We are joined by Juliana Toes, an Associate at Mayer Brown, this week on AIRROC’s The Legacy Life. 

Juliana is a member of the AIRROC NextGen Council, and we have been keeping her very busy with speaking engagements this year. She has presented at the 2023 Deal Forum, the 2023 Regional Education Day in Chicago, the 2023 Demystifying Legacy event with RE40 in NYC and moderated a panel at the 2023 Summer Membership Meeting. While it may sound like a lot (and it is), Juliana says: “It’s been one of the greatest parts about AIRROC.” She enjoys having “the opportunity to go to different events and… sit down and talk with people, especially having the benefit of…having given one presentation… It’s just another way to…get your name out there, and it also just gives you something to now talk about with other people [at the events].”

If you’re a NextGen professional in the legacy space and presenting to industry leaders at conferences sounds like your cup of tea, get involved with AIRROC NextGen at the link below today! We are always looking for speakers and committee members. Looking for something in a leadership role? Applications for NextGen Council positions will be available for Fall 2023 soon!

This podcast is brought to you by AIRROC, the only US-based non-profit association focusing on the legacy sector of the insurance and reinsurance industries. AIRROC serves the industry by providing education, networking, information and data. Learn more about what we do at AIRROC.org or https://airroc.memberclicks.net/

Find more information about AIRROC NextGen at NextGen Task Force (memberclicks.net).

You can also follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/airroc-update/ and https://www.linkedin.com/company/airroc-nextgen-task-force/

This week we are joined by Layla Trummer, a Reinsurance Structurer at Munich Re Insurance America Incorporated. Layla is an active member of the AIRROC NextGen Council. If she sounds familiar, you may have heard her speaking at the 2023 Deal Forum, the 2023 Regional Education Day in Chicago or the 2023 Demystifying Legacy event with RE40 in NYC.   

Layla discovered reinsurance in university while researching what kinds of companies hire actuaries. She may have been the only 18 year old to have ever said: "Wow. Insurance for insurance companies? That sounds pretty cool!" Working as a reinsurance structurer allowed Layla to develop her strategic thinking while still leveraging her technical background. She notes that once people get involved in reinsurance, particularly legacy reinsurance, they realize how interesting and dynamic the field is. 

Listen to our full conversation today!

This podcast is brought to you by AIRROC, the only US-based non-profit association focusing on the legacy sector of the insurance and reinsurance industries. AIRROC serves the industry by providing education, networking, information and data. Learn more about what we do at AIRROC.org or https://airroc.memberclicks.net/

Find more information about AIRROC NextGen at NextGen Task Force (memberclicks.net).

You can also follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/airroc-update/ and https://www.linkedin.com/company/airroc-nextgen-task-force/

We’re talking to Sandy Santomenno and Eric Pince from WTW this week. Sandy is the soon-to-be retired Senior Director in charge of the legacy liabilities space at WTW which includes asbestos, environmental and health hazard claims. We’re glad we caught her before she left! And Eric is currently transitioning into the Senior Director role. 

In this episode, we talk about the future of the legacy space, including how there’s an ongoing need for creative thinkers and people interested in learning how to use cutting edge technology such as AI and machine learning. “It’s a dynamic space. It’s a challenging space,” Eric says. “It definitely is a space for somebody who is curious.”  

This podcast is brought to you by AIRROC, the only US-based non-profit association focusing on the legacy sector of the insurance and reinsurance industries. AIRROC serves the industry by providing education, networking, information and data. Learn more about what we do at AIRROC.org or https://airroc.memberclicks.net/

Find more information about AIRROC NextGen at NextGen Task Force (memberclicks.net).

You can also follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/airroc-update/ and https://www.linkedin.com/company/airroc-nextgen-task-force/

In the legacy spotlight this week is Natalie Weedman, a Portfolio Management Analyst at Swiss Re. Natalie is also a member of the AIRROC NextGen Council and has been actively involved with NextGen almost since its creation in 2020.  

Natalie started her career working at an insurance agency as a license producer for personal lines P&C. Three years into that role she decided she never wanted to work in insurance again.  A friend suggested she take a job in reinsurance. Like many of us, Natalie didn't know what reinsurance was when she started, but she was eager to try something new and is happy that she did. "I didn't have any sort of credentials. Really, someone just gave me a chance," she says as she looks back at her career.

Listen to our full conversation today!

This podcast is brought to you by AIRROC, the only US-based non-profit association focusing on the legacy sector of the insurance and reinsurance industries. AIRROC serves the industry by providing education, networking, information and data. Learn more about what we do at AIRROC.org or https://airroc.memberclicks.net/

Find more information about AIRROC NextGen at NextGen Task Force (memberclicks.net).

You can also follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/airroc-update/ and https://www.linkedin.com/company/airroc-nextgen-task-force/

This week on The Legacy Life we are talking to Megan McHugh, AVP on the Assumed Reinsurance team at Brandywine Group of Insurance and Reinsurance Companies. Only a few of our guests have had linear career paths, and Megan is certainly not one of them. During our conversation she explains how she left the reinsurance industry to raise her children and then successfully reentered the industry thirteen years later. Going back into reinsurance after so many years was daunting, but she did it. Megan credits her support system at home and thanks many of the people who gave her a chance or helped her along the way.  

This podcast is brought to you by AIRROC, the only US-based non-profit association focusing on the legacy sector of the insurance and reinsurance industries. AIRROC serves the industry by providing education, networking, information and data. Learn more about what we do at AIRROC.org or https://airroc.memberclicks.net/

Find more information about AIRROC NextGen at NextGen Task Force (memberclicks.net).

You can also follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/airroc-update/ and https://www.linkedin.com/company/airroc-nextgen-task-force/

Welcome to season 4 of AIRROC's The Legacy Life! We are thrilled to be back and chatting with Eric Haller, CEO and co-founder of Fleming Insurance Holdings. For those not in the know, Fleming was founded in 2018 with the goal of reimagining the legacy space through LPT solutions, changing how risks are shared and applying modern technology to old claims. 

Eric started his career in insurance as a CPA, CFA, but he didn't take the path in insurance that one would expect from someone holding those designations. He notes that he "never booked a journal entry" and instead wound his way around the industry taking opportunities as they presented themselves. In doing so, he developed a broad understanding of the industry that lead him to being in the right place at the right time to co-found Fleming. 
 

This podcast is brought to you by AIRROC, the only US-based non-profit association focusing on the legacy sector of the insurance and reinsurance industries. AIRROC serves the industry by providing education, networking, information and data. Learn more about what we do at AIRROC.org or https://airroc.memberclicks.net/

Find more information about AIRROC NextGen at NextGen Task Force (memberclicks.net).

You can also follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/airroc-update/ and https://www.linkedin.com/company/airroc-nextgen-task-force/

This week we’re joined by Lee Vuu, Vice President of Reinsurance Claims at Argo Group. Lee discusses how she started her career as an Executive Assistant with no reinsurance experience and eventually became a VP of Reinsurance. The secret to her success? “It’s really asking a lot of questions,” she says. And while she asked a lot of questions of her co-workers, she also looked outside her company for learning opportunities. “I saw my reinsurers as a point of contact to learn from them. I asked a lot of questions: what they did, how they do it, what they look at.” 

Looking back over her career, Lee notes that “[n]etworking has been a big key for me… All those people that I knew back then--and this is going back to the early 2000s--I still know these people to this day and consider them friends.”

Lee also describes her latest adventure as founder and Board President of the newly launched non-profit for the Reinsurance/Insurance industry called Multicultural Reinsurance Insurance Association. After 2020, she wanted to “build a group that was for likeminded individuals, but for groups that were considered underrepresented.” MRIA also has junior board members who are young professionals getting the experience of running a non-profit years before they would normally have a chance. 

Listen now for our full conversation!

This podcast is brought to you by AIRROC, the only US-based non-profit association focusing on the legacy sector of the insurance and reinsurance industries. AIRROC serves the industry by providing education, networking, information and data. Learn more about what we do at AIRROC.org or https://airroc.memberclicks.net/

Find more information about AIRROC NextGen at NextGen Task Force (memberclicks.net).

You can also follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/airroc-update/ and https://www.linkedin.com/company/airroc-nextgen-task-force/

This week we're joined by Jose Martinez, Vice President of Reinsurance and Commutations Expert at Swiss Re. 

We asked a lot of Jose in this episode and he rose to the challenge. In addition to describing his role and career thus far, Jose also discusses his practical strategies for engaging potential future insurance professionals from grade school to adulthood, the importance of knowledge transfer in the legacy space and the value of social media in networking. 

Listen to the episode to hear our full discussion today! 

This podcast is brought to you by AIRROC, the only US-based non-profit association focusing on the legacy sector of the insurance and reinsurance industries. AIRROC serves the industry by providing education, networking, information and data. Learn more about what we do at AIRROC.org or https://airroc.memberclicks.net/

Find more information about AIRROC NextGen at NextGen Task Force (memberclicks.net).

You can also follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/airroc-update/ and https://www.linkedin.com/company/airroc-nextgen-task-force/

We have two guests joining us this week: Dustin Loeffler, Managing Director and Head of U.S. Legacy Reinsurance Solutions at Aon, and Matt DiSanto, Associate Director of Reinsurance Solutions, Capital Advisory, also at Aon. 

When we turned to the topic of bringing new talent into the legacy space, Dustin had some data for us. He cited a survey created by Ward that said 70% of the companies surveyed (focusing primarily on P&C, life and health carriers) were looking to increase staff over the next year, but 48% of the companies surveyed were finding it increasingly difficult to hire talent in 2022. Matt noted that many roles in legacy are "highly specialized...in a very niche industry," which can make talent recruitment "somewhat of an uphill battle." But not everything is doom and gloom. One way to bring new talent into legacy is to bring new talent into the industry as a whole. Dustin and Matt were both eager to discuss the Aon Apprenticeship Program, which  combines academic instruction with on-the-job training. The program reduces the barriers of entry to the insurance industry and could be a useful blueprint for other companies looking to develop and expand the talent pool.

Listen to the episode to hear our full discussion! 

This podcast is brought to you by AIRROC, the only US-based non-profit association focusing on the legacy sector of the insurance and reinsurance industries. AIRROC serves the industry by providing education, networking, information and data. Learn more about what we do at AIRROC.org or https://airroc.memberclicks.net/

Find more information about AIRROC NextGen at NextGen Task Force (memberclicks.net).

You can also follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/airroc-update/ and https://www.linkedin.com/company/airroc-nextgen-task-force/

Chris Hampshire is the Vice President of Gallagher Bassett’s Carrier Practice and the President and Chair of the CPCU Leadership Council. In this episode of The Legacy Life, Chris discusses his career, his work with the CPCU Society and his thoughts on how to bring new talent into the insurance industry. 

“I think we need to be talking about the social good that we do,” he says. “I don’t think we talk about this nearly enough… We don’t talk about the fact that we’re the second responders enough… We’re the folks who are there to help kind of put the pieces back together financially.” Chris also notes that insurance today is one of those industries where if you’re willing to work hard and put in the effort, you can write your own ticket, often from the comfort of your own home. 

This podcast is brought to you by AIRROC, the only US-based non-profit association focusing on the legacy sector of the insurance and reinsurance industries. AIRROC serves the industry by providing education, networking, information and data. Learn more about what we do at AIRROC.org or https://airroc.memberclicks.net/

Find more information about AIRROC NextGen at NextGen Task Force (memberclicks.net).

You can also follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/airroc-update/ and https://www.linkedin.com/company/airroc-nextgen-task-force/