S4 EP4: Buying, building & identifying 'character gold' - with Nidhi Verma, Chief People & ESG Officer, Crawford & Company

“A large majority of our talent is in the fourth quarter of their career innings”, says Nidhi Verma. “We want to have a very strategic workforce management approach towards buying and building our talent profile.”Nidhi discusses her journey from consulting roles to joining Crawford & Company in 2014, where she oversees the talent lifecycle and ESG strategy at the largest publicly listed claims management organisation. Following a ninth quarter of top line growth, Nidhi highlights how Crawford is buying and building talent to address the challenge of an ageing workforce.         “On the buying side, we are tapping into newer pools, looking at different segments, a younger workforce, diverse set of workforce.But on the building side, we are making significant investment in ensuring that we have people who have the skills that are necessary for being successful today and tomorrow.” With the business touching the lives of claimants on one of their worst days, Nidhi shares how Crawford is investing in 3 key vectors:Technical AND human skillsThe Essential Every and Vital FewThe Mighty MiddleShe emphasizes how relational skills underpin the culture and values at Crawford and advises fellow HR leaders to focus on the combination of competence and character when recruiting for talent. “Create an interview and assessment process to identify individuals who would be the most successful and thrive in the culture. Competence can be commoditised but character is pure gold.” Nidhi concludes by encouraging us to invest in our personal growth every single day. “Growth is the only guarantee that people have a better tomorrow.”Connect with Nidhi Verma on LinkedIn or find out more about Crawford & CompanyThe Insurance Coffee House Podcast is hosted by Nick Hoadley, CEO, Insurance Search, the Executive Search Consultancy for growing Insurance and Insurtech businesses around the globe.To discuss identifying & attracting the very best talent to your team or being a podcast guest, reach out to Nick via [email protected] Copyright Insurance Search 2023 – All Rights Reserved.