How Did You Become Who You Are?
About Richard Lange
Richard is a very hard working father of two children, he is also a husband. Richard works for the arch european reinsurance company in zurich, he loves his job and could’t wish for more.
Could we start with you telling me a bit more about yourself with regards to how you grew up to be a worker at the arch reinsurance Europe?
“So I ended up in a reinsurance company after my study. I, I passed the master’s in law degree, at the University of Tilburg in the Netherlands, and there were many opportunities to look at it, but in the end, I liked a smaller company that was active in insurance. Now, uh, take the fact that I've always said after my studies, there's one sector I'm not gonna work and that's gonna be the insurance sector so…”
When you were in your teenage years, would you have expected yourself to become an arch reinsurance worker or a reinsurance worker? And what were your thoughts about it?
“When I was young, I didn't, I didn't have a plan to become a certain job position or whatever you want to call it. Uh, but I said, I was never expecting to work in insurance and even one step further, I did not even know about the existence of reinsurance.
Have you ever noticed that being part of the European arch reinsurance has put you or others a, into a position of privilege?
“Per definition, I think we are privileged because we are in a sector that's doing well doing well. We are not heard of the recent or the last two years of the Coronavirus. So yes, definitely. We are privileged, but we're also working hard for it. So we never take it for granted so.”
Compared to your other characteristics, how important to you is your hobby/job? Can you explain why?
“How important to you is your job? Okay. How important to me is my job? So I'm pretty strong in analytics. Uh, I'm pretty strong in of course contract warnings, which is part of our game. And I've always had to put an extra interest in the economy, which is then helpful in the specific line that I'm working in, every insurance being credit insurance and surety bonds insurance.”
Knowing that you work at the Arch reinsurance, were there ever times you felt like you might have made the wrong decision about applying for that job? And if not, then what was the reason for it not being?
“Never regret it. And the reason is quite simple. You'll always follow your feeling.”
What did you expect that you were gonna be?
“So, for me, it was always more important about what I would like in a job. This is all characteristics about a job and then without thinking of a function. So for me, it's important to have independence in my job, do different things at different times. So it needs variety. And that was the most important thing. So when I was applying for jobs, those were the key elements where I was asking, uh, the companies for when applying for a specific position. So.?”
Do you think many companies are as privileged or jobs?
“Well, their recent survey, which I just today, uh, I got the, um, uh, I got the numbers shows that people working for the arch group. So that includes the reinsurance insurance and the mortgage insurance that 92% of the employees are proud to work at the arch, which I think is a fantastic result.”
“Always follow where your feeling tells you should be and don't think in boxes”
-Richard Lange
Do you have any advice for your younger self or young people who also have, or may have some other experiences?
“So the advice I would have is, but it's depending on your own character, but I think always follow where your feeling tells you should be and don't think in boxes, uh, meaning a certain company, a certain title or a certain, uh, sector. I said I was always thinking, I'm not gonna go to insurance. Why? Because it sounded boring. And in the end, I'm ending up at a very, very nice job with variety and work and a lot of independence.”
What small steps do you take in life to accomplish working where you work right now, if you have any steps that you took?
“The steps are always, listen, listen, and learn, be sharp and keep yourself awake. Never, never, never think it automatically becomes an experience is nice, but you cannot just sit back and relax. And the last one is comfort zones is nice for a small period of time, but keep, keep thinking of new things, new stuff.”
Has there ever been a quote in your life that helped you back on your feet when struggling to apply for your career or during your career?
“A quote? Yeah. A day only has 24 hours.”
Has anybody ever underestimated your work just because of either your cultural identity or because of where you came from?
“I think some people might underestimate the time that I'm spending on getting to the result because I'm, I'm always optimistic when I'm in the office. I'm positive. I have time for people, et cetera, and it might occur that it's looks like I'm less busy, but it's far from that, but it's all about working efficiently, keeping pace, and not starting to panic when it suddenly it's getting busier.”
Is there anything else you'd like to add or something that you'd like to mention that we haven't mentioned?
“Yeah. That I have a very, very special, great daughter and that she should continue the good job she's doing at school so that she will always also end up in something which she really likes to do in life.”
