Listen in as Darren interviews two trailblazing women in the insurance industry. Rosemarie Marshall and Tanja Maffei Chan explain their respective paths to the insurance industry while giving advice to the next generation entering the workforce. Our workforce should be as diverse as the demographics of the businesses and individuals that we represent. As the testimonies of our guests explain, we have made progress in training women for leadership positions and there is still room for improvement. 

In the aftermath of COVID, companies have been faced with many hard questions on how they will respond. Listen in as Darren asks Andrew Rosenberg about what he and his team at Mercer have been helping their clients with. We cover flexible work plans, changes to geographic requirements on the workforce, and digital health solutions. Companies have to attract new talent while retaining existing employees. People are a company's most valuable asset and employee benefit strategies are a great way to protect them. 

Join us to learn more about the workflow of an underwriter and how they manage expectations with their brokers. Host Darren Bloomfield interviews Stefan Mathijssen of Munich Re America about how he was able to transfer his past skill set of being an engineer while crossing over to the insurance industry. There is value in understanding the underlying business while underwriting an insured. The insurance industry is actively seeking out individuals who have the technical expertise necessary to bridge the gap of understanding between the insured and the underwriter. As risk exposure becomes increasingly complex, stories like Stefan’s will, fortunately, become more common. 

Tune in as Pat Eckler describes his path to law school and the broad foundation of business understanding he received. We cover the possibilities of becoming a litigator in the courtroom or a transactional lawyer. Insurance policies are based on contacts which determine which risks are to be covered. Pat says, “Insurance is the oil that makes things work”. If you are interested in how lawyers play a role in the insurance industry, this is for you!

The world we live in today revolves around sales and service. Patrick Gallagher Jr. describes service as fulfilling the promises made during the sale. The insurance industry offers the opportunity to choose the product line that you sell. Customers need to purchase this product at the same time each year which makes this industry unique compared to others. Listen in to learn from Darren and Patrick about the hidden gems of the industry and the career opportunities available.

Tune in and learn from Tim Fletcher, Emerging Issues Leader for Gen Re.  Darren asks about nuclear verdicts, why the general public is disconnected from the impacts they have, and career opportunities for the next generation.  We cover when a carrier should settle or when it should take a case to trial. Tort reforms, industry-specific problems, and litigious societies are discussed. Tim talks about his day-to-day and how he keeps up with emerging trends in the industry. 

Wholesale intermediaries, this is for you! With the tools from Dark Matter InsurTech, you don’t have to change the way you work to become quicker and more efficient. Are you getting tired of keeping track of all your carrier portals and the data entry that comes along with them? As Mike Roy says, “Our solution is made up of multiple components that allow an actual data interaction between the agency management system and those disparate sources.” These interactions are truly digital, being automated, which gives the ability for fewer hands or even no hands to complete a task. The Wholesale Excess & Surplus space has inefficiencies built-in by design with the freedom of rate and form. Are you interested in a challenging career in software development and automation? Look no further than the specialty insurance space.

The insurance industry allows the flexibility to bounce around and find new challenges. You can truly chart your own course, whether you want a traditional or non-traditional career journey. There are so many opportunities and there is plenty of room for you to grow. Rob talks about his transition to the bigger picture management role at USAA and how he found where he belonged. We talked about the importance of focusing on your client and knowing how the insured operates. Designing your products and services around their unique needs is how you truly serve your customers. We cover the importance of having technical skills and developing soft skills at the same time. Rob describes the apprenticeship model the insurance industry used to be centered around and how it is changing. Rob wraps up with great career advice and model questions to ask during a job interview. Join us to learn from “The Most Interesting Man in Insurance”.

Ryan Hanley shares tips, tricks, and tools for explaining coverage to an insured. We cover the importance of educating the insured on what they are paying for and the benefits of higher limits. Ryan explains how insurance agents are perceived, representing both cost and bad events that may occur. Our industry is underappreciated but that does not make us any less important. We dive into what it truly means to take care of the insured's best interest even though they may see you as a “necessary evil”. Insurance is the bedrock of the economy and is the foundation that enables every business to take the risks needed to innovate. Ryan leaves us with advice for the next generation of insurance professionals, speaking to the need to have respect for our industry, and an overview of why some Insurtech’s have failed. This is an episode you don’t want to miss!

Staying in your comfort zone is easy. Only when we push our boundaries and what we are comfortable with, do we achieve amazing results. Join our guests as we cover the struggles and the challenges we cross on the path to making our dreams a reality. Sometimes we have to cross the bridge of chaos to get to become our true selves and leave our legacy behind. We have to fit in and stand out. We have to be ourselves and help others do the same. We have to be leaders and know when to follow. We have to make sure no one is left behind. Most importantly, we have to know when to move on and make sure we leave it better than we found it. Tune in to learn how!

As our guest, Richard L. McCathron says: “When you are in the insurance industry, you generally surround yourself with people that are somewhat risk-averse. There are people in the industry who do want to modernize, who do want to change, ones that get really excited about what's going on with AI and machine learning. Ones that truly want to shift the way things have been done and those types of folks look for opportunities to do that”. This is the story of what can happen when those innovators come together. For the insurance agents and homeowners who are looking for a new home insurance product, this is for you. Hippo is reducing the friction involved in the traditional insurance buying process and it is here to stay. The goal of taking a human approach to claims and the mission to protect the joy of homeownership truly puts the customer first.

Do you find yourself playing small and not putting your hand up? We cover tools to counter imposter syndrome and those negative thoughts. Are you questioning your own boundaries, personally and professionally? Sometimes we have to give part of ourselves to invite others in and build the relationships we want. The language we use to convey the work that we do is more powerful than you might think. Meg McKeen is a true entrepreneur in the insurance industry. Tune in to learn about the vulnerability needed to speak as your true self.

Establishing credibility when entering a new job is difficult. This is especially true for insurance producers. It is hard to walk into an insured office and tell them to trust you without having a proven track record. Our guests from Gregory & Appel Insurance, Brad Dumbauld, Tyson Vaughn, and Reid Putnam share some advice on how to ease this challenge. They cover the importance of having a set of stories, the power of using “we”, and how to be of service. The role of an insurance agent is changing into that of a risk management consultant: “Insurance is just how we get paid”. Join us to learn more about the other ways to add value to your client.

Taking risks in your career can be difficult. Do you need some advice? Darren interviews Wayne A. Bates and learns more about his leap across the pond. Wayne started his career in London and is now the President of Atain Insurance Companies, an insurance carrier. The roles in between helped him gain exposure to different sides of the industry and crafted him into the leader he is today. Wayne shares his story while explaining the importance of developing your career and building relationships. Wayne also dives into the causes of market cycles and how underwriters handle the lack of certainty among premium pricing.

Listen in as host Darren Bloomfield has a conversation with an industry veteran. Paul G. Smith takes a trip down memory lane and covers topics ranging from advancements in technology to the countless opportunities our industry has to offer. After his 30+ years at Aon & Willis, Paul talks about his transition to a privately held company. As Carrier Relations representative for the H.W. Kaufman Group, Paul shares his unique perspective on how carriers expand or retract appetites based on market conditions. Paul believes “Insurance is the DNA of the business world.” Join us to learn what it's made of. Tune in now!

Insurance does not sell itself, but are there opportunities in the industry besides working in insurance? Yes! “All the things that normal businesses have, we have too.” Our guests Tricia Hudspeth and Kristen Gibson dive into the many projects they have completed in the Market Department at Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance and describe how they have been able to utilize their artistic abilities. This episode also marks the passing of the microphone as Darren Bloomfield becomes the next host of Risk & Reward.

Listen in as Claire talks with Tim Kenesey, the CEO of MedPro Group, a company that has been in action since 1899. As a subsidiary of Bershire Hathaway, MedPro Group emphasizes growth, innovation, and the continued investment into its employees and clients. As medicine and its infrastructure changed over time, MedPro Group evolved its offerings to best suit their customers across the country, illustrating the company’s “commitment to meeting their changing needs”. In this episode, Tim explains the differences between short-tail vs. long-tail business models and expands on forecasting as it relates to claims in medical malpractice. Further, Tim sheds light onto the impact of COVID-19 on the medical malpractice market by explaining that because patients were not scheduling elective care appointments, or even general care appointments, the decline in healthcare consumption and delayed lawsuits will likely bring a flood of activity in the years to come. It is evident that medical workers rallied to save millions of lives, and MedPro Group is proud to protect the assets and reputations of these frontline workers. Tune in as Tim gives advice for young leaders to succeed in the insurance industry and more!

Tune in as Claire Richardson interviews Brad Robinson, MBA, CPCU; the Associate Director of Insurance & Financial Risk Management at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Brad has been in the industry since he graduated from Ball State University and later joined the NCAA in 2016 where he is currently tasked with management of the NCAA’s various insurance programs including but not limited to; student-athlete insurance programs, managing the NCAA’s intricate insurance portfolio, and day to day insurance operations. We discuss Brad's experience prior to joining the NCAA, how he continues to step out of his comfort zone, and how he & the NCAA have navigated the COVID-19 environment. Brad also describes the impact that mentors have had on his experience in the industry, as well as Gamma Iota Sigma’s impact, professional associations, designations and continuing education, and much more.

Join Claire as she interviews current Chief executive officer of Hylant, Mike Hylant & Toledo office President, Andrew Bubba Berenzweig. Mike has over 30 years in the insurance industry & served as the President of the Cleveland office from its inception in 1989 until he was appointed to his current position as Chief Executive Officer in 2008. Bubba retired from his professional hockey career in 2004 and joined the Hylant team & in 2014 he stepped into his current position as president of the Toledo office. In 2022, Mike will transition to the role of the executive chairman of the board, as Bubba becomes the fourth generation of the Hylant family to take the helm as CEO.

On this episode, Claire interviews Elizabeth Bailey, the Vice President of Workers’ Compensation & Safety at Waffle House. Elizabeth oversees the workers’ compensation programs for 1,700 Waffle House restaurants in 24 states. Her knowledge of safety, loss control, claims, and state-specific workers’ compensation laws are utilized daily. Elizabeth serves on multiple boards & professional associations for workers’ compensation & also stayed involved in her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma. Tune in to hear more about Elizabeth & her expansive knowledge of workers’ compensation & more! Tune in to hear more about Elizabeth & her expansive knowledge of workers’ compensation & more!