The Insurance Coffee House with Nick Hoadley
The weekly Insurance Coffee House Podcast series is the place where you’ll be inspired by some of the most successful insurance business leaders on the planet. With each guest interview, you’ll get to hear and understand the recurring patterns and traits that make Insurance Business Leaders successful. Covering non-negotiables, leadership tips and how they overcame their largest setbacks, they’ll give a personal insight in to what it takes to be a successful insurance business leader. This podcast will suit senior executives from inside the insurance industry and ambitious insurance business leaders of the future, giving you practical management tips and advice to help you achieve your career ambitions. The show is hosted by Nick Hoadley, CEO of leading international insurance executive search firm, Insurance Search.
Episodes
People & Culture Series EP03 - Insurance Coffee House: Scaling HR, M&A Integration, Employee Ownership & Adaptability - Jennifer Martin, CHRO (Alliant Insurance Services)
On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House, Nick Hoadley is joined by Jennifer Martin, Chief Human Resources Officer at Alliant Insurance Services.Jennifer is approaching 22 years with Alliant, having joined the business in 2004 when it had around 400 employees and was primarily a California-based insurance broker. Today, the organisation has grown to more than 15,000 employees across the Unite
People & Culture Series EP02 - Insurance Coffee House: Building the Enterprise Recruiting Model of the Future for Today’s Talent Market, With Anne Arnold, Director of Talent Acquisition at Farmers Insurance®
On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House, Nick Hoadley is joined by Anne Arnold, Director of Talent Acquisition at Farmers Insurance®. With a career that began in the entertainment industry before moving into agency recruiting and eventually in-house talent acquisition, Anne shares how an unexpected career move led her into a profession she has now spent more than two decades building.Anne re
People & Culture Series EP01 - Insurance Coffee House: Talent Development, HR Leadership, Culture & Hiring for Potential - Nicola Nairn, Group Head of HR (Lancashire Insurance Group)
On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House, Nick Hoadley is joined by Nicola Nairn, Group Head of HR at Lancashire Insurance Group, a global specialty insurance and reinsurance business operating across London, Bermuda, the US, and Australia.Nicola shares her career journey into HR, starting on the trading floor at Morgan Stanley before moving into asset management and eventually transitioning
Boardroom Series EP07 - Insurance Coffee House: Board Portfolio Careers, Technology Transformation, Cyber Risk & CSR - Beth Boucher, Independent Director (Hiscox)
On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House, Nick Hoadley is joined by Beth Boucher, an experienced independent director with a portfolio spanning Hiscox, Coforge, and Specialty Insurance. Beth brings over 30 years of experience across technology, insurance, and business transformation, with a career built around using technology to drive operational change and growth.Beth shares how she transit
Boardroom Series EP06 - Insurance Coffee House: Career Risk, Leadership Transitions, AIG Transformation & CEO Perspective - Elaine Rocha, Former CIO (AIG) & CEO (Madison Square Boys & Girls Club)
On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House, Nick Hoadley is joined by Elaine Rocha, former Chief Investment Officer at AIG and current CEO of the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club of New York City. Elaine brings a career that spans law, insurance, investments, and executive leadership, shaped by a series of deliberate career moves and transitions across the industry.Elaine shares how she fir
Boardroom Series EP05 - Insurance Coffee House: Insurance Boards, Crisis Governance, Board Professionalisation & Reputation - Dr Susan Fleming, Independent Director (RLI Corp)
On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House, Nick Hoadley is joined by Dr Susan Fleming, an experienced independent director with more than 25 years across insurance, asset management, and financial services. Susan currently serves on the boards of RLI Corp and Virtus Investment Partners, and has previously held director roles at Endurance Specialty, PXRE Group, Quanta Capital, and others.Susan
Boardroom Series EP04 - Insurance Coffee House: Board Portfolio Building, Tech Leadership, Reinsurance Governance & AI Readiness - Val Rahmani, Board Director (LSEG, RenaissanceRe, Entrust)
On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House, Nick Hoadley is joined by Val Rahmani, a leading board director across insurance and financial markets, currently serving on the boards of London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), RenaissanceRe, and Entrust. Val shares how a 28-year career at IBM, followed by startup CEO experience, shaped her approach to leadership, strategy, and governance.Val reflects o
S6 EP07: Leadership, Value Proposition & Growth in Insurance - Nick Wealthall, Yellow Door Training
On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House, Nick Hoadley, CEO of Insurance Search, welcomes back leadership consultant Nick Wealthall of Yellow Door Training.Following strong feedback from his previous appearance, Nick returns to go deeper into a topic that resonates across the insurance market: leadership and value proposition.From brokers and underwriters to CEOs and HR leaders, this conversa
Boardroom Series EP03 - Insurance Coffee House: Balance Sheet Thinking, Capital Allocation, Governance & Junior Senator Boardroom Impact - Brian Posner, Investor & Board Director (Arch Capital)
On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House, Nick Hoadley is joined by Brian Posner, a seasoned investor, operator, and board director with deep experience across insurance, financial services, and public company governance, including 15 years at Arch Capital.Brian shares how his career evolved in unexpected ways, from thinking he would become a doctor to building a foundation in finance, invest
Boardroom Series EP02 - Insurance Coffee House: Insurtech Boards, MGAs, Emerging Risk & AI Governance - Susan Holliday, Board Director, Hippo Insurance
On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House, Nick Hoadley is joined by Susan Holliday, a global insurance and reinsurance executive and experienced board director, including her recent appointment to the board of Hippo Insurance.Susan shares how the Hippo opportunity came about, why the stage of the business matters for board impact, and what her committee roles involve, including Audit, Risk an
Boardroom Series EP01: The AIG Turnaround, Crisis Leadership & Board Oversight - David Herzog, Former CFO, AIG
On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House Boardroom Series, Nick Hoadley is joined by David Herzog, former CFO of American International Group (AIG) and one of the most experienced finance and governance leaders in global insurance. David served as CFO of AIG from 2008 to 2016, stepping into the role in the immediate aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis and helping lead the company through
S6 EP06: Data, Consumer Protection & Growth in Life Insurance - Amanda Yoho, President, Proformex
On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House, Nick Hoadley sits down with Amanda Yoho, President of Proformex, the life insurance and annuity technology platform based in Cleveland, Ohio.Amanda joined Proformex in January 2020 to build the company’s data and analytics capability, before stepping into the President role in November 2024. With a background that spans startups and global corporates,
S6 EP05: People, Culture & High Performance at MS Reinsurance - Antonia Hold CHRO at MS Reinsurance
On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House, Nick Hoadley sits down with Antonia Hold, CHRO at MS Reinsurance who joined in April 2021. Based in Zurich, Antonia leads the company’s global people strategy, with a focus on hiring the right talent, supporting their growth, and creating an environment where people want to stay and do their best work. She brings a practical, people-ce
S6 EP04: How to Be the Go-To Insurance Person in Your Niche With Nick Wealthall, Founder of Yellow Door
On the Insurance Coffee House podcast, host Nick Hoadley welcomes Nick Wealthall, Founder of Yellow Door, a leadership and commercial growth consultancy helping insurance organisations and their people unlock performance through better communication, decision-making and mindset.Speaking from London, Nick shares his fascinating career journey from wealth management to professional poker, to comedy
S6 EP03: Parametric Insurance Made Simple: The Easy Add-On That Strengthens Every Policy With Samuel Broomer, President of NormanMax
On the Insurance Coffee House podcast, host Nick Hoadley welcomes Samuel Broomer, President of NormanMax Insurance Solutions, a rapidly growing MGA and Lloyd’s syndicate pioneering climate-focused parametric insurance solutions.Speaking from Connecticut, Sam shares his career journey from reinsurance accounting at HSB Group to leadership roles at AIG, FM Global, and W.R. Berkley, before taking on
S6 EP02: Wildfire Telematics with Elyse Myrans, CEO & Co-Founder of Tenax ai
On the Insurance Coffee House podcast, host Nick Hoadley welcomes Elyse Myrans, CEO & Co-Founder of Tenax ai, a climate-tech startup using computer vision and AI to protect homes and their insurability, from extreme weather.Speaking from Los Angeles, Elyse shares how Tenax ai delivers property-level risk assessments for wildfire, flood and wind in 20–30 minutes via a smartphone or drone, then
S6 EP01: Leading Bermuda’s Long-Term & Reinsurance Sector - Suzanne Williams-Charles, CEO, BILTIR
On the Insurance Coffee House podcast, host Nick Hoadley welcomes Suzanne Williams-Charles, CEO of the Bermuda International Long-Term Insurers and Reinsurers (BILTIR), the industry body representing Bermuda’s globally significant life and annuity sector.Speaking from Hamilton, Bermuda, Suzanne shares her journey to leading an association that champions the interests of long-term insurers and rein
S4 EP78: The Man Behind LO$$ Ratio - Curtis Goldsborough, President at NIIS & Creator of “LO$$ RATIO”
On the Insurance Coffee House podcast, host Nick Hoadley welcomes Curtis Goldsborough, President of National Insurance Inspection Services and the creative mind behind the popular LinkedIn persona LO$$ RATIO.Curtis shares his unconventional journey into insurance, from agency owner in rural Michigan to leading a nationwide inspection company and becoming a viral content creator in the industry. He
S4 EP77: Taking Your Agency Independent - Dan Lewis, Head of Network, Brightway Insurance
On the Insurance Coffee House podcast, host Nick Hoadley welcomes Dan Lewis, Head of Network at Brightway Insurance, one of the fastest-growing personal lines agency networks in the U.S.Dan shares his two-decade journey across financial services and exclusive agency leadership at Farmers Insurance, where he led strategic distribution across multiple U.S. territories. He explains why he made the le
S4 EP76: Opening Doors for Insurance Talent - Paige Maisonet, CPO, Newfront Insurance
On this episode of The Insurance Coffee House, host Nick Hoadley welcomes Paige Maissonet, Chief People Officer at Newfront Insurance, to discuss her journey from HR generalist to CPO and how she’s helped shape one of the most forward-thinking cultures in insurance today.Paige shares her experience leading people strategy through massive growth, scaling Newfront from 150 to 800+ employees, and the
S4 EP75: Building Technology and Talent to Serve Brokers - Adrian Copland, COO, Ledgebrook
On the Insurance Coffee House podcast, host Nick Hoadley welcomes Adrian Copland, Chief Operating Officer of Ledgebrook, a rapidly scaling, tech-enabled specialty MGA in the U.S. ENS market.Adrian shares his journey from consulting and operational leadership at Catlin and AXA XL to co-founding Ledgebrook alongside Gage Caligaris, an actuary with bold ambitions to rebuild insurance from the ground
S4 EP74: Redesigning Insurance from the Ground Up - Joe Emison, Co-Founder and CTO, Branch Insurance
On the "Insurance Coffee House" podcast, host Nick Hoadley welcomes Joe Emison, the Co-Founder and CTO of Branch Insurance.Joe shares his unconventional journey from aspiring lawyer to serial tech entrepreneur, building six companies across industries before co-founding Branch, a full-stack carrier using cloud-native infrastructure to simplify personal lines insurance.He explains how Branch is tac
S4 EP73: Transforming Specialty Insurance with Scalable Tech - Michael Fiedel, Co-Founder and CEO, PolicyFly
On the "Insurance Coffee House" podcast, host Nick Hoadley welcomes Michael Fiedel, the Co-Founder and CEO of PolicyFly.Michael shares his unique journey from advertising sales and digital product studios to leading one of the most innovative insuretech companies in the specialty insurance space.He explains how a project with a niche MGA in musical instrument insurance became the foundation for Po
S4 EP72: Knowing the Art of the Possible - Andy Moss, Co-Founder and CEO, Send
On the "Insurance Coffee House" host, Nick Hoadley welcomes Andy Moss, the CEO and co-founder of Send. Andy provides an insight into his 25-year career, starting in technical his accidental fall into the insurance industry in 2003 after a previous role at BBC Radio Music New Media. He gained broad insurance experience through roles with Xchanging (later acquired by CSC and merged into DXC), the C
Special Episode: Connecting the value in Insurtech - Tony Lew, Co-Founder, InsurTech NY
On this special episode of the podcast, we welcome InsurTech NY Co-Founder, Tony Lew. Tony gives an insight into his career background, from holding various roles across big corporations to having a burning desire to launch his own business. He shares what drew him to the insurance sector and why he believed it was a great industry to build his business around. Tony highlights the technology chal
S5 EP7: Seeking Opportunities with Purpose - Miranda Hunter, Head of Investor Relations, Fidelis Insurance Group
On this episode of the Insurance Coffee House Podcast, we welcome Miranda Hunter, Head of Investor Relations at Fidelis Insurance Group. Miranda talks to Nick Hoadley about: her background and career journey, from being born and raised in Bermudareturning to Canada for university and joining KPMG moving back to Bermuda after her CPA exams, to join PWC Bermudathe pivotal career advice she was given
Special Episode: Entrepreneurial Aspirations and Personal Responsibility - Cullen Piske, President and Michael Pitre, COO, Gray Surety
On this podcast episode, we’re joined by Cullen Piske, President and, Michael Pitre, COO at Gray Surety. Cullen shares how ‘love’ led him to joining the Gray Insurance Company and moving around their portfolio companies before 'finding' surety. Michael discusses his logistics and communications role in the US Marines, doing a Masters Business Degree at night, before joining Gray Surety in 2
S4 EP69: Making a company an even greater place to work - Allison Keavey Luther, Deputy Chief of Human Resources, Plymouth Rock Assurance
On the Insurance Coffee House Podcast this week, we welcome Allison Keavey Luther, Deputy Chief of Human Resources at Boston-based Plymouth Rock AssuranceAllison talks about her career journey from TV producer at CNBC to catching the start-up bug, working as General Manager for early-stage businesses. From there she rode a massive wave of growth at Wayfair, where she was ‘pulled’ in to HR.She join
S5 EP6: Embrace The Opportunity - Nick Campbell, Global Head of Credit & CEO Bermuda, SiriusPoint
On the podcast this week, we welcome Nick Campbell, Global Head of Credit & CEO Bermuda at SiriusPoint. Nick talks to Nick Hoadley about: being Bermudian but starting his career in the UKreturning to Bermuda to be told he was the ‘wrong’ kind of actuary and wouldn’t get a job on island his journey to becoming Global Head of Credit and Bermuda CEO of SiriusPoint the mix o
S5 EP5: Building your Team in Bermuda - Andrew Couper, Chief Actuary, Conduit Re
On the podcast this week, we welcome Andrew Couper, Chief Actuary at Conduit Re. Andrew talks to Nick Hoadley about: qualifying as an actuary in 1995 and working in the London Marketjoining Conduit Re in November 2021 and his experience of working in Bermuda and LondonConduit Re’s growth from launching in 2020 to writing $2.6bn of premium by Q2 2024the characteristics and culture that make i
S5 EP4: Throw yourself in - Laura Pepper, Head of Claims, RenaissanceRe Bermuda
On the podcast this week, we welcome Laura Pepper, Head of Claims at RenaissanceReLaura talks to Nick Hoadley about: her career journey from law graduate in to insurance and joining RenaissanceRe 10 years agomoving to Bermuda in 2019 for a one-year secondment and what’s kept her on island business growth and acquiring Validus Re in 2023the characteristics that make RenaissanceRe a great plac
S5 EP3: Just go for it - Andrew Howie, Head of Advisory, Grant Thornton Bermuda
On the podcast this week, we welcome Andrew Thornton, Head of Advisory at Grant Thornton Bermuda. Andrew shares: an overview of his career journey from trainee accountant with Ernst & Young to joining Grant Thornton 20 years agomoving to Bermuda 2 years ago to run the advisory side of the businessthe outcomes of acquiring and merging with local firm, Arthur Morrishaving the ambition to grow f
S5 EP2: An international career in a small-town environment - Jesse DeCouto and Tonia Morgan, Canopius Re
On the podcast this week, we continue our Bermuda series by interviewing Jesse DeCouto and Tonia Morgan at Canopius Re. Chief Underwriting Officer, Jesse and Chief Financial Officer, Tonia talk about: their respective career journeys to joining Canopius Rewhere the business is now and plans for the future the culture and characteristics that make it a great place to work their passion for m
S5 EP1: Taking the opportunity - with Katie Partington-Howarth, Chief Capital Officer, Ariel Re
On the podcast this week, we’re delighted to launch our new Bermuda Series by interviewing Katie Partington-Howarth, Chief Capital Officer at Ariel ReKatie talks to Nick Hoadley about: Her career background and joining Ariel Re in 2005The culture and characteristics that make it a great place to work How she engages in wider aspects of Bermuda lifeThe opportunities Ariel Re provide for high-
S4 EP68: A Passion for Making a Difference - Tara Foley, CEO, AXA UK & Ireland
This week, we are joined by Tara Foley who shares with us her journey to becoming the CEO of AXA, UK & Ireland and her passion for making a difference. The Insurance Coffee House Podcast is brought to you by Insurance Search.An international Insurance Executive Search Consultancy, supporting Insurance and Insurtech businesses in the UK, Bermuda and across the United States.Or follow us on
S4 EP67: Building High Performance Teams - Pepe Velasquez, EVP Human Resources, MAPFRE USA
On this episode we interview Jose Luis (Pepe) Velasquez and find out how he has used his experience working at blue chip companies like Heineken to drive a high-performance culture at Mapfre USA.Connect with Pepe on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jose-luis-velasquez-906560/on LinkedIn or find out more about Mapfre USA https://www.linkedin.com/company/mapfre/The Insurance Coffee House Podcast
S4 EP66: Commercial curiosity, business bifurcation and culture co-creators - Warrick Beaver, Group Chief People Officer, Fidelis Insurance Group
Zimbabwe born and South Africa educated, Warrick Beaver started his working life as an HR professional in the fashion retail industry. “If you're talking about journeys to insurance, fashion and retail is probably as far away as you can imagine. I was taught that you were a retailer first and an HR professional second”, says Warrick.“The lesson learned was, 'Understand where the value creation hap
S4 EP65: Going one level deeper to challenge the givens - Steve Dukes, CEO, Confused.com
“Many people you'll work with and meet in business will be happy to accept information and explanations in the way it's being presented to them.Some people you work with will have a real appetite to go one level deeper because they'll want to know the drivers of the things they are seeing. They'll want to have a proper understanding about how that part of the business or that part of the market or
S4 EP64: Driven to help high-performing insurance people succeed - Nick Hoadley, CEO, Insurance Search
“DE&I is one of the biggest challenges for the industry. For a lot of our clients in the US, it's one of their biggest priorities”, says Nick "Before we engage with a client, we really want to make sure they're set up for diverse candidates. It's so important for us as an insurance executive search firm, that if we move someone who's very successful into a new environment, that they're going t
S4 EP63: Achieving business imperatives and being in good company - Daniel Fisher, Group Head of HR, Communications & Culture, Hamilton Insurance Group
“The strength of our culture was something we used in the presentations to analysts and investors”, says Daniel. “We did some work around our employee value proposition and we asked our colleagues, ‘Why do you work at Hamilton?’ The common theme was collaboration and that's how we came up with the phrase ‘In good company’. As part of the IPO, we used it as our overall company tagline to say, ‘You
S4 EP62: Having a myopic focus on solving a real reinsurance problem – Ben Rose and Jerad Leigh, Co-Founders, Supercede – the Reinsurance Platform
“In our experience, a reinsurance deal was being profiled in a physical binder full of paper. I thought, ‘How good would it be if we could take risk or bundles of risk and make a profile for it’", says Ben."Think of all the information that you could attach to that profile. That was a very early concept. For a long time we debated, how this would work in the reinsurance world where we've got all t
S4 EP61: Seeking industry agnostic skills and setting diverse talent up for success - Nicola Grant, Chief People Officer, Hiscox
“When you hire for specific experience, then you're always going to have to hire for somebody within the industry”, says Nicola. “When you break it down to what are the specific jobs to be done, what are the skills that are required to do those jobs, often those skills are industry agnostic.There are clearly some examples where that's not the case, but there are many examples where it is the case,
S4 EP60: Ownership, purpose and being part of an accelerated growth story - Charlotte Hubble, HR Director, Howden Re
“We talk a lot at Howden around not just coming to work, but coming to build a business. It really allows people to kind of have that sense of ownership, that sense of purpose and really allows people to feel like they're part of what they're building”, says Charlotte. “They understand it and can take a lot of pride. It’s a really different mindset, that feeling of ownership, working as part of ou
S4 EP59: Leveraging your insurance network as a Managing Partner - Martin Blake, Managing Partner Program Lead, Insurance Search
“It's a fantastic opportunity to build something for yourself but within an established business. It’s very much engaging with customers and driving dialogue around their search requirements”, says MartinBut it’s also supported by a world class centre of excellence for delivery, so they can really focus on driving those relationships, identifying opportunities and doing a comprehensive handover to
S4 EP58: Looking at DEI data to create a consistent, holistic opportunity for all - Don Robertson, EVP & Chief Human Resources Officer, Northwestern Mutual
“We wanted to make sure that there were slates, they were diverse and had all the groups represented. It isn't a case of trying to stop someone from getting something they deserve. What you're trying to do is make sure these other groups get the opportunities they deserve", says Don."I'm not a believer that we favor one group or another. I'm just a believer that everyone should have an opportunity
S4 EP57: Building the right foundations to embrace the AI implementation journey - Prashant Hinge, Chief Digital Transformation Officer, MSIG USA
“Given the potential of AI, we should all be focused on ensuring it's part of our strategic roadmap. It is an excellent tool that is going to allow us to rethink, reimagine how we deliver products, services and experiences to our client base”, says Prashant. “Is it machine learning? Is it deep learning? Is it unstructured data? Is it predictive models? What is it that you really want to achieve?Wh
S4 EP56: Breaking down barriers to inclusivity and empowering flexibility - Angie Schaefer, Corporate SVP and Chief HR Officer, Safety National
“Flexibility has been key. We've worked really hard to figure out, how do we meet the commitments to our customers, but also empower our employees to have the work experiences that they're looking for and that are a good fit for their families”, says Angie, as she discusses how Safety National are breaking down the barriers to inclusivity. “We offer four weeks of paid caregiver leave to our
S4 EP55: Enabling possibility through changing priorities in the career lifecycle - Jennifer Centrone, Chief Human Resources Officer, Arch Capital Group
“The blend between work and life is really blurred. It's important for employees to step back and have a good sense of purpose, belonging and balance”, says Jennifer. “We're sharing our expertise and our innovation. It's our employees who are doing that. No matter what position somebody is in, every day they're making something possible, whether it’s external or internal clients they're supporting
S4 EP54: An unwavering dedication to nurturing and advancing all talent - Andrea Brogger, Chief Human Resources Officer, AssuredPartners
“There is this misconception that the only way to grow or advance is to move into leadership. Some people just don't want that or aren’t sure”, says Andrea. “We want to give people an experience who aren't sure if they want to. We'll find opportunities to allow them to try their hand in things like the mentorship program, where they have an unofficial way of helping to grow talent.”On the Insuranc
S4 EP53: Attracting high performance talent through turnaround results - Karen Caddick, Chief Human Resources Officer, SiriusPoint
“A lot of businesses talk about it, but do they really analyse what they need to do to build it? We've spent a lot of time thinking about what high performance looks and feels like within the context of a turnaround”, says Karen. “When I joined the business, I prioritized improving the culture, establishing values that really mean something, as well as working with Scott Egan (CEO) to ensure we've
S4 EP52: Scaling without compromise and being comfortable with change - Vikki Caruso, Chief People Officer, Clearcover
“We learned a lot early on and we continue to learn as we scale the organization remotely. Some of the key things are over communicating. Sometimes you're having a few more meetings to feel that personal connection”, says Vikki. “We've set up mentor programs, our summit leadership where you're partnered with another leader in the organization. If you're interested in growing your career, whether t
S4 EP51: Competing on a global scale and projecting women’s voices - Kirsten Beasley, Head of Office, Bermuda, Willis Towers Watson
The opportunities are vast. Hundreds and hundreds of companies with a physical presence here and the jobs to go with it. It's important that all Bermudians remember that we're not just competing within Bermuda and our small country, we're competing on a global scale”, says Kirsten.“We are an exceptionally well-educated island. It's critical there are opportunities for Bermudians. And that Bermudi
S4 EP50: Renovating and redefining a high-performance insurance culture - Lisa Pariot, Chief People Officer, AXIS Capital
“We’ve got to deliver financial results and profitability, but you’ve got to be thinking about the way you can do that most efficiently too”, says Lisa, describing what a high performance culture means to her. “High performance is people being clear on what's expected of them, delivering that and then some, because they want to. It’s constantly improving and trying to do better.We make mista
S4 EP49: Connecting the ecosystem of Talent Acquisition, L&D and OD - Christina Parr, Head of Global Talent Acquisition, L&D and OD, Argo Group
“Throughput is really exciting when you connect those three areas, so what does that ecosystem look like?We make sure we are branching out and seeking underrepresented talent and also talent who have amazing experience. We do that in our acquisition process”, says Christina Parr as she discusses her role of combining talent acquisition, learning & development and organizational development. “A
S4 EP48: Amplifying talent development through people operations and marketing - Roxanne Nelson and Megan Bell, Falvey Insurance Group
“We look at our people as our number one asset, they are really providing our product. You need the people in order to bring that (insurance) promise to life. When we bring in an entry level person, we’re looking at their development path. We want to know, ‘what do you want to do?’, says Roxanne Nelson as she explains how Falvey create a clear career path for those entering the insurance industry.
S4 EP47: Integrating in to a new brand and communicating ‘the why’ - Aimee Kilpatrick, Chief Operating Officer, Cadence Insurance
“We always have a common goal every year for the entire organization. It’s in every single employee’s goal plan, from CEO all the way to somebody in an administrative position. The same goal we're all working towards”, says Aimee. “You can't expect people to rally around a goal unless you help them understand what that goal is. You have to help connect every person's role or every team's rol
S4 EP46: Unlocking potential with human-centric insurance leadership - Denise Nichols, Chief People Officer, Fortitude Re
“I changed the department from HR to People and culture. The term HR is a construct of an economist in the 1800s, talking about people as commodities, just like paper and pens. That's not what this is about anymore”, says Denise. “The world has changed. In order to unlock true potential of a company and its performance, you have to focus on the people, unlocking their true potential as whole indiv
S4 EP45: Driving your career progression in a culturally sensitive insurtech - with Jason Marsh, Global Talent Acquisition Lead, Prima
“Flexibility has become increasingly important. Not just working from home, but being able to work remotely and work the hours that suit you“, says Jason. “No one's expected to work late into the night or weekends unless they want to. Unless that's a rhythm that suits them.”On the podcast this week, Jason discusses his background in tech and digital recruitment, before moving to an in-house talent
S4 EP44: Knowing your purpose in a mission-driven insurtech - with Sarah Schuermann, Vice President of People, EvolutionIQ
“Because we’re such a mission driven organization, it is really important that we are bringing people in who want to make a difference in the world, who are excited about joining our mission and making an impact ”, says Sarah. “The people who are involved in that process are really committed to finding the people who are going to amplify the team the most and help us achieve our objectives."On the
S4 EP43: Intentional over-communication and knowing your team demographic - with Blair Kamrass, Vice President People Operations, Coterie Insurance
“Anyone stepping into a predominantly 100% remote opportunity, assuming it's not their first time, they know what they're getting into and what to expect from the day-to-day”, says Blair. “In terms of building a culture, the onus is really on the company, but also us as individuals to engage with co-workers. You have to be intentional about over-communicating.”On the Insurance Coffee House Podcast
S4 EP42: People, patience and private equity growth - with Lea Daughtridge Wharton, Chief Human Resources Officer, Oakbridge Insurance
“Patience is such a virtue when working in a high growth organization like this. The number of partner agencies that we’ve brought together are all in different phases of talent maturity.You just have to be patient and figure out where they are on the continuum and bring them along. I'm building and doing and teaching all at the same time”, says Lea as she emphasizes the need to be patient in a st
S4 EP41: Town halls, camaraderie and celebrating insurance expertise - with Eric Haller, CEO and Ashlie Keeling, HR Director, Fleming Insurance Holdings
“Having events like the town hall is incredibly important. For everyone to get together and be able to celebrate what we're building”, says Eric. “It gives us a forum to talk about what's going on, what the strategy is. It’s a time for anyone to ask questions so they can get a better understanding of what everyone does.We don't want everything to be just work. We also have fun things, that people
S4 EP40: How to attract and sustain a talent density in the 90th percentile - with Datha Santomieri, Co-Founder & COO, Steadily
“We're able to move mountains with far fewer people because of the fact that everybody in their role is exceptional and they’re that 90th percentile.It's really hard to maintain that talent density, especially as we've started to scale. But we absolutely refuse to just put bodies in seats because we need them”, says Datha. On the podcast this week, Steadily’s Co-Founder & COO shares her career
S4 EP39: Maintaining a cadence of acquisition, onboarding and connection - with Matt Rieck, Chief Human Resources Officer, Inszone Insurance Services
“We’ve had 115 acquisitions. That’s 115 individual small businesses who’ve become part of Inszone. How do you connect that? How do you make people feel like they're part of one company? says Matt. “We put this quarterly meeting in place where we have the whole C suite on and focus on three things, ‘Where are we at? Where are we going? And how are we going to get there?’On the podcast this week, Ma
S4 EP38: High expectations, high reward and having an ownership mindset - with Ryan Hite, Talent Acquisition Lead, RLI Insurance Company
“Every employee, even the most entry level positions, gets bonus company stock at the end of the year. You start thinking differently, about improvements in processes. It doesn't just benefit you. You're looking for things that benefit the whole organisation“, says Ryan. On our insurance executive search and talent acquisition podcast this week, Ryan discusses growing up in a farming family to his
S4 EP37: Using storytelling and knitting together a remote-first team - with Marjorie Hook, Vice President People & Culture, Openly
“We’re very committed to staying connected. We’re very careful about how we meet, when we meet and who is in the various meetings”, says Marjorie as she highlights the key success factors to implementing a remote-first culture at insurtech, Openly. On the podcast this week, Marjorie charts her career journey from consultancy to insurance people leader. “I started my career in the lean six s
S4 EP36: Using generative AI to augment our skills and transform HR - with Alex Zea, Digital HR Transformation Practice Lead, Mercer | Leapgen
“Generative AI, it's going to change the world in an incredibly positive way”, says Alex.“In the long term, I truly believe that we will elevate the role of HR because we'll be able to not only remove a lot of the friction from finding complex answers around HR policies and programs, but we'll also be able to augment our services to be able to do more.”Alex charts her career journey to falling in
S4 EP35: Creating guiding principles and acting with integrity - with Andrew Booth, Vice President of Marketing & Communications, MedPro Group
“One of our divisions wanted to pilot a work from home model in 2019. They tried it and it was successful. We made a decision that we would pilot that across our business and I remember working with others to figure out the guiding principles. When Covid hit, it’s not an overstatement to say that we had zero issues from a technology and productivity perspective”, says Andrew.On the podcast this we
S4 EP34: Building a high-performance team & measuring the right things - with Jamie Yoder, President & General Manager North America, Sapiens
““Don't compromise. Too often we're going through a process and have a deadline to get people so you kind of take what's there. There are great folks out there. Never compromise”, says Jamie. “It's all about how strong the talent is that you can attract, develop and nurture.”On the podcast this week, Jamie Yoder shares his career background with the world’s largest consultancy firms. He was Managi
S4 EP33: Empowering women and building a sense of belonging - with Rachel Pollack, Chief People Officer, QBE North America
“We’ve set ourselves ambitions to have 40% of women in leadership by 2025. You've got to do a lot over many years. It is not a short term change. We've got a range of programs throughout the employee life cycle", says Rachel. "For us it's not just about diversity. It's also about inclusion. We want to make sure we have less than 5% variation in people's sense of belonging no matter what part of th
S4 EP32: M&A referrals, integration and being in growth mode - with Jeff Hutchins, SVP of Human Resources, PCF Insurance Services
“Our M&A work has been tremendous. We have sought out companies that we believe fit our culture. You don't grow as rapidly as we have without having a strong M&A presence.We love to find entrepreneurs who care about their employees and want to grow their business. If you acquire the right type of leader and then they refer to a friend or someone else they do business with, that helps
S4 EP31: From small kernels to being a breakout player - with Brad Weisberg, Founder & CEO, Snapsheet
“There's been hundreds, if not thousands, of people that have said that, ‘this will never work’. I probably called 50 body shops just doing research. 40 to 45 of them said, ‘Absolutely not’. But there were five shops that said, ‘Absolutely. This is a process that I’d use. Just from that small kernel, I went all in”, says Brad. Brad talks through his career journey from working on HBO shows S
S4 EP30: Next-gen investment and partnership with purpose - with Claire Eeles, Chief People Officer, Mosaic Insurance
“Development has been a hot topic for us. We’ve launched our first programme for our more junior members of the team. A series of learning sessions about Mosaic, about Lloyds, about the marketplace, about the insurance industry in general”, says Claire. “The beauty of being part of an organisation with great growth plans is that we want to make sure that our younger members of the team can g
S4 EP29: Leveraging your network to create everything from nothing - with Lauri Putt Needleman, SVP People & Talent, Pie Insurance
“In that early stage, you really have to leverage your network and those around you who have done it before. Because they're only advisors, they can only go so far. It's kind of wild in that first year of having nothing and creating everything. You have to trust your instincts”, says Lauri.She shares her journey from growing up in a family of entrepreneurs through to joining Pie Insurance at its l
S4 EP28: Diversity of thought and the power of words - with Sandy Locke, Global Chief People Officer, Aon
“Statistics show that productivity and the delivery of innovation is much higher with diversity in your teams. I'm passionate about really helping people think about it bigger than just gender or race. It’s diversity of thought”, says Sandy. “A few weeks ago, the new Head of our Global Risk Analytics team was observing a group going through a presentation. It wasn't just pages being put together a
S4 EP27: Talent development and standardization in a decentralized organization - with Amy Halliburton, Chief Human Resources Officer, HUB International
“I am a big believer in continuous learning, in cultures that are rich in performance feedback so that people know how they're doing, what they could be doing better and what they need to focus on in their development”, says Amy.A first generation college student, Amy describes her multi-industry career journey from Case New Holland through consultancy and in to the insurance sector. She des
S4 EP26: EVP authenticity, recruitment standards and wildcard candidates - with Faye Kennedy, Head of Talent Acquisition, Markel International
“It's difficult to launch an EVP. It's something that has to be felt and experienced through those employee lifecycle touch points”, says Faye. “If you come back and say, ‘this is us now, this is what we are’, it’s not going to land well if it differs from what you are currently. Authenticity is key but also to factor in an aspirational component.” Faye shares how she fell in to the insurance indu
S4 EP25: Holistic well-being, compassionate leadership and finding your passion - with Stacey Hoin, Chief Human Resources Officer, Guardian
“We are very proud of our legacy and where we've come from. We're also really excited to evolve into a more contemporary, consumer focused, compassionate, purpose driven company”, says Stacey as she highlights Guardian’s aim to support consumers through a framework of mind, body and wallet. "Inspiring well-being enables us to think differently about the kinds of products and services we provide. D
S4 EP24: Hunting for Agency Owners and changing people’s lives - with Regan Fackrell, Director of Talent Acquisition, American Family Insurance
“People do not apply for agency owner opportunities. The way that you find candidates is definitely by hunting. Referrals is our number one source”, says Regan. “Going to current agency owners and asking for referrals is critical. We have sales leaders that are in the community. Being in the community is critical.” Regan charts his own career journey from Deloitte accountant in to the insuran
S4 EP23: Rebuilding the internal brand and casting wide nets - with Alisa Miller, Chief Human Resources Officer, IAT Insurance Group
"About 10 years ago, the company brought in a new CEO to bring the organization together and operate as one. He set the stage to have a leadership team working together to drive the business forward and rebuild our internal brand as one organization”, says Alisa. IAT Insurance Group’s CHRO talks about her journey in to the insurance industry, joining IAT 8 years ago and transforming employee engag
