• Name: Pauline Goreham
  • Job Title: Project Risks & UK Construction Practice Leader
  • Location: London
  • Areas of Specialism: Risk Management

Pauline has more than 30 years’ experience in the insurance industry since joining a school leaver programme after completion of her A levels. During these years she has managed to gain experience across all insurance industry sectors as well as several professional qualifications.


My expertise

I currently manage two teams (Project Risks & UK Construction) where I am ultimately responsible for team profits and loss (P&L), sustaining a substantial income stream into Willis Towers Watson.

Alongside leadership of the team, my role includes reviewing contracts focused on project agreements, loan agreements, sub contracts, framework agreements and other third party contracts.

As experts in the field, we provide clients with advice on suitable insurance requirements for a project. We will also comment on insurance financial modelling and will ultimately broker and place the required insurance with underwriters (construction and operational).

Another key responsibility is the development of new business opportunities through industry networking events and importantly, recommendations.

My experience

I have worked for over 30 years in the insurance industry. Twelve of these were spent managing and servicing multinational accounts with captives. Captives are insurance companies established by a parent group or groups with the specific objective of covering the risks to which the parent is exposed.

I spent the following 18 years in project finance, dealing with limited or non-recourse financed projects worldwide with extensive experience in all industry sectors (health, education, custodial, transport, renewables) providing consultancy and transactional expertise from bid stage through construction to operational.

My progression

I had the opportunity to join a school leaver apprenticeship programme after A levels and as I wanted to have a profession, but did not want to go to university, this seemed the ideal career to pursue.

I joined with three A levels and started my ACII exams. The ACII exams are the recognised professional qualification for the insurance industry. Shortly after completing the qualification, I joined what was then called Willis as an account handler and was promoted to Unit Leader within just six months and account executive six months after that!

Curiosity led me to leave Willis a few years after where I fulfilled a director level role for CE Heath focused on multinational accounts. Involvement with my client’s Private Finance Initiative (PFI) / Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) projects developed my project finance expertise facilitating a move to the Project Risks team.

In 2013 I returned to Willis (now Willis Towers Watson) and was appointed Practice Leader for Project Risks, a team of 17 people located in Edinburgh, Bristol and London. In September 2014 I was also appointed as the UK Construction Practice Leader, a team of 14 in London and Ipswich.

My training has mostly consisted of on-the-job training. My various line managers have always had faith in my abilities and have allowed me to get involved and to take on more responsibility. This level of trust is something I feel is particularly unique to Willis Towers Watson and has enabled me to get to where I am today.

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