2018 Women to Watch EMEA: Debbie Hobbs
Posted On: Dec. 3, 2018 12:00 AM CST
Debbie Hobbs
Senior underwriter and product development lead
EmergIn Risk, a unit of Ryan Specialty Group LLC
London
Age: 37
Debbie Hobbs played an integral role in the formation of EmergIn Risk, according to colleagues, and is proud of the way the company has evolved.
“Helping to build an amazing team and watching them individually and collectively grow in this market has been extremely rewarding — and I am excited for what’s next,” she said of EmergIn Risk, a managing general underwriter owned by Ryan Specialty Group LLC that started in 2016, for which she is senior underwriter and product development lead.
A lawyer by training, Ms. Hobbs began her career at an insurance-focused firm and quickly grew to love the insurance industry. This prompted her to move to work for an insurer in claims, and her passion for the industry led her to the underwriting side and later a management role. She joined EmergIn Risk in 2016.
“I find the industry to be very dynamic and I enjoy the variety that the job brings,” she said.
Ms. Hobbs believes it is crucial that young people continue to join what is “a dynamic and exciting industry filled with opportunity.”
“I am seeing more and more intelligent young women filling junior roles, which I believe is a reflection of the times,” she said.
“I encourage them to be ambitious and strive to achieve their goals,” she added.
“My view is that often women lack an element of self-belief, in comparison to men, despite having all of the necessary attributes to be successful. I hope to inspire, and continue to encourage and support, women to back themselves and have confidence in knowing what they want to accomplish and how to get there,” she said.
This, Ms. Hobbs believes, will see more and more and more women holding senior positions in what has been traditionally a male-dominated industry.
Jamie Bouloux, London-based CEO of EmergIn Risk, describes Ms. Hobbs’ professionalism and leadership as “inalienable.” He says it is her “ability to connect with her team and the wider market that sets her apart.”
When she isn’t working, Ms. Hobbs enjoys riding her horse. She has recently taken up golf, she plays netball, a seven-player team game, and is an avid skier.