NAME: Emily Merola
NEW JOB TITLE: Pittsburgh-based senior vice president, property/casualty, Assurex Global
PREVIOUS POSITION: Pittsburgh-based senior vice president, property/casualty, Assurex Global
INDUSTRY OUTLOOK: Change is inevitable. Our industry will face exciting changes, challenges and opportunities in the coming years including but not limited to new and creative product innovations adapting to evolving risk, increased awareness in young talent through more universities offering deeper risk management curriculums, post-pandemic changes to the way we build relationships (virtually vs. in-person) and how we work in general (remote vs. in the office). Leaders in our industry will be mastering how we can best incorporate video meetings and achieve true connection behind our screens. There will be an increased focus and emphasis on how to effectively apply data analytics into making well-informed and strategic decisions on the underwriting and distribution front.
GOALS FOR NEW POSITION: To be a servant leader, resource and great listener. Our team at Assurex Global has an incredible opportunity to positively affect the industry, and I plan to work hard to achieve that impact. Most important, I plan to have fun, because if we dont, then its just insurance.
CHALLENGES FACING THE INDUSTRY: The cyber market challenges and insurability; artificial intelligence and its impact on underwriting, underwriting support and operations; supply-chain challenges post-pandemic; mergers, acquisitions and capital flow for growth and perpetuation; talent acquisition, development and the changing of the guards; the war on talent, mass turnover and the great resignation; retaining talent with a post-pandemic, pent-up demand that offers a work experience that attracts new talent, retains the best of current talent, and builds a culture that creates a new competitive advantage.
FIRST EXPERIENCE IN THE INDUSTRY JOB MARKET: My first experience in the business was with Chubb Insurance as a fiduciary underwriting intern in New York City. I am forever grateful to my friend and mentor Bruce Tindal from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in Manhattan who introduced me to the insurance industry in the early 2000s.
ADVICE: Always be the most responsive resource and manage your clients expectations with good communication. Never underestimate the power of picking up the phone and having a conversation. If you do not know the answer, always be honest and follow through with an answer. Pay your dues as you learn, listen and grow. Never burn bridges; it is a small world, after all.
OUTSIDE THE INDUSTRY, A DREAM JOB: To host my own cooking and lifestyles show.
COLLEGE MAJOR: Business administration with a concentration in marketing
LOOKING FORWARD TO: Broadening my network of friends across the globe and finding ways to enrich their Assurex Global experience.
FAVOURITE MEAL: Chicken parmesan with vodka sauce
BOOK: The Great Gatsby
HOBBIES: Making memories with my family and friends; cooking, laying pool or lakeside, shopping.
TV SHOW: The Kitchen on the Food Network
ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON: Cook and listen to music while my youngest son naps.
