A Bahamian insurance broker, who recently became the first female Bahamian insurance broker to work at Lloyd's of London, has advised all young Bahamians eyeing careers in financial services to gain work experience abroad, if given the opportunity.
Deandra Major, a broker for Endeavour Insurance Services (EDV) in London, has become arguably the first Bahamian to earn a permanent job with a Lloyd's insurance firm, the world's largest specialty insurance market.
"If you have the opportunity to work abroad, I would definitely go for it because I can't put a value on the experience I've gained," said Major during an interview with Guardian Business.
Major started as a part-time office assistant at Morgan-White Administrators Bahamas (MWAB), which manages a Lloyds medical program, in 2008 while she was still enrolled in a business studies program at The College of The Bahamas.
MWAB Director David Reynolds claimed that Major's accomplishments represented several firsts for the country.
"I believe that this has got to be a first for The Bahamas; the first Bahamian to be given a permanent job with a firm of Lloyd's brokers, the first Bahamian placing broker qualified to go into Lloyd's and definitely the first female Bahamian Lloyd's broker," said Reynolds.
Major's foray into the London insurance market began when, after five years working with MWAB, she was offered an internship with EDV, Morgan-White's corresponding brokers in London.
Major began her internship with EDV in July 2013 and was promoted from her back-office internship position to a position as commercial property broker placing individual risks with underwriters within the Lloyd's building after only a few weeks.
Endeavour offered several extensions before offering
Major a permanent position, which she gladly accepted. Major is currently in The Bahamas spending time with family.
"I'm basically a woman working in a man's world," said Major, noting that she aimed for a senior broker position before returning to The Bahamas in the future.
"Morgan-White was where I decided I wanted to have a career in insurance. Working at Morgan-White, dealing with the policies and people, learning from Mr. Reynolds and his great knowledge of insurance, and going through the examinations, at that point I decided that this was what I wanted to do.
"If you're doing something that you love, it's not really a job. I love my job and wake up every morning ready to go," said Major.
Reynolds argued that The Bahamas needs more people like Major in the international financial services sector and felt that Major's achievements should encourage fellow Bahamians to seek international qualifications and experience, thereby reducing The Bahamas' dependency on foreign financial service experts.
"She obviously has a lot to offer the insurance market. The experience she's gained in the past year has only been brought in by expatriate staff in the past. Yes, you can get somebody from London, but it relates so much better when it's a Bahamian coming home and they've done it, been there, and understand the market.
"We want to be an international insurance center. The Bahamas government has expressed their intent of becoming an international insurance and reinsurance center, as Bermuda and Cayman have done, and you're not going to ever do that unless you have a pool of professionally trained people," stated Reynolds.

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