Penny speed meets... Martyn Foulds, senior insurance claims manager, Lloyds Banking Group

What was your first ever job - and were you any good at it?
Counter assistant at a grocer selling bacon, cheese and pies – I took a pay cut to start my career
in insurance

If an MP3 player really could only hold 3 tunes, what would you select for the ultimate soundtrack to your life?
Monkey Wrench by Foo Fighters; There is a Light That Never Goes Out by The Smiths; Blitzkreig Bop by The Ramones

Who was your top teenage pin-up?
Debbie Harry

My colleagues won’t know this but....
I once owned a 40 foot-long scarf

Favourite book of all time?
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Never give up

What would be your chosen superpower?
The wisdom of Solomon

If you could be financial regulator for the day, what change would you instigate and why?
The introduction of industry‑recognised minimum qualifications for general insurance customer service to raise overall standards

How would a typical school report about you read?
He’s not as funny as he thinks he is

My top tip for climbing the insurance career ladder is...
Hard work, integrity and being true to yourself

What’s the most annoying thing people do in your office?
Use corporate speak

My last supper would comprise...
Chicken shish kebabs, balti chicken, two chapattis and lager

Who has been the most influential person in your life to date?
My father

When I’m not working I like to...
Spend time with my children

Last film you saw?
Skyfall

If I wasn’t working in insurance I would probably be...
A mechanic – my father asked me to work for him before I started in insurance

Name your five ideal dinner party guests (dead or alive) very briefly noting what they bring to the party
Stephen Fry for intelligence, wit and great conversation; Jeremy Clarkson for amusing conversation and controversial opinion; Derren Brown for entertainment in addition to really well thought‑out debate; Boris Johnson to find out if he’s as mad as he seems; and Mark Steel for rapier-like wit – a brilliant foil for Clarkson
and Johnson

Marmite: food of the gods or work of the devil?
The devil

Career high point to date?
To have worked with colleagues in Lloyds Banking Group to get to a position where we are able deliver a tremendous response to surge events

What do you say when strangers at a social gathering ask what you do for a living? (Be honest now)
I’m a loss adjuster

If you could travel back in time, where would you go?
London, just before the Great Fire of London – to see the old city and the event that gave rise to the profession we all work in today

Finish this sentence: Insurance is a great industry to work in because...
It’s a tremendously varied and rewarding career where what we do visibly makes a real difference to people’s lives

Would you like to be probed by Penny on one of her speed meets? Get in touch via Stephanie Denton.