Jason Palmer is currently working as Head of Compliance Risk for AXA life Europe Limited and AXA Reinsurance Ireland Limited. Jason explains his job role and his thoughts on the ACOI.

Why did you pick compliance as a career?
I have been working in the Insurance Industry for 21 years. I started in the policy services area and after undertaking a number of operational roles, I moved into Compliance not long after moving to Ireland. I have always seen the role of Compliance as being a champion of the business. I had always enjoyed the regulatory side of the business and I knew early on that this as something I wanted to do.

What do you do and how has the LCOI qualification helped you in your current role?
The role of Compliance Officer in an IFSC Company involves the building and implementing the compliance strategy and the monitoring and mitigation of risk. Due to the size and nature of our business, this encompasses all areas of the Compliance world, planning, monitoring, consumer protection, anti money laundering and data protection. This is very challenging as we need to not only be aware of the regulatory environment for Ireland but also the countries we operate in. The LCOI qualification provides the grounding on the Irish regulations, legislation and codes and helps to approach and analyse such regulation and assess its impact on business.

As a member, what does the ACOI mean to you?
In the beginning like a lot of our members, I saw the ACOI as my way of getting the relevant qualifications required to work in a Compliance role. Whilst this view has not changed, I now see the ACOI as so much more than just a qualification. There is the ongoing education to help keep my knowledge up to date and of course the valuable networking opportunities to share best practice.

I know you are a member of one of ACOI working group, what is that like?
I really enjoy being involved with a working group. It is great fun and gives me the chance to give something back to the ACOI. As a member of the Membership and Events committee our primary function is to provide members of the ACOI with a forum for discussion on ACOI membership, member events and communications and an outlet to share views on these processes. We also provide additional support to Martin and Caroline at the many member events organised throughout the year including Annual Conference.