In January 1997 James embarked on his first enterprise, founding Risk Management Services Limited in Malta. The company then focused on technical risk and insurance (non-regulated) consulting including claims surveying. Since training was always in his DNA, James also delivered insurance and risk management training via the, then, Mediterranean Insurance Training Centre both locally and overseas.
Having later wound up the company, James continued with consulting and training endeavors overseas mainly in Europe and the Middle East in a personal capacity.
As part of a MITC assignment, James was the Senior Consultant responsible for the rolling out of the first captive insurance management operation in the Middle East, domiciled in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The company was launched in June 2004, but the consultancy assignment (project) continued until the engagement of first clients for feasibility studies/captive insurance company incorporation within the 3 months subsequent to incorporation. During that period, James was also on two consultation teams reporting to the regulatory authority in connection with draft legislation on Captive Insurance and on Insurance Intermediaries and Managers as part of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s drive to enact insurance legislation in early 2005 in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Between 2016 and 2020 James formed part of a risk management team (a subsidiary of a captive insurance company of global industrial leader) undertaking industrial risk inspections and property and business interruption claims surveys across Europe and the UK. The tour of duty included monitoring adherence to safety protocols and safety/incident record keeping, housekeeping and physical risk inspections focusing on fire, nat cat protection and engineering safety and efficacy in addition to claims adjustment.
In September 2020, the independent consulting endeavor re-emerged, branded as Portelli & Associates. On the consulting side, James is proud to collaborate with Cutts Watson Consulting (https://cuttswatson.com/team/) as part of a stellar panel of consultants consisting of industry stalwarts.
https://cuttswatson.com/cwc-expands-in-to-malta/
The more notable consulting assignments include:
1.) DZU, Bulgaria (https://www.dzi.bg/en): Technical consulting and training for senior technical and branch management in Business Interruption Insurance (1997).
2.) National Insurance Company BSC, Bahrain (predecessor of BNI): Technical consulting leading to the launch of Electronic Equipment Insurance (This was a BIBF consulting assignment, 1999)
3.) Companywide Training Needs Analysis projects for
- Trust Re Group (https://www.trustre.com/en/), Bahrain, 1999
- Oman Insurance Company PSC (https://www.omaninsurance.ae/), United Arab Emirates, 1999
- Emirates Insurance Company PSC (https://www.eminsco.com/), United Arab Emirates, 2000
4.) FIMBank plc (https://www.fimbank.com/), market research assignment in Kuwait, UAE and Bahrain, 2001.
5.) Middlesea Insurance plc (https://www.middlesea.com/insurance-mt/) winding down and run-off assignment of an MGA, 2002
6.) Central Bank of Kosovo (https://bqk-kos.org/?lang=en) and Kosovo Insurance Association, various assignments (2002-2005)
7.) Ensurion (http://www.ensurion.com/) establishing the first insurance management services company in the Middle East, Bahrain 2005 (this was a MITC assignment).
8.) Train the Trainers (insurance training) Consulting assignment for the Insurance Association in Antigua and Barbuda, June 2005.
9.) Advanced insurance training, Kosovo Insurance Association, 2006.
10.) Spearheading Qatar Insurance Company‘s application with MFSA in 2008 to write non-motor business as a precursor to the establishment of QIC Europe (https://qiceuropeltd.com/)
11.) From 2016 to 2020, as part of his full-time employment, James was seconded for short assignments to a risk management consulting firm undertaking risk management surveys on major industrial manufacturing sites across Europe and the UK focusing on physical and procedural risk management, protocols, and industrial housekeeping.
There was a relative lull in consulting assignments between 2005 and 2015 coinciding with a period of employment in the Middle East. However, during this period James was a regular contributor/speaker in insurance journals and regional (M.E.) conferences on insurance and risk management (for e.g. CII Journal, Policy, Magazine, Insure Magazine, Insurance Day, INSUREX Conference, etc)
After his return to Europe in 2015, other than as noted above, James assumed smaller consulting assignments while building his portfolio of directorships and in 2020 initiated his collaboration with Cutts Watson Consulting (https://cuttswatson.com/team/) and re-launched Portelli & Associates.
