Meet the team - Michael Larsen Claims Adjuster, Nordics

With 45 years of experience in the automotive industry, Michael Larsen truly understands the needs of dealers, repairers and customers.

After gaining experience as a car body repairer, he spent the next two decades working his way up to managerial roles, eventually supervising a team of around 120 people, at a major dealer’s workshop.

In 2019, Michael made his first foray into insurance when he joined a top Danish firm as a loss adjuster, then made the move to QBE Automotive Protection in 2022.

Trading the body shop for the office corridor deepened his understanding of both sides of the industry and enabled him to bring a wealth of knowledge to his current role.

Establishing the Automotive Protection proposition

“My official title is claims adjuster, but for the moment, I am the only person working in the Nordics so I’m also supporting new business, involved in credit control, underwriting and product development,” says Michael.

But he’s likely to be joined by a host of new QBE recruits in the next few years when his sales efforts start to pay off.

“While I’m on my own at the moment, the reality is there is a huge amount of support that I receive from the wider group which allows me to wear several hats at once,” he explains.

Auto body experience, insurance expertise

Michael is now an old hand in the world of insurance, but he hasn’t given up on his first loves: body shops and dealerships.

On his regular visits to client premises, his technical knowledge of insurance and decades of shop floor experience make him an indispensable resource in the Nordic markets.

“When I’m out seeing dealers, they see me as both one of them and an insurer. So anytime they have a question on how these two worlds interact, I can answer it on the spot,” Michael explains.

Industry insights and foundations for the future

Michael points out that while sales and support are an important aspect of this client engagement, the insight he gathers is equally important.

“To keep developing our proposition we need to think outside of the box. By talking regularly to clients and people in the workshop, we can get great ideas for product development,” he says.

Those developments have resulted in a 30% reduction in claims resolution times and the creation of new affinity products.

Although his career has been long and varied, Michael’s work in the Nordic Automotive Protection market is only just getting started.