Five questions for Bart Hoogstad of Arntz van Helden

With the ‘five questions for’ series individual RMSC members get the opportunity to introduce themselves to the network. Just an informal way to get to know each other a little bit better and keep the community connected during times of social distancing. In this edition Bart Hoogstad elaborates about his role as surveyor/loss adjuster at Arntz van Helden.

Who are you and what is your job description?

My name is Bart Hoogstad. I work with Arntz van Helden, part of the Van Ameyde Group. Arntz van Helden is a team of specialists handling all kinds of technical claims in a wide variety, such as marine and transportation, land based equipment and C.A.R.

My roots are within logistics, however after studying law, I started working in the insurance market. Specialized and dedicated to marine and transportation, I started my career as claims adjuster with Aon in Rotterdam. After a couple of years, I made a switch and became a surveyor/loss adjuster. In particular being out in the field, acting pragmatic and practical encouraged me to take on this role, amongst others at Crawford & Company, where I worked for 20 years. After a sidestep in insurance, I asked myself the question what I like doing most and started (again) as a surveyor/loss adjuster.

In this current role deal with marine (liability) related complex claims, dealing with with claims both international as domestically. Travelling is currently restricted due to Covid-19, but will hopefully become part of the job again. Besides handling claims, under the name Halyard Risk I am involved in risk management and prevention. In particular, I try to contribute to keeping logistic liabilities an insurable risk.

What does a typical day for you look like?

As a surveyor/loss adjuster, you need to go out and want to be in the field to inspect objects and discuss claims. Travelling is a vital part of the job, as well as the interaction with a large variety of persons. You get to meet and be introduced with many companies in all kind of disciplines.

If not travelling, I am behind my desk writing reports and communicating via e-mail, phone and have meetings via Teams, Webex, etc.

Currently working from home, but hopefully returning to the office as base soon. Partly working from home will be the new standard, which has it advances, in particular when writing complex and detailed reports.

What was the best advice (workwise) someone gave you?

This answer can be short. My aim is to have a job with content that fits you best. Every organization has its pros and cons, but the content of your daily job gives the satisfaction.

How could you be of help to others in the industry or RMSC?

Arntz van Helden and me as a person provide our services and try to assist in fact-finding and collecting information and negotiating claim amounts, in preparation of presenting a claim under an insurance contract. In our work, consider the triangle of insured, broker and insurer(s), all sectors the RMSC is active in.

In order to do so, our reporting should be objective, factual and documented. This allows us to work for multiple stakeholders in the maritime sector.

Lastly: What is in the news, which relates directly to your profession?

In the past month we have been directly involved in the flooding in Dutch and Belgium Limburg. A human disaster for all the people who live in the area and who are affecting by the devastating power of water. With a team of surveyors, we have been out in the affected area and we are still dealing with a number of large claims. We have no involvement with the people being privately affected and people who lost relatives or loved animals. Our sympathy is with them.