Bigglestone bullish about Vermont’s progress

This year’s Vermont Captive Insurance Association (VCIA) annual conference marks exactly a year since Sandy Bigglestone took over from Dave Provost as the deputy commissioner of the Vermont Captive Insurance Division (VCID).

Speaking before the event, Bigglestone told Captive International that a good part of the past year has been establishing with the industry and the people in it that she can demonstrate the same common-sense approach, flexibility and regulation, that the CID has shown for many years.

She explained that she’s been applying her own personal touch and getting her house in order, in particular looking at ways in which the CID can improve.

In addition, the CID has been looking at and focusing on staffing and its work culture, and examining how people perceive its culture. Due to recent events such as COVID-19, the division has been through a transition, with people in new positions and with work environments changing.

Bigglestone said that she was extremely pleased with the progress that has been made so far. By promoting people internally, she said, CID has shown that it has a deep bench of knowledge, with people ready to take the next step in their regulatory careers.

A major area of her strategy has been to focus on staffing, training and professional development. Bigglestone is keen to continue to attract and retain qualified staff, something that is a key reason why Vermont is so successful in its regulatory operations, as it makes sure that everyone on its staff has the knowledge and understanding of the captive insurance industry.

Another big priority for Bigglestone is education. Alongside regular staff meetings, the CID has been having learning sessions in which experts are brought in to talk about specific developments in the captives world. That provides a venue for Bigglestone and her staff to learn together.

Bigglestone’s team has been developing a formal training programme for new employees. She praised her team, saying that a couple people had stepped outside their normal day-to-day work to take on the training of new staff and she stressed to Captive International that she couldn’t be more pleased with the team and their commitment to being as cohesive and aligned as possible.