Jeremy Noble '98

Jeremy Noble '98 was first introduced to Markel Corporation while working at KPMG, LLP about ten years ago. 

“Prior to Markel, I worked for KPMG, LLP, a global accounting firm, in the assurance practice,” he said. “Markel was my client, and when an opportunity presented itself, it was intriguing enough not to pass up.”

According to the former Robins School accounting major, accountants nowadays generally are precluded from taking jobs with their clients as a result of regulations passed.   Noble was eager to work for an organization where his scope and position reach was more broadly defined.

He was recently promoted to managing director of the Internal Audit division and finds it gratifying to work with other senior level executives in his new position.

“Part of the reason I recently moved from a traditional accounting and finance role into internal audit was the desire to see the entire operation,” Noble said. 

In his previous role at Markel, Noble was assistant controller with responsibilities over corporate accounting operations, SEC filings, financial analysis and accounting policy.

“What I enjoy about my new role is the opportunity to work closely with all members of executive management and the senior leadership team,” he explained.  “I never know what a given week is going to bring or how my priorities will change.”

Specifically in his role as managing director of Internal Audit, Noble concentrates his time on identifying, understanding and evaluating risk to Markel, an organization that is ever-evolving and growing.

“Markel is a dynamic company that has undergone significant changes in recent years,” Noble said.  “We have introduced a new business model in the United States, moved to a shared service structure, expanded into to many new markets and geographies, completed numerous acquisitions across many industries and have several sizeable system implementations projects in process.”

A significant amount of Noble’s schedule is spent evaluating Markel’s strategic vision, which requires the examination the organization’s past actions as well as future plans.

“With each venture, I am asking ‘What could go wrong?’ and ‘What are we doing to mitigate the risks?’” he said.  “To be effective, I have to spend a lot of time with the key decision makers at our company.”

Looking back on his time at the Robins School of Business, Noble felt that his education prepared him for the career path he embarked on after graduation.

“When I left the Robins School, I felt prepared for what was to come,” Noble said. “I was confident entering into the workforce and carried with me a ‘real world’ education.”

The real world experience that he obtained in the Robins School gave him a competitive edge in entering the job market alongside other business school graduates.  “The professors at the Robins School always saw the greater benefit in taking the lessons from a text book and adding context, so that it could apply outside of the classroom,” he recalled.

“I appreciate that this doesn't happen for everyone, and I had an edge over others in the early days.”