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We’re thrilled to announce that 1st Central has been shortlisted in three prestigious categories at the British Insurance Awards this year! 🎉 The awards we're shortlisted for: ⭐ Customer Experience Award ⭐ Digital Insurance Innovation of the Year ⭐ Personal Lines Insurer of the Year This is a fantastic testament to the hard work, innovation, and dedication of our teams. Well done to every colleague who's contributed to this achievement.
March round-up 🔄📸 Here’s a snapshot of what our teams have been up to over the past month: 🥚 The Claims team donated 75 Easter eggs to the Children’s Adventure Farm Trust (CAFTcharity) – supporting children across the North West facing illness, disability, or social disadvantage. ☕ Our Sussex and Manchester colleagues came together for International Women’s Day over coffee and pastries – a great opportunity to connect and celebrate. 🎱 The pool table has landed in our new Guernsey office and is already a hit! 🧼 The Customer Outcomes team put their volunteering hours to great use at the Big Clean at Victoria Baths. 🌻 Our Talent Manager Jemma Roberts raising funds for The Early Birth Association through her Tilly’s Sunflowers growing kits. 🍹 Our EAs and PAs enjoyed a well-earned team get-together outside of work. 🎓 Our Talent team represented 1st Central at Haywards Heath College’s Futures Fair, discussing career opportunities across insurance. 🤝 1st Central × Zingtree team meetup to collaborate on our Customer Experience AI and Agentic journey. A big thank you to all our colleagues for making March a success – from giving back to our communities to driving innovation and building connections across the business.
Our People Pillar Bake Off fundraiser was a showstopper! 🍰✨ A huge round of applause to our Star Bakers ⭐ Internal Communications & Engagement Business Partner Billie Moore & Leadership Development Business Partner Anthony Lambe. From gravity-defying bakes to handshake-worthy creations, our “tent” (okay… offices!) was filled with incredible talent. Best of all, thanks to everyone’s generosity (and love of cake), we raised over £600 for YoungMinds. 💛 An amazing effort for a brilliant cause...well done to everyone who took part!
“Apprenticeships are just for school leavers.” ❌ Meet our apprentices at 1st Central who are experienced professionals, specialists and leaders, all earning while they learn. From building confidence and sharpening communication skills to applying their learning in fast-paced roles, our apprentices show there’s no “one size fits all” path to growth. As we round off National Apprenticeship Week, we’re proud to challenge the stereotypes! Thank you to all our apprentices across the business who help make 1st Central better every day. Visit our careers site to learn more: https://lnkd.in/ezWp2it3 Watch the full Q&A below 👇 #NAW26 #SkillsForLife #LifeAt1stCentral
Investing in the future of vehicle repair 🚗 1st Central and KC Autos are piloting a new apprenticeship pathway to help young people enter the UK body shop and accident repair industry. This partnership uses 1st Central’s apprenticeship levy to support hands-on careers, starting with James, a new MET technician apprentice at KC Autos. Ian Pratt, Engineering Manager at 1st Central shares: “There’s a well-known skills shortage across the repair sector, particularly in technical roles. If we don’t create better entry points now, that gap will only widen. This isn’t just about today’s repairs it’s about the long-term sustainability of the industry.”" By working closely with our repair partners, we’re building skills for the next generation while continuing to deliver high-quality repairs for customers. 👏 A great example of collaboration we're proud to shine a light on this National Apprenticeship Week.
Ever wondered what it’s like to start your career at 1st Central? Meet Aurora Maria Navarro Leon, one of our amazing graduates and now a Technical Pricing Analyst based in our Gibraltar office. Follow along as she walks us through her typical day, showcasing the projects she’s working on and the vibrant culture at 1st Central. Thanks Aurora for showing us your journey, and shoutout to all our grads who’ve been smashing it this year! 🙌
Move for Mental Health 2025 ➡️👟 Our colleagues are taking part in the Movember Move for Mental Health campaign to raise awareness and funds for men’s mental health and Campaign Against Living Miserably. Whether it’s walking the dog, running, refereeing matches, or camping weekends, everyone is finding their own way to get active and support one another to reach their 60k goal. Check out the photos of our awesome team in action 👇
🎉 Congratulations to Chantelle Anderson, 1st Central's Head of Talent, for being recognised at the 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 2025! 🏆 These prestigious awards honour the exceptional achievements of women and their allies in the insurance industry, celebrating their unwavering commitment to driving meaningful change and progress. From starting as a Contact Centre Senior to making an impactful pivot into recruitment, Chantelle now leads our talent acquisition and internal mobility strategies. As Chair of our Gender Equity Network, her leadership and dedication continue to shape our workplace culture. This recognition is so well-deserved, and we couldn’t be prouder of all that Chantelle has accomplished. 👏
A peek into life at 1st Central 👀 Our people are the heartbeat of everything we do. Their energy, innovation, and passion turn our ambitious plans into reality. Here’s a look at September and October: 🧁 Our Data & Analytics apprentices celebrated successes – including running "Dashboard in a Day" sessions – with a fun teambuilding event at the Big Manchester Bake. ⚽ We laced up at Hotel Football, raising funds for our partners Foundation 92 and YoungMinds. 🔥 Head of AI and Advanced Analytics, Alana R., shared our success story at the Databricks Data + AI World Tour in London. 🌱 The Dare to Dream programme returned, with colleagues mentoring students through our partnership with Love Local Jobs Foundation. 🐾 The People team volunteered at the Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare, helping clear new areas for rescued animals. 🎨 Our Teleperformance team in South Africa enjoyed an evening of painting and creativity to unwind together. 🤝 Guernsey colleagues raised funds for Bowel Cancer Guernsey and Business Beats Cancer in a charity 7-a-side football tournament. 🍻 They also made the most of Six Fest in Herm – enjoying live music, great food, and some well-deserved downtime. 🎵 Test Analyst Laura Gravenor won our Lady Gaga concert ticket competition and enjoyed a night of mayhem with her mum! Check out the photos 📸⤵️ #Lifeat1stCentral #WorkLifeBalance #CompanyCulture
🌟 Spotlight on Humeira Aslam, Head of Value Stream (Operations) 🌟 This #WomenInTech Week, we’re proud to celebrate Humeira. From Project Manager to leading large-scale transformations across Insurance, Pricing, and Operations, she is shaping the future of how we work and how we serve our customers. 🗣️ Tell us a bit about your career journey... 💬"I joined 1st Central three years ago as a Project Manager supporting Retail Pricing within Commercial and Marketing. Since then, I’ve progressed through roles such as Product Owner and Strategic Delivery & Change Manager, leading complex transformation across Insurance, Pricing, Trading, and Retention. I'm now Head of Value Streams for Operations where I focus on driving value delivery and continuous improvement across our operational landscape." 🗣️ What 3 skills are essential for tech leaders today? 💬"Strategic vision and the ability to see the bigger picture to align tech initiatives with business goals. Data literacy is also vital. Leaders don’t need to be data scientists, but they must understand how data drives decisions. And lastly, Change Leadership as tech and data transformations often require cultural shifts. Leaders must have the tools to guide teams through ambiguity, resistance, and rapid change." #WomeninTech #Leadership #TechCareers
