I never imagined that working as a chambermaid at the Holiday Inn in Birmingham in the 1970s would lay the foundations for my future career as an insurance lawyer and, ultimately, as part of Simple Refunds.

The job was tough. Cleaning multiple floors of rooms day after day demanded organisation, consistency, and stamina. Just as important was learning to remain polite to guests, responsive to management, and good-humoured under pressure. Those early lessons in discipline, empathy, and resilience have stayed with me throughout my career.

Learning the Value of Hard Work and Perspective

Alongside chambermaiding, I worked as an au pair, fruit picker, waitress, shop assistant, and office junior. These roles helped fund my way through university, but more importantly, they taught me that effort and commitment could genuinely change the course of my life.

They also gave me something no textbook ever could: the ability to understand people from all walks of life. By listening and adapting, I learned that what matters most is understanding others’ priorities, not your own. That insight sits at the heart of how we approach refunds today.

Building a Career in Insurance and Law

Those early experiences fuelled my determination to qualify as a lawyer. I was fortunate to rise to partnership in two outstanding insurance law firms, no small achievement as a woman working in a male-dominated insurance market around Lloyd’s in the early 1980s.

My work in film and contingency insurance, supported by the legendary V W Broad, revealed how insurance quietly underpins events, performances, venues, and artists. It also sharpened my understanding of risk, fairness, and the real-world impact of claims’ decisions.

The Partnership That Changed Everything

The postponement of the Ryder Cup following 9/11 brought Shaun Coyne and me together for the first time, working in close collaboration. I handled the legal aspects; Shaun managed the hugely complex rescheduling challenges. It quickly became clear that our skills complemented each other perfectly.

We went on to work together on many cases, developing a shared approach rooted in accuracy, trust and practical problem-solving.

From Manual Refunds to a Better Way

When short-term ill health forced me to reconsider my priorities, Shaun’s generosity and vision led me to work alongside him and his colleagues at Hyperion Adjusters. Together, we provided insurers with a seamless service for contingency and non-appearance claims.

It was while handling a complicated theatre ticket refund claim that the real breakthrough came. Shaun asked a simple but powerful question: why were refunds still being processed manually and outsourced, with no meaningful data returned to insurers? Surely there had to be a better way.

That question led to the creation of EOS Claims, named, fittingly, after the son of Hyperion.

Building the Foundations of Simple Refunds

Initially, I focused on the legal framework: drafting policy wordings, contracts, and navigating compliance, data protection, employment, and accounting. As the business grew, so did my involvement.

The creation of EOS Software Solutions allowed us to separate the bespoke software at the heart of our platform. Shaun’s IT connections brought together an exceptional development team, building API integrations with booking platforms worldwide, multi-language, multi-currency, and fully optimised for seamless refunds.

Our rebrand to Simple Refunds marked a turning point. It sharpened our purpose, energised the team and helped us grow far beyond what we originally imagined.

Why Customer Experience Comes First

Everything I’ve learned, from cleaning hotel rooms to negotiating complex insurance claims, has shaped our core principle: always see the process through the customer’s eyes.

Refunds are often linked to disappointment or disruption. Our role is to make that experience as smooth, fast, and transparent as possible. Treating customers fairly isn’t just a slogan for us, it’s a standard we live by.

That’s also why we remain cautious about fully automated AI interactions. We’ve heard too many stories where technology replaces empathy. Our experienced refund handlers provide personal communication when it matters most.

Trust as Our True USP

If I had to define our unique selling point, it would be trust. Trust earned from insurers, partners, and, most importantly, the customers whose refunds we handle.

Our combined experience in insurance, events, and bookings, alongside the loyalty and dedication of our team, has allowed Simple Refunds to build strong, lasting client relationships.

Looking back, the journey has been humbling. I remain deeply grateful to my colleagues, my family and our friends. Without their support, I certainly wouldn’t still be smiling today.