flood event to study too… second only to an erupting volcano!

 What would you do if you won the lottery? I think it would be a tough thing to deal with, in terms of staying balanced and happy, and keeping a focus on what really matters. I’d pay off my mortgage and the mortgages of the people who have supported me in life, and send a heap of cash to the Mountain Rescue, the John Muir Trust and the Mountain Bothies Association. I’d probably feel obliged to replace my beaten up old car too.

 What would you say to someone entering the industry?  You’ve made a fantastic career choice, but you will get out what you put in - if you want to get more out, you’ll need to put more in.

 What would you say to your 20 year old self? Other people, no matter how loud and angry, or rich and confident they are, are human too. Don’t be scared or think they are stronger than you: they have all the same emotions, fears and insecurities that you do, and if you can come to understand these, and help them, they will be fine.

Stay safe!

Alex Babic +44(0)7909821353 @QueenscliffTS

#CatastropheModelling #Flood #Insurance