What are the main beats that you cover?

The health and protection insurance sector, in the UK and also Hong Kong and the Middle East.

What have been the highlights of your time working in financial journalism? Have there been any pieces of work you’re particularly proud of?

Launching our new International Introducing column which has got some great IPMI brokers to speak about their careers and personalities.

How can PRs help you with your work?  

Photos of their main speakers would be great to include in their releases.

When are the best/worst times for PRs and press offices to contact you?

Best times are from about 9:00 to about 3:30. There’s no bad time really, but the closer you get to 4:00 the harder it gets to have a story in that afternoon’s alert.

What is the one piece of advice you’d give to someone starting out in financial journalism?

Don’t be afraid of reporting on numbers — lots of journalists are, and if you aren’t it puts you ahead.

What is the financial interview you’d most like to arrange?

I’d love to talk with the CEO of a large health insurance company about the future of the industry in the UK with the challenges of the NHS. How do they promote their product in a country where the public health system is valued extremely highly?

What is the piece of financial services research you’d most like to read?

The effect of Covid on all economies - and which countries came out of it most strongly, and which didn’t.

When you’re telling a story, what’s the most important thing to remember?

A story should be easy to read, and tell something not known before.

What was the last article you read that really shocked you?

The NHS list reaching 7.7 million — though given its been increasing every month it shouldn’t have been that surprising. Another shocking story was that Venezuela had voted to annex a large chunk of Guyana — now that it has massive reserves of oil.

Predict the main stories that will dominate 2024:

Efforts to cut the NHS waiting list and the rise of Private Medical Insurance; Israel vs Hamas; Russia vs Ukraine; the rise of immigration from developing countries to developed ones; growing Chinese political power; the rise of AI; the invasion of Guyana by Venezuela; the treatment of Uyghurs by China; the US election!

Sum up your time as a financial journalist in three words:

Stimulating, purposeful, balanced.

If you were up for an award for any hobbies/activities outside of work, what would you be likely to win, and why? 

Travel photography on a cell phone. Apart from writing, its the only escape for my artistic side.

Finally, if you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

A really good lasagne. Or decent jerk chicken — might be a healthier option.