Eighteen years after leaving QE, Warren Balakrishnan is loving family life in New York, from where he is growing the international insurance business that he co-founded.
“I’ve wanted to contribute to the School in a meaningful way for some time, and living in the US makes it a bit harder to join events there, so it felt serendipitous to receive an email for the 450 Club.” (The club, which was set up ahead of QE’s 450th anniversary last year, was for those making a contribution to the School of at least £450.)
Warren (Warendra, OE 1999–2006) says he has good reason for gratitude to his alma mater. “I screwed up my first year A-level exams – not turning up to class and assuming you know the material is a high-risk / low-reward strategy, no matter how intelligent you are! Eric Houston took me into a meeting and told me it would be a complete waste of a line on the UCAS form to apply to Oxford with those first-year A-level results. Needless to say, I took the bait, and stormed off in indignation, telling him I’d prove him wrong. I think Eric knew me better than I knew myself at that point, and that this is true for a lot of the teaching faculty at QE – that’s what made it such an incredible formative experience.” Warren duly went on to get the grades he needed to read Law at St John’s College, Oxford.
Graduating in 2009 in the midst of the great financial crisis, he counts himself fortunate to have received the offer of a training contract at a US law firm. “I thoroughly enjoyed being a corporate lawyer focussing on the significant amount of financial services M&A activity as a result of the crisis.” After qualifying as a solicitor, he was seconded to a private-equity-owned insurance business headquartered in the UK to help them raise capital, set up their fund, and carry out their initial acquisition of an insurance business in the US. The secondment turned into a job offer involving Warren leaving his legal role and joining the business unit. (“Side note: If the notion of being principal, not agent, appeals to you, being a corporate lawyer may not be the best long-term career path.”)
“I have never felt so terrified in my work place as I was when I started my new commercial role, taking out a blank piece of paper and staring at it very hard for over two weeks, as I contemplated: ‘Well, they hired me to make money, right? Now, how exactly is it that I make money for the company?’ Thankfully, you learn as you go, and after over a decade at the company, I am sure I have a long way to go before I can drop pearls of wisdom, but I have had a tonne of fun co-founding and growing an international insurance business with over $100bn of assets.” Warren is today Chief Development & Strategy Officer with that company, Resolution Life, a giant of the insurance world.
“In all of this, one thing has stuck with me as I reflect on my career: when you decide to do a task, do the best you can at it, and success, plaudits and recognition often follow,” he says.
Life in New York with his wife and children has a major benefit to counter the disadvantages: “It forces individuals and families to utilise public outdoor spaces to gather. We have met many of our friends in the kids’ sandbox in the public gardens and playgrounds. The food, culture, and, of course, the career opportunities are incredible in New York, and there really is a neighbourhood for everyone. My wife and I are, however, confronting the sad fact that our children are learning American English.” He has made it his mission to police their pronunciation of ‘water’ – “I will correct them till I die!
“For any younger OEs, I’d strongly recommend living and working in at least one different country. I am a firm believer that it firstly helps develop a world-view based on a broader set of experiences; secondly, it enables you to be a better leader of people across cultures and values; thirdly and most importantly, it is a lot of fun and should be seen as a great adventure!”
Warren knows of a few OEs dotted across the States – and is confident there are more. “I randomly met Jonathan Cohen (OE 2000–2004) in the elevator of a Bermuda hotel last year when he had just moved back from the US to the UK.” The photo above shows Warren with Sunil Tailor (OE 1999–2006) and Neil Yogananther (OE 1999–2006) in November 2023.