How international travel shaped an interdisciplinary career
Employee Spotlight
At 31 years old, Nancy Hu is proud to say she has just as many stamps in her passport as trips around the sun. A Chinese citizen and passionate traveler, she believes that her love of learning about other cultures, her willingness to step outside her comfort zone, and her desire to discover other ways of thinking have taught her important lessons that have helped her succeed in her career at SCOR.
According to Nancy, the bright and unique views of Iceland’s rugged landscape, the opportunity to disconnect completely in Tanzania, and the USA’s advancement and development earned these countries a place in her top three. But her time in France, where she had an exchange year while earning her bachelor’s degree in finance, perhaps taught her the most.
“Traveling makes me more open-minded and courageous in my personal and professional life,” Nancy said. “This experience has made me accepting of diversity of thoughts and views and respect people from different backgrounds and cultures, which has been crucial for my work here at SCOR.”
And it shouldn’t be surprising that Nancy has found success at SCOR when her personal values align so closely with the Group’s corporate values – both “courage” and “open minds” are among those identified in The SCOR Way and help to guide our employees’ work, our strategic approach, and how we go about creating solutions that address some of the biggest challenges faced by our insurance clients and societies.
While completing her master’s degree in applied statistics and actuarial science, Nancy started her career in the reinsurance industry as a Life and Health pricing actuary intern at Swiss Re. Then she stepped into the P&C reinsurance industry as a Pricing and CAT modeling actuary at PICC Re before joining SCOR three years ago as a business analyst (BA).
“In my days as a business analyst, I worked closely with a diverse global team, where collaboration across different cultural backgrounds was essential,” Nancy said. “I embraced the opportunity to connect with colleagues from various parts of the world, which enriched my learning experience and broadened my perspective.”
© Nancy Hu
This experience showed her the value of continuous learning and the importance not only of growing her technical skills, but also of applying the soft skills she already encountered in her international experiences.
“In my early days, I focused heavily on developing hard skills and specific techniques such as coding and mastering complex tools,” she said. “But during my time as a business analyst, my perspective shifted. I realized that what truly matters is the ability to solve problems effectively, communicate results clearly to different audiences, and deliver high-quality outcomes in a fast-paced environment.”
This shift in perspective, paired with her willingness to take on new challenges recently opened the door to a new opportunity: joining the P&C treaty underwriting team in Beijing, China. This is a challenge that promises to satisfy her craving for adventure and new opportunities, while also giving her the chance to apply both the hard and soft skills she has gained through these personal and professional experiences.
“I see this shift in my career as a natural, steady progression,” she said. “After honing the necessary skills and gaining a solid grasp of the business and the interplay of its functions, it's time to move up to the ‘frontlines’ – where the real action happens.”
In her new role now, she will be responsible for developing, marketing, and underwriting profitable property treaty accounts. Over time, she will also step into client management, a role that demands top-notch communication skills and the ability to collaborate across various business lines.
Looking back on her career so far, Nancy has three pieces of advice for industry newcomers:
- Talk to people in different areas and functions. “It will help you have different points of views, learn, and grow as a person,” she said.
- Don’t neglect soft skills just because you’re focused on acquiring hard skills. “The hard skills that you learn in school are always evolving and changing,” she said, “but developing skills like problem-solving, emotional intelligence, and empathy are important no matter which position and phase you are in your career.”
- And, finally, learning is never a waste of time – so don’t stop! “Continuous leaning will help you evolve regardless of where you are in your career or what your role is.”
