Employee Spotlight: Nina Evans

1. Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us.

I am a black belt in Shotokan karate (I haven’t practised since I was 17, but it still counts!). I am also really quiet three times – and only three times - a day – when eating 😊.

Cuddle my cat, drink prosecco, listen to Ariana Grande and watch real life crime documentaries.

3. What you are responsible for at Optio?

I joined the Optio family in June 2021. My main responsibility is to ensure Optio functions in an ethical manner and meets its regulatory obligations whilst reaching its commercial goals. On a day to day basis this means maintaining a working relationship with our regulator(s), developing compliance programs, reviewing company policies, undertaking sanctions checks, advising management on potential risks and, most importantly, making sure you all complete your CPD of course! 😊

For me, rather than career lessons it would be a handful of top things to always remember, which I have bullet pointed below:

• You will make mistakes. It’s normal and inevitable. Allow these mistakes to help you grow rather than shrink you.
• If it scares you, it’s usually a good thing to try (even if it doesn’t feel like it at the time!)
• Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no-one is watching.
• The most important key to success is having the discipline to do what you know should be done, even when you don’t feel like doing it (which for me is usually a Friday afternoon!).
• Being ambitious and working hard are positive qualities, but never forget to prioritise your work/life balance, otherwise life will whizz by you.

Definitely the concrete jungle where dreams are made of – New York! It has the perfect balance of hustle and bustle and chilled vibes. Plus pizza slices the size of your head.

To be honest? By complete accident! In my experience the majority of people who work in insurance ‘fell into it’ rather than planned to be in it. I attended Nottingham Trent University and I graduated in 2012 with a 1^st class degree in Law and Criminology. Like every student, I then started manically sending out my CV and meeting with recruiters. I landed a temporary role at the Medical Defence Union, a company that provides medical indemnity to healthcare professionals. I was plonked in the insurance department and assisted with any claims made against the healthcare professionals. I then went on to work at the Financial Ombudsman Service (‘FOS’) as an adjudicator making impartial judgements on complaints brought by a policyholder against an insurer/broker/IFA. After working my way up the ranks at the FOS, I then worked at JLT, Capita and Canopius in various compliance roles before joining Optio in 2021. Behind the scenes was the completion of the well known CII exams with a sprinkling of compliance and Lloyd’s related qualifications too (I know, I really do have too much energy!). Luckily (?!) for me, my role at Optio is extremely busy, broad and challenging, so for now I have paused the completion of taking exams to fully focus on embedding a top notch compliance function within Optio, which I truly enjoy every day (even the days I swear more than usual 😊).