Thailand, private jets – and surety!

I grew up in Bretagne, France, later moving to Toulouse to study international commerce. After my studies, I left France for a year-long adventure in Thailand – an experience that sparked a desire to build a life outside of my hometown.

I thus set my sights on Paris, where I found myself working for a private jet airline as a ground hostess. After completing rigorous certifications, I went on to achieve my goal of becoming an international flight attendant – representing my first real profession! However, when the Covid-19 pandemic struck, the private jet sector was hit hard – leading me to look for more stable opportunities elsewhere.

A friend of mine worked at Allianz Trade and encouraged me to apply to the surety department. This led me to join on a six-month contract as an assistant in commercial services. At the end of my contract, they offered me a more permanent position with more responsibility in the same department.

As someone who had never worked in or significantly studied finance, I had been worried that I wouldn’t be able to rise to the expectations of the job. I therefore felt gratitude when they told me I responded to their needs well and that they wanted to renew my contract. I was thrilled to learn that they really trusted me.

Now, a year and a half after joining the company, I work as a Surety Officer for surety products and guarantees. My role involves managing clients and overseeing the timeline of policies, from issuing the bond to ensuring regulatory compliance throughout each policy period.

My first project in my new role was a challenge: I was made responsible for managing the platform for a new surety offering that had been recently launched. It took a long time to understand what this offering was – plus, I didn’t have much experience with computers and the job wasn’t very intuitive! Luckily, I received lots of support from my colleagues, who gave me helpful reading material that I studied at night.

Managing this platform, I had a lot of direct contact with clients from smaller enterprises. The service I helped to provide was rather tailor-made, giving my work a human scale that made each client relationship unique. I loved this aspect because, working with small companies, I was able to see the impact firsthand.

In Thailand, I worked in variety of short-term, rigorous jobs that helped me develop true professional competences. During my time in the private jet sector, I would be working with clients whose backgrounds I didn’t know, demanding constant adaptation to different cultures and personalities. I would thus need to continuously anticipate needs while providing an impeccable level of service, leading me to learn strong adaptability skills.

So, although the technical side of my role at Allianz Trade was new, my strong work ethic and attention to detail were – and continue to be – assets that I leverage every day. 

I’m proud of how quickly I’ve grown. In a short time, I’ve progressed to a position where I’m a key team member managing major projects and client relationships. It’s been a gratifying experience to build strong connections with colleagues and small businesses while making an impact.

Looking ahead, I would be interested in getting involved in the sustainability sector, but would like acquire more experience in surety before taking on my next challenge.