View more on these topics

Day in the Life of… Niki Cooke, chief revenue officer, Protection Guru

Commane-Rebekah
Niki Cooke illustration
Illustration by Dan Murrell

My alarm goes off at…

…6am. I always exercise in the morning, whether it is spin or some kind of circuits class. It completely invigorates me for the day and gets the endorphins going.

This is followed by a pup walk with my gorgeous Aussie Doodle, called Koda. She makes me smile all the time!

I wanted to work in the insurance industry because…

…mortgages, and particularly protection, are often viewed as a necessary evil you have to pay for, rather than as an opportunity to protect what’s most important to your future.

People within the industry are as passionate about change and consumer protection as I am

I am keen to work for a shift in this mentality towards what is, in most cases, the biggest financial commitment that people face in their lifetime — their mortgage.

Something that surprised me about my job was…

…a lovely surprise, in fact — that people within the industry are as passionate about change and consumer protection as I am.

Bringing like-minded people together and facilitating industry collaboration — through initiatives such as our Protection Forum — enables us to make positive change for the industry.

Being involved with the Three Peaks Challenge is a favourite work memory. The collaboration was incredible

This is achieved by creating a forum to exchange ideas and thoughts, and one where participants can openly discuss their concerns and issues.

A misconception about my role is…

…that I deal just with revenue and growth. In fact I deal with anything that’s thrown my way.

A true leader is one who can roll up their sleeves and deal with what’s thrown at them, while ultimately having the long-term strategy and vision in place to gain success.

My typical working day entails…

…there is no typical day!

I kick off with a team call with my fabulous Protection Guru team, which includes discussing our priorities. I also have internal and external team meetings across the company.

Bringing like-minded people together — through initiatives such as our Protection Forum — enables us to make positive change for the industry

That will be followed by strategy meetings with our enterprise clients to roll out PGPRO — our award-winning protection research solution.

Often we’ll be planning for our forums and awards, weaving in external meetings as required.

I also allocate time to write articles, on subjects such as support for menopause and financial vulnerability.

A perk of the job is…

…I get to work with insurers, intermediaries, technology partners, industry leaders and mortgage providers.

A true leader is one who can roll up their sleeves and deal with what’s thrown at them

I feel extremely lucky to gain such experience across so many areas in the financial services industry, which in turn means I have made some fantastic connections, colleagues and friends over the years.

My favourite work memory is…

…working at Twenty7tec and being involved with the Three Peaks Challenge. The collaboration was incredible.

Mortgages, and particularly protection, are often viewed as a necessary evil rather than as an opportunity to protect what’s most important to your future

More recently, being informed that I am a finalist for an industry award. I’m feeling very overwhelmed and honoured after being back in the protection industry for only 10 months.

To unwind after work, I…

…spend time with my loved ones!

I also walk the dog, go to a spin class and watch US medical drama Grey’s Anatomy.


This article featured in the September 2023 edition of MS.

If you would like to subscribe to the monthly print or digital magazine, please click here.

Recommended

Newsletter

News and expert analysis straight to your inbox

Sign up

Podcast