July 05, 2022
With over 18 years of expertise under her belt, Sandra Lee has gone from a physical damage adjuster to AXA XL - Canada’s new Head of Claims. In a familiar tale among insurance professionals, Sandra’s start in the industry was indeed a happy chance. In this exchange, Sandra talks about the challenges in the market and her goals for her team.
Tell us how you got your start in the industry.
SL: I never had career plans to get into insurance. It was just something I fell into. I was fresh out of university and looking for a job. A friend of mine was in the industry working for an insurance company. She recommended that I apply for a job at her company.
I was hired as a physical damage adjuster. That was 2004. It was my first foray into the insurance world. From there, an opportunity came up within the Casualty Claims Department and I knew instantly that that was where I wanted to be. I remained in Casualty with increasing responsibility and promotions along the way. I joined AXA XL in 2019 because I was attracted to being a part of a global organization and their reputation of providing solutions for complex risks.
What types of issues is your team facing in terms of the market? What things keep you up at night?
One issue that is impacting businesses everywhere – talent. Perhaps it is a byproduct of the pandemic, but we are finding that there has been a lot of movement within the overall insurance industry. There are a lot of job opportunities out there and the industry is competing for a small market of candidates.
Social inflation and economic conditions are other issues that are beginning to impact claims in Canada. While social inflation in Canada is not impacting us at the same level as in the US market, we are finding that the value of claims is increasing. Inflation and supply chain issues are also impacting values.
As you take the helm at the claims division, what are some of the things you hope to concentrate on, or have already set as initiatives?
My team and I are working hard to get more exposure in the market. I’m really proud of the claims team we have and the service levels we offer. I want to make sure that when clients and our broking partners think of AXA XL, our amazing claims service is top of mind and our ability to collaborate with them to meet their expectations.
How are you achieving that?
We are walking the talk. With our existing clients, we are making sure that we are meeting their service levels and expectations by customizing the experience that may be unique to their own needs. We’re collaborating with our Underwriters to showcase our claims value proposition at broker meetings.
...We protect what matters. We work hard to make our processes sustainable and align our efforts with the client’s goals.
When it comes to claims in general, what do you hope that brokers will glean from a relationship with your claims team?
What really differentiates us is our claims service. That's the one thing that I want people to think of when they think of AXA XL. Coverages may be the same, but this is the place to be when a claim occurs.
We are more than a payor – we’re a partner. We work together with the broker and their client as a team to manage risks. Our claims team is diverse across all different categories. That gives us a diversity of perspective that most claim teams do not have. Our team comes from different backgrounds and has different experiences to bring to each claim scenario. That informs their expertise. That allows us to meet market and global needs and mandates.
Also, we protect what matters. We work hard to make our processes sustainable and align our efforts with the client’s goals. We do it all with a laser focus on the Canada market and the needs that are specific to that audience. Brokers working with us will have an experienced, committed team of experts who are there to walk through claims, communicate through the entire claim lifecycle, and help each of their clients come to some sort of resolution.
That’s my ultimate goal – to build the trust and the relationships that move everyone forward as a team in order to best serve our clients.
