2022 Women to Watch Awards Americas EMEA
Sarah Baker Head of forensic accounting services
Crawford & Co.
London
Sarah Baker has traveled the world as a loss adjuster, after a brief stint training toward becoming a chartered accountant.
It was a recruitment advertisement in a local paper that launched her into loss adjusting and her eventual qualification as a chartered loss adjuster.
A few years later, she was appointed as a consultant to the United Nations to work on Kuwaiti claims against Iraq in the wake of the Gulf War.
“It was an incredible opportunity, both technically and culturally challenging,” she said.
After returning to the United Kingdom, Ms. Baker was later sent to the Caribbean for 18 months to deal with claims following Hurricane Ivan in 2004.
By 2009, she was at Crawford working on business interruption claims. In 2012, she was off for another 18-month stint, this time in Thailand to deal with claims that followed massive flooding in the country the previous year.
“I have been very lucky through my working life having exposure to some of the world’s largest events,” Ms. Baker said. Even in her current senior role, she keeps a few cases to work on herself.
“I love the technical aspect,” she said, “and it’s important for the team to know I am facing some of the same challenges.”
Ms. Baker is an excellent role model for people at Crawford and the wider loss adjusting industry, said Lisa Bartlett, president, U.K. & Ireland at Crawford.
“When major events occur, her clear and consistent approach to managing the clients’ needs inspires trust. She is a considerate and knowledgeable leader, showing great empathy and understanding for both clients and colleagues,” she said.
Crawford operates a buddy system, which means that junior staff have someone to turn to for technical support as well as for softer skills such as client handling and communication, Ms. Baker said.
Outside of work, she winds down by looking after her pond.
“No matter how challenging the day, spending time looking after the pond and the fish who call it home is therapeutic,” she said.
