Welcome to the 100th episode of the In The Know podcast! Today’s guest Bruce McEwan is the principal of PROMANCON, an insurance and risk management consulting organization specializing in management, risk management, conflict management, and related organization change projects. Based in Hawaii, Bruce is a retired executive manager for Young Brothers, Limited, a Marine freight transportation company. During his 29-year career as a risk manager, Bruce identified, analyzed, and evaluated risks and developed plans for mitigating and managing risks of many types. In this milestone episode of the In The Know podcast, Chris Hampshire and Bruce discuss his life as a risk manager, his current work in the consulting world, and his thoughts on the future of the industry, including ways to attract new talent.

 

Key Takeaways

 

• Bruce recalls his entrance into the insurance world and CPCU Society.

• The impressive responsibilities that Bruce oversaw in his early years.

• Unique challenges of working in the insurance industry in Hawaii.

• Recognizing the value of the CPCU designation and recruiting employees who hold it.

• The importance of sharing industry knowledge with others, especially in retirement.

• Bruce’s motivation behind writing his article regarding the CPCU code.

• Being a professional means upholding the responsibility to develop and maintain needed skills.

• Tactics for attracting and developing talent to the insurance industry.

• Bruce’s networking advice to his early career self.

• Key elements of successful risk management programs.

 

Quotes

 

• “I recognized that if I was going to be successful as a risk manager, then I best take advantage of the associate courses offered by the institute.”

• “The Institutes really helped me better prepare myself, not only in insurance but in the other fields I now had responsibility for.”

• “Students need to be educated about the value of the insurance industry and the roles that they can play and participate in.”

• “I’m a professional. I have the responsibility to keep abreast of everything and develop and maintain the skills I need to be good at those things.”

• “We need to get the message across that the insurance business is a service business.”

• “As you are connecting with other people, take advantage and cultivate relationships that can be helpful in your career.” 

• “Enterprise risk management is a potential game changer because it is a holistic way of implementing risk management into an organization.”