I was lucky (and quick) enough to secure a place to attend the second round of IUMI's Masterclass in Cargo Insurance. This time graciously hosted by Clyde & Co and the Lloyd’s market in the City of London.

Twenty participants from across the world and with varying backgrounds and levels of industry experience attended the four-day programme, packed with presentations on topics of relevance and interest to us all, excursions, and social activities.

As I reflect, in my opinion, our main commonalities were an enthusiasm for what we do, curiosity and readiness to learn more, an eagerness to meet with likeminded professionals, and to actively share from our own experience and ideas.

Before I continue, I must give some well-earned compliments to the organisers. Clearly, a lot of thought and effort had gone into the planning and development of the Masterclass for its second round. Thank you all for the excellent choice of venues, speakers, topics, and lunch menu (which we will all remember fondly). A special mention to Hendrike from the IUMI Secretariat who was with us always to ensure all ran smoothly and (relatively) on schedule, and to enable every single one of us to gain the full benefits of the programme.

Amongst the topics covered in the Masterclass were contracts of carriage, complete with opportunities for case studies and discussions, as well as a range of highly relevant issues such as ESG and sanctions, and aspects of international programmes.

The sessions were, in my opinion, very well thought out and structured by the organisers and presenters, so that there was something of interest to everyone. Here, the advantage of the diverse experiences was particularly evident in the lively discussions in the classroom setting, as well as during group work. As a cargo claims handler, I am more familiar with the contractual aspects of carriage rather than, for example, how to put together international covers but these topics were covered in such a way as to still be engaging to me. I found the presentations on the topics which were more peripheral, yet still relevant, to my day-to-day work especially interesting and rewarding as I gained a much broader perspective. The speakers had a talent for reading the room to recognise the particular interests of the group, and to facilitate discussions amongst the participants throughout the Masterclass. Suffice to say, our main issue appeared to be that we often ran out of time, making coffee top ups in between sessions a bit of a scramble. However, it was worth it.

A welcome dinner was organised for us at the Merchant Taylors’ Hall, where we shared an excellent meal in beautiful and historic surroundings, and we were invited to an informal afternoon event with our hosts later in the week.

For a bit of history and to observe the current London market in practice, we were able to attend a tour of the Lloyd’s of London building. Here we were given presentations on how the field of marine insurance originated, developed, and operates today. You may have seen this year’s group photo in front of the iconic bell!

Some key take-aways of mine come from the knowledge I gained from the speakers, but more so than anything I value the connections and broader industry views shared with other participants during the sessions, during the breaks and the (appropriately enough, round) lunch table.

Thank you to my fellow cargo enthusiasts who attended the Masterclass, as well as the educational team with IUMI, speakers and our hosts, for making it such a rewarding and memorable week. I would highly recommend the Masterclass to anyone working within the cargo insurance market, regardless of whether you are just starting out or bring many years of experience to the table. After Hendrike's enthusiastic pursuit of our feedback, I am sure the course will continue to evolve to the benefit of the “next generation”.

Applications for the April 2024 Masterclass are now open! To apply please click HERE.

 

The recent Cargo Masterclass is the subject of our recent podcast. Listen to the Chair of our Education Committee and a student of the programme give their impressions of the course.