Operating the numbers: Ardour for math results in insurance coverage profession

Jenna Kirkpatrick Howard’s journey on this planet of enterprise and insurance coverage is a hanging instance of how various experiences and steady studying can pave the way in which to success.

Howard (pictured above) at the moment serves because the senior vice chairman at Lockton Firms and a member of the Northeast Government Committee. Her story is not only about her rise within the company world but additionally about her contributions to the business, notably by way of her talking engagements, board roles, mentorship of rising expertise, and dedication to variety and inclusion.

Howard’s foray into the enterprise realm started along with her ardour for arithmetic, which she pursued at college. This path serendipitously led her to satisfy an actuary, opening her eyes to an enchanting intersection between arithmetic and enterprise. This encounter steered her towards a specialization in threat administration and insurance coverage at enterprise college, marking the start of her insurance coverage journey.

“After I was considering what sort of profession I used to be serious about, I actually discovered that the combination between arithmetic and enterprise made numerous sense,” she mentioned.

Initially aspiring to be an actuary, Howard’s early experiences included an internship within the discipline. Nevertheless, she quickly found that this path was not aligned along with her profession aspirations. Shifting to a brokerage agency after faculty, she launched into a journey in insurance coverage brokerage. Her profession at this stage was characterised by a generalist strategy, the place she dealt with numerous kinds of accounts, together with working with a personal fairness agency.

“What I actually like concerning the brokerage function is that it is led by curiosity. By asking numerous questions on threat profile and threat tolerance, you may get a robust understanding of your shoppers’ enterprise. Figuring out threat and the way you handle them is absolutely enjoyable,” Howard mentioned.

The transfer to Washington, D.C., was a big chapter in Howard’s profession. Right here, she delved into giant building tasks, inserting wrap-up applications for stadiums, arenas, and conference facilities. Nevertheless, the monetary disaster of 2008 necessitated a shift in her focus, resulting in her involvement with numerous kinds of companies.

Becoming a member of Lockton Firms was a turning level in her profession. Over the previous 13 years, Howard has labored throughout a number of verticals, together with building, actual property, and not-for-profit sectors. Her work usually includes tackling advanced points within the property insurance coverage market, particularly in mild of local weather change.

“Oftentimes if you get into nonprofits comparable to social providers and commerce organizations, they do really personal numerous property, and there is some actually attention-grabbing nuances to how they run their organizations, and it pulls at your heartstrings numerous occasions,” she mentioned.

Howard’s most notable contribution to the sector is her co-authorship of “The Development Insurance coverage Information for Attorneys and Different Professionals” for the American Bar Affiliation. The information is at the moment being up to date to incorporate new focuses comparable to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns in building, reflecting the evolving panorama of the business.

Other than her skilled endeavors, Howard is enthusiastic about selling variety in management roles throughout the monetary providers sector. She chaired the Elite Ladies Producer Group at Lockton the place she championed initiatives to extend feminine illustration in senior management positions. Howard emphasised the significance of making a supportive community and offering growth alternatives for girls within the group.

“We created the Elite Ladies Producer Group as a result of there have been so few girls on this function inside Lockton 10 years in the past, and we had been searching for our personal connection and help group inside it,” Howard mentioned. “Now we have since taken that group and advanced it into an vital function in recruiting, mentorship, onboarding and ensuring there is a trajectory for fulfillment, not solely on the manufacturing facet, but additionally inside senior management, working committees, follow chief roles and unit managers.”