A holistic approach: surety at Allianz Trade

Seeking a stimulating field in which to apply his diverse experience, Yacine Ben Ameur discovered a passion for surety.

Now Head of Surety at Allianz Trade France, Yacine explains how his colorful career journey led him to where he is today.

I’ve worked in trade finance for almost 20 years, and joined Allianz Trade as a senior risk underwriter in 2007. After seven years in this role, I enjoyed a brief period as a surety commercial underwriter before returning to risk underwriting as a manager. I then moved to Morocco to take up the role of Risk Information Claims & Collection Director. There, I was in charge of information, risk underwriting, and claims & collection for most of the African continent.

Throughout these later stages I found myself reflecting on my time in surety. I’d had a really fun and engaging first experience in the field, and loved how each case required continuous imagination. In surety, you’re a key part of a project. For example, you may be working with a client on the construction of a building that you’ll one day see with your own eyes.

Joining Allianz Trade France to head up their surety team therefore felt like both an exciting and a natural next step.

Working in Morocco prepared me to return to this industry with a broader, more strategic view. This equipped me to guide the whole department while detecting new business opportunities.

My expansive background also translated well into surety. This is a great field for people with a broad experience who can push limits while holding an in-depth understanding of risks and client expectations. Someone who has more of an unconventional journey often brings this. Our surety team is very international and diverse – this variety of perspectives helps us grow faster.

The main challenge is reaching a huge level of sharing and understanding between all members, built on a strong foundation of skills and knowledge. This demands a very holistic approach involving a balance between discipline and open-mindedness. On a daily basis, having all of these integrated elements makes for our collective success.

At this point, we hope to continue to fuel the surety team’s growth momentum in a continuously more productive way. We are also developing tools that will allow for ongoing connectivity with our stakeholders to digitally address all of our needs as the surety engine advances.

I would encourage people to go for it, because they’ll never regret it. Working in surety enables you to hone your skills as you’ll meet many diverse and interesting challenges. Every day is different, and each operation looks nothing like the previous one.

The breadth of skills required and the scope of experience you’ll gain in this field will prepare you for an infinite number of adventures. The decision to come to surety will only accelerate your career.