WHO WE ARE | Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Paris, Descartes Underwriting was born of the conviction that climate change calls for a revolution in the insurance industry to better protect individuals, businesses, and governments. We provide data-driven insurance products based on satellite imagery and IoT to protect corporate and public sector clients against climate risk and natural catastrophes. Following a Series A funding of 18m USD in September 2020, we opened offices in New York, Singapore, Sydney and London. Today, Descartes’ ambitious and international team of 45+ is proud to protect 150+ clients – several from the Fortune 500 – in 60+ countries.

OUR PURPOSE | Losses from catastrophes and man-made disasters are likely to increase year after year due to demographic density and climate change. We firmly believe that the insurance sector can and must play a critical role in helping enterprises and individuals cope with climate risk. This will require, however, a deep transformation of the sector, as current insurance products often lack transparency, carry expensive premiums, and come with slow claims processing.

OUR APPROACH | True to our namesake, René Descartes, one of the greatest European scientific philosophers of the 17th Century, our company draws a distinct advantage in challenging the approach adopted by traditional insurers. Utilizing forward-looking models and real-time monitoring from satellite imagery, IoT and big data analytics, Descartes’ products help businesses bounce back faster. In collaboration with our partners, our parametric insurance products can serve clients across the globe, from mid-size tickets to EUR +100 million. 

Job Description

We are looking for a Business Development Director who would help us expand in North East Asia (Japan, China, Hong Kong, Korea Taiwan, etc), to develop our network of corporate brokers and nurture our relationship with risk carriers. The position reports to our Head of North East Asia & Australia. We are open to candidates who are based in locations across North East Asia for this role.

ABOUT THE ROLE:
COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT

• Interact with corporate brokers on a daily basis to fuel a strong deal pipeline
• Create and maintain a positive & trust-based relationship with (re)insurers and brokers to secure renewals
• Promote Descartes Underwriting as a centre of excellence for product innovation and climate risk modelling
• Coordinate with relevant stakeholders to ensure smooth underwriting & claim settlement

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

• Contribute to the operational ramp-up of Descartes’ Hub in North East Asia
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements

TEAM WORK

• Effectively collaborate with data science, underwriting and business development teams to meet business objectives
• Develop and promote an inclusive and multi-cultural environment

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

• 3-7 years of experience in the P&C insurance market, ideally as corporate broker
• Working experience in a multi-cultural environment (we are 16+ nationalities within the Descartes’ team in 2022)
• Solid understanding of the North East Asian insurance market and its localized specificities

SKILLS

• Fluency in English (written and verbal communication) – required
• Good command of one additional language (e.g. Japanese, Korean) – valued
• Excellent inter-personal and communication skills
• Strong analytical capabilities and financial acumen

MINDSET

• Entrepreneurial mindset and execution focused
• Excellent team player with the ability to work well in a multi-cultural environment
• Willingness to travel across North East Asia as necessary