Brad Strawn

NAME: Brad Strawn

NEW JOB TITLE: Atlanta-based chief operating officer for Georgia region and executive risk advisers, McGriff

PREVIOUS POSITION: Atlanta-based chief operating officer, Atlanta, McGriff Seibels & Williams Inc.

INDUSTRY OUTLOOK: The insurance industry is very relational and has always relied heavily on in-person interactions. For the foreseeable future and beyond, however, we will rely more significantly on technology to maintain and build relationships. This will accelerate change and bring a greater focus on practitioners’ technical expertise and product and industry specialization, which are McGriff strengths. Additionally, disruptions from COVID-19, climate change and technological transformations will lead to new and changing risks. The resulting uncertainty will cause further hardening of the market across many business coverages.

GOALS FOR NEW POSITION: My responsibilities recently expanded in two areas, both of which seek to increase internal collaboration to deliver solutions for our clients. First, with the operational integration and restructuring of McGriff, Seibels & Williams Inc. and McGriff Insurance Services Inc. into one McGriff, I assumed operational responsibility of several Georgia region offices. Second, I also assumed companywide operational responsibility for our executive risk advisers division. Regarding “One McGriff,” I look forward to playing a prominent role in building an integrated knowledge and service platform for our clients. At McGriff, we are developing internal systems and practices among our 4,000 teammates nationwide that will allow us to provide each client with a dedicated team comprising the best coverage technician, industry expert, claims advocate, and carrier relationship representative for their particular needs. That’s what makes McGriff unique and differentiates us from our competition.

CHALLENGES FACING THE INDUSTRY: COVID-19 and the rapid development of new technologies are altering the way we work, build relationships, and deliver client solutions. These forces require McGriff and the industry to adapt and learn at a much faster pace. McGriff’s entrepreneurial spirit gives us a competitive advantage. We have a relatively flat organizational structure, a client-first mentality, and the financial stability of being owned by Truist. Under the leadership of our President and CEO Rick Ulmer, we are acquiring new technologies, restructuring our operations while maintaining client service as our priority, and constantly examining how we can be better.

FIRST EXPERIENCE IN THE INDUSTRY JOB MARKET: I spent 20 years practicing law and litigating cases prior to joining McGriff in May 2018. Early in my career, I focused primarily on civil litigation and insurance defense. I ultimately transitioned to labor and employment law, spending the final 13 years with international law firm Littler Mendelson P.C.

ADVICE: Be curious, ask a lot of questions and listen. Insurance is a professional services industry selling knowledge and service. We do not sell one-size-fits-all widgets. Each client is different. The way you deliver value, earn trust, and succeed is understanding your client’s business as well as they do, and knowing the insurance market better than your competition. If you are insatiably curious and spend necessary time learning your client’s business and the insurance market, you can succeed.

OUTSIDE THE INDUSTRY, A DREAM JOB: College history professor. I enjoy learning how a society’s past shapes its present, and I love teaching and mentoring.

COLLEGE MAJOR: Political science and then law school. Growing up in the Washington, D.C., area, I wanted to be a lobbyist. Thankfully, I took a different route.

LOOKING FORWARD TO: Working collaboratively with talented teammates to multiply each individual’s effectiveness.

FAVOURITE MEAL: A bushel of steamed Chesapeake Bay blue crabs, cold beer and good friends.

BOOK: “Old Man and the Sea,” by Ernest Hemingway. I admire Hemingway’s concise, declarative writing style. I also love the story of Santiago’s persistence in his struggle against the marlin and the sharks that attack it. Even though it resulted in no outward sign of success, Santiago’s inner pride and tenacity shine and are their own rewards.

HOBBIES: Basketball, soccer and spending time with my wife and two boys.

TV SHOW: “Seinfeld,” for its absurdity and success in reminding us to laugh at everyday events.

ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON: Bike Atlanta’s Beltline with my wife and kids.