Iosif Dimitriou, account manager (business development) at Maxis GBN, speaks to Health & Protection about first gaining exposure of the sector through work experience in Greece, why his father is his role model, the importance of not being afraid of asking questions and why positive feedback about his work ethic puts a smile on his face.
How did you get your start in the sector?
Health insurance has always been in my life since I was a little kid because of my father, who worked for MetLife Greece. When I was younger, in high school, I spent some of my summers doing work experience at MetLife Greece, and everything fell into place back in 2019 when I did an internship at Maxis during my time at university.
After my internship, I knew that the insurance industry was a good fit for me, and I started my full-time career at Maxis in January 2023, after completing my degree.
What do you enjoy most about your current role?
My current role is as an account manager in the UK & Ireland business development team at Maxis. My role is to support the relationship between the global client and our local insurers.
Our goal is to provide the assistance and expertise to make sure we’re meeting all the needs of our clients.
I’d say that interacting with clients is definitely the thing I enjoy most about my role – I love seeing that I’m building strong and trustworthy relationships with our clients and knowing that they can count on me to provide the best possible service for them.
Who is your role model – in life or in work?
I would have to say my father. He is the most hardworking person I’ve ever known, and he always sees an opportunity within every problem. I think his optimistic approach to life is admirable and is something that inspires me.
Who has been your most important mentor in your career so far and why?
So far, I would say it has been Aaron Brown, who leads the UK & Ireland business development team at Maxis. I can honestly say that he has been a great mentor to me since the beginning – he’s always been by my side and ensured that I had a smooth transition into the industry as there’s so much information and there were a lot of gaps in my knowledge to begin with.
I also really admire the excellent working environment that Aaron has created within the team here in the UK, focusing on values like teamwork, accountability and ultimately providing very good customer service. He always leads by example, which is something that I really look up to.
What advice would you give to people thinking about a career in the sector?
It will sound like a cliché, but don’t be afraid to ask questions because it’s the quickest and most efficient way to gain expertise in this sector. There’s a lot of information to take in and it can get really complicated, but then all of a sudden it clicks and everything makes sense.
It’s really important to ask questions at the beginning to help you get to that point.
What has been your biggest setback and how did you overcome it?
I would say my biggest setback was just the sheer amount of information I had to read and take in during the first couple of months at Maxis, which I found a bit overwhelming to begin with.
As I said, I properly started my career in January of this year and there was so much to learn. In my role especially, you need to be an expert in the areas that you cover so that you can assist your clients as best you can, and as quickly as possible, so this learning period set me back a bit. But it was really important to put the time in early on, as I feel a lot more confident now.
Maxis has lots of tools and resources that helped me learn what I needed to, like our OneClient portal and other online libraries which are full of information. My team was also really supportive and played an important role in making sure I had a smooth transition into the sector.
Laugh or cry – what did your most memorable client or case make you want to do and why?
When I was three months into my current role, we had a virtual meeting with a captive client of ours. This was the first time I met the people I’d been communicating with over email for a while, and they gave really positive feedback about my work ethic and how I’d approached situations with them so far.
I wasn’t expecting it at all, and it was really encouraging to have such positive feedback so early on – it didn’t make me laugh or cry, but it made me smile with pride.
What’s your ultimate goal for your career?
My ultimate goal is to have passion and drive for my job.
I want to be in a position where I add a great deal of value to my team, my clients and my company. It’s also really important for me to be able to travel for work as I want to be able to meet and work with clients and co-workers all over the world.
So far, I’ve only been to Brighton – but it still counts.
How would your boss describe you?
I’m not very good at talking about myself as I tend to be quite strict with myself. But I think he would say that I have a can-do attitude and I’m always happy to get involved and help with anything.
I think he knows that I want to complete tasks well and on time – this is a big thing for me. So, these are the main things that I think (and hope!) he would say.
What is your biggest talent away from work?
I really like cooking. Whenever someone asks me about it, I say, “once Gordon Ramsay said that the Greek cuisine is the best one in the world”, so I’m just trying to justify that.
I love cooking Greek food, but my favourite dish to cook is actually spaghetti bolognese – it’s the best dish for any occasion, no matter how you’re feeling it’s great comfort food.
What mantra do you live by?
It sounds like a cliché, but I’d say, “nothing is impossible for the person who tries”. I think that if you try or put some effort into something, you will always achieve more than if you don’t try at all, and that’s the most important thing.
What song would you regard as your theme tune?
I would say The Feeling by Massano. It doesn’t have any lyrics, it’s a techno song, but that would be my theme tune.