Penny speed meets... Tara Kneafsey, SME director, RSA UK

What was your first ever job - and were you any good at it?
I was a cashier in an amusement arcade - I became a bit too good at gambling on the poker machines

If an MP3 player really could only hold three tunes, what would you select for the ultimate soundtrack to your life?
The lyrics in these songs in no way refl ect messages about my life. Michael Jackson - Smooth Criminal; Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit and The Killers - All These Things That I've Done

Who was your top teenage pinup?
I was in love with Corey Haim from The Lost Boys

My colleagues won't know this about me but...
I used to be a nerd, although that's no longer the case now I am a dynamic insurance professional. I studied physics to Masters level

Favourite book?
100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?
If you are going to spend so much of your week working, then make sure you do something you really enjoy. It makes Sunday evenings a lot more pleasant

What would be your chosen superpower?
Teleportation - I am not known for my patience and the idea of getting from A to B instantly is very attractive

If you could be Prime Minister for the day, what change would you instigate and why?
Abolish Stamp Duty. It's just so unfair

How would a typical school report about you read?
Tara can achieve whatever she sets her mind to, but she must stop laughing and talking in class

My top tip for climbing the insurance career ladder is...
Be careful in your high heels! It's perilous, but at 5' 2", I can't resort to flats

What's the most annoying thing people do in your office?
We spend all our time in meetings. It's like a merry-go-round

My last supper would comprise...
Fillet steak with béarnaise sauce

Who has been the most influential person in your life to date?
My folks - I was encouraged to do anything I wanted in life

When I'm not working I like to...
Eat at nice restaurants and drink good wine with family and friends. I'm at my happiest when skiing

Last film you saw?
Anchorman - it's one of my old favourites

If I wasn't working in insurance I would probably be...
Working at an airline. I wanted to be a pilot when I was young

Name your five ideal dinner party guests (dead or alive)
George W Bush - so I could give him a pretzel and sit back and be entertained; Silvio Berlusconi - how outrageous would he be now he has nothing to lose?; David Cameron - so I could ask him what happened to the Big Society; Angela Merkel - would be great to see if she smiles; Mick Jagger - for the swagger.

Marmite: foods of the gods or work of the devil?
Love it - food of Gods

Career high point to date?
First chief executive appointment in 2008. I worked for RSA's Eastern European business for three years before taking up my UK role

What do you say when strangers at a social gathering ask what you do for a living?
I work in insurance - it tends to move the conversation on swiftly

If you could travel back in time, where would you go?
To the court of Henry VIII - I love that period of history

Finish this sentence: Insurance is a great industry to work in because...
of the fabulous trade magazines

Would you like to be probed by Penny on one of her speed meets? Get in touch via lynn.rouse@incisivemedia.com