Richard and Julie-anne Headington give an insight into their life as loss adjusters
Like any year, 2019 has had its ups and downs, and one of the secrets of any successful person or business is learning to roll with the punches during challenging times. But imagine if every situation you dealt with was another person’s disaster. What if almost every phone call announced a devastating situation and it was your team called upon to assess the situation and guide your clients through the next steps?
That’s a reasonable description of a normal day in the office at Channel Islands Adjusters, led by husband and wife team Richard and Julie-anne Headington. Chartered Loss Adjusters are the industry experts in navigating the process in the event of an insurance claim. It’s a specialist area requiring expert knowledge and skills, along with a full understanding of the insurance industry.
For a couple who deal with disasters every day, Richard and Julie-anne are incredibly optimistic, rational and reassuring. Not surprising, considering they have combined experience of more than five decades in the industry and established CI Adjusters 15 years ago.
“I suppose, if you think about it, no one ever really wants to be contacted by a loss adjuster,” admits Richard, “because inevitably it means that you’ve had an issue in your home or business. The thing is, as we always say, ‘It happens’. And when it does, you need the right people on hand to help guide you through the process so that you can get back to normal life as soon as possible.”
2019 has been another milestone year for Richard and Julie-anne, who were the first married couple in the world to both become Chartered Loss Adjusters. Earlier this year, they celebrated their 10,000th case and Finance Director Julie-anne became both an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute and a Chartered Insurance Practitioner.
With her Chartered Loss Adjuster status, this means she is now ‘double chartered’ and joins Richard as the only two loss adjusters in the Channel Islands to hold this ‘double chartered’ status.
Spend an hour in CI Adjusters’ office and it becomes clear that no two days are ever the same. The team bounce in from and out to site visits, assessing damage to residential and commercial properties across Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Herm and Sark. Most commonly, this is water damage, fire or storm, but it can encompass any accident or mishap in the home that’s large enough to warrant their specialist knowledge.
“What you have to remember,” says Julie-anne, “is that every case we deal with is personal and every disaster is relative to the individual experiencing it. Some people face moving out of their homes or vacating business premises for extended periods, and all of the challenges that come with that can seem devastating.
"Our job is to make that process as smooth as possible, helping with everything from alternative accommodation to getting the right contractor on site who can complete the job to the client’s specification.”
Key to their roles are specialist knowledge and strong relationships with the panel of Channel Island insurers and contractors. Alongside Richard and Julie-anne is a team they describe as “the future of the loss adjusting industry in the Channel Islands”.
Both Josh Smith and Aaron Slattery have passed their final exams to become Chartered Loss Adjusters and, by the end of 2019, will also be ‘time qualified’, making the team the most qualified by far in the Channel Islands.
The crew is ably assisted by Office Manager Tracy Le Page, and the pride in their team and camaraderie is tangible. Julie-anne explains: “Tracy, Josh and Aaron’s hard work and dedication mean that the islands will benefit from locally-grown loss adjusters leading the industry for the next 40 years or more.”
As for the future, the team isn’t stopping at its latest set of qualifications, with more on the horizon. Josh and Aaron are currently studying for the British Damage Management Association’s Insurance Technician qualification and Tracy is studying for her Loss Adjusting Certificate.
Meanwhile, Richard is helping to share the company’s expertise in the CI market with the wide range of insurers offering services in the islands. He says: “Our local knowledge means claims are more likely to complete to both the client and insurer’s satisfaction, which is a win-win for everyone.”
Julie-anne adds: “It’s exciting times – and we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
For more information, visit ciadjusters.com
Pictured: (L-R) Julie-anne Headington, Aaron Slattery, Josh Smith, Richard Headington and Tracy Le Page
• This advertising feature was first published in the September/October edition of Businesslife magazine