People
Alan joined the La Playa Board in 2000. He trained as an investment analyst with Bankers Trust Company before becoming a specialist retail analyst with stockbrokers Spencer Thornton and then moving to The Royal Trust Company of Canada as a fund manager. Having decided he had had enough of analysing other people's businesses, he left to join an industrial group. Alan has headed several companies and now works principally in property development in the UK and overseas, with interests in Spain and Eastern Europe - as well as working on La Playa's corporate development.
With twenty years' experience in the industry, Mark Boon is a specialist in insurance for the media, arts and technology fields. He has in-depth understanding of working practice in these areas, and first hand experience of handling multi-million pound claims. Mark Boon is an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute.
Matthew Mullee has nineteen years of insurance broking and underwriting experience, and with professional studies at the Regent Academy of Fine Arts, has developed a wealth of specialist knowledge in the field. He is an expert in insurance for period property and listed buildings, as well as for art, antiques and jewellery collections.
As well as over fifteen years experience in the farms and estates insurance market, Doug has extensive, hands-on farming experience and is a specialist in Health & Safety. It is the latter which has enabled him to improve risks and negotiate first-class rates with insurers.
Matthew is one of the most experienced insurance brokers in the UK's science and technology sectors. He joined us from Lark Insurance, where he had responsibility for their technology brand TMX Risk Solutions. Matthew has over twenty years' experience in commercial insurance, three of which were spent in Saudi Arabia advising major oil and construction companies on their risk management and insurance programmes. He has developed an in-depth understanding of the risks associated with emerging and disruptive technologies and the exposures such companies face. Matthew is an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute, and a Chartered Insurance Broker. He can be seen each evening leather-clad, speeding off into the night on his Triumph bike.
Swedish-born Hanna Beaumont joined us in 2006 from the City, where she spent six years in commercial insurance and risk management at Aon, looking after UK and global technology clients. Hanna is a qualified Member of the Institute of Risk Management and, from La Playa's base at the hub of Cambridge's "Silicon Fen", she advises technology companies on insurance and risk management issues in both Life Sciences and ICT. Hanna also enjoys horse riding, running, water skiing, cycling, golf, reading and painting.
Liz has worked in insurance for over 25 years, and has an in-depth understanding of both corporate and private insurances. She has specialist knowledge of insuring listed and period property, including renovation and restoration work. Liz's private interests include jewellery design - and she was a founding member and fund-raiser for Cambridge Skater Hockey Club.
Matthew Dover joined us from Ecclesiastical Insurance Group where he was a senior Commercial Underwriter. Matthew holds a law degree, is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Insurers and, having lived in Africa and Indonesia, includes Indonesian among his spoken languages. Originally hailing from Dundee in Scotland, he also plays the bagpipes! Matthew is pioneering La Playa's work in insuring heritage commercial property.
Juliet's background is in arts marketing. A Cambridge music graduate, she also has qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Marketing and is a member of the Arts Marketing Association. Juliet joined La Playa in 1999 and is responsible for all marketing and PR operations, including editorship of the legendary News from the Beach!
Katie is an English literature graduate, from Greek and Australian descent and joined La Playa in April 2008. Previously working in the environmental sector, Katie joins the editorial team for News from the Beach as well as working in event management and all aspects of our marketing. A beach aficionado, Katie also considers herself a Ballroom and Latin dancing queen.
Tracey left the City to join us in September 2007 from Aon, where she advised businesses ranging from mid-sized to global on their insurance portfolios. Tracey has nearly two decades' experience in insurance and spent a year as a Business Improvement Analyst. She enjoys cooking, calligraphy, football, travel and cinema.
Paula is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Insurance and was previously a City loss adjuster and more recently worked at a Cambridge broker. She has 15 years' experience in the industry, and particularly in claims and commercial broking. Her private interests include music and being a "fair-weather" sailor.
Mike joined us in September 2007, with over thirty years' experience in underwriting and broking. Formerly a director of Moffat Saunders, Mike initiated the private client division there, and built up a client base of individuals with complicated assets to insure. His prickly passion is growing cactuses, a field in which he has become a renowned expert! Mike is a regular supplier of plants to Kew Gardens.
Amy was previously a Technical Underwriter at NIG in Peterborough, where she specialised in Electronic Data Interchange, and prior to that worked at Countrywide Insurance Marketing. Amy is a keen artist, enjoys interior design and architecture, and still has energy for horse-riding, dancing and kick-boxing. She joined La Playa in October 2005.
Gareth joined us in 2006 for a marketing research project, and moved to the Private Client Division in July 2007. Prior to this, he studied Business Management at Anglia Ruskin University. Gareth spends his evenings in the studio as a dance music producer/engineer and describes himself as a "bit of a gym junkie".
Julie has worked in financial services for twenty years, as Branch Manager at the Woolwich Building Society and then in financial planning at N W Brown and Company in Cambridge. She keeps a watchful eye on the La Playa systems, and helped to develop our bespoke relational database. Outside work, Julie is Manager and Coach of the Histon Hornets Girls Football Team.
Chris joined us from Ernst and Young's audit team in Cambridge, prior to which he worked for the Financial Services Consulting group of RSM Robson Rhodes in London. He brings to the company a doctorate in Computer Science, accountancy experience, and a splendid collection of red socks. He oversees La Playa's finances, facilities management and HR.
Jenny joined us in 2007 from her Business Studies degree course at Kingston University. Jenny endures Chris' endless wit on the joys of tax and the FSA, and lets off steam through dancing, badminton, squash, swimming and athletics. Jenny has a strong interest in travel and spent three years living in Asia.
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Matthew Dover ACII, Heritage Property Account Executive
Katie Gouskos, Marketing Assistant
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Telephone: 01223 200650 | Email: intelligence@laplaya.co.uk Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority |