Introducing D&G’s Chief Risk Officer, Tom Hughes, and job area of risk at D&G

When did you join D&G? 

I joined in May 2018. 

What does your journey to the Chief Risk Officer at D&G look like? 

I completed my Chartered Accountancy training at Deloitte after university and worked in finance for a few years afterwards at HSBC, RSA Insurance Group and AXA. Then one day my manager at AXA explained that their Risk and Compliance Director was moving on and would I be interested in the role as I had transferrable skills. I went for it and found the role more varied, interesting and fulfilling than I ever imagined. Then D&G reached out to me in late 2017 and I found the opportunity totally compelling – thankfully I was offered the role and the last four and a half years has been a brilliant experience working with some fantastic people.

What does your team do at D&G? 

We’re responsible for regulatory compliance, risk, data privacy and quality assurance. In simple terms, I would say that we exist to protect the business, its customers and employees from harm. And we do this by partnering with all functions and stakeholders in a proactive way to provide support, advice and guidance.

What is the typical background of someone in risk? 

The beauty of a career in risk is that you can be successful from any background, irrespective of qualifications and experience, so long as you enjoy learning and working with people. I read a comment on LinkedIn recently that risk professionals needed a statistics background in order to be successful, which I don’t agree with at all! 

What would you advise someone if they’re interested in joining the world of risk? 

My advice would be to reach out to people working in risk for advice and guidance, as we are always keen to welcome new entrants to the profession!

What did you do today? 

I went to the Association of British Insurers Offices in Central London, which is the industry body representing Insurers and Pension Providers. I sit on the General Insurance Executives Forum with representatives from other Insurers, where we talk about key industry topics such as new laws, regulations and economic trends. It’s a privilege to represent D&G in this forum to ensure we have a strong voice in the industry.

How would you describe the culture at D&G? 

Our culture is one of customer centricity, where we look to support and protect our customers when they need us. We are becoming increasingly agile and tech-enabled, which puts us in a good position to support our customers with new services and solutions in the future.

What is something exciting in your world at the moment? 

I have loved being a dad for the third time this year as baby Lucas was born in May. And our everyday flexibility proposition has made a big difference to me personally, as it has enabled me to spend valuable time with my family and watch my children grow up, whilst feeling more connected to my global colleagues than ever before. 

What does it mean to you to be a part of a global business? 

I’m proud to lead a global team and love travelling to meet with our teams as my functions are represented in every D&G office across all territories. I enjoy learning about the local culture in each location and take time to listen to how we can become even more effective as a global team. We are on a journey but making great progress.

What do you love most about your job? 

I love working with our people to build solutions that protect our business, people and customers whilst enabling innovation and growth. I also love the variety of my role – no two days are ever the same!

What would you say to someone thinking about joining D&G?

We are on a fantastic journey with a clear vision and a great culture – come join us!