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

Jenna Kirkpatrick Howard’s journey on the earth of enterprise and insurance coverage is a putting 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 vp at Lockton Companies and a member of the Northeast Government Committee. Her story isn’t just about her rise within the company world but additionally about her contributions to the business, notably via 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.

“Once I was considering what sort of profession I used to be occupied with, I actually discovered that the combo between arithmetic and enterprise made a number of sense,” she mentioned.

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

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

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

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

“Oftentimes whenever you get into nonprofits equivalent to social companies and commerce organizations, they do truly personal a number of property, and there is some actually attention-grabbing nuances to how they run their organizations, and it pulls at your heartstrings a number of instances,” she mentioned.

Howard’s most notable contribution to the sector is her co-authorship of “The Building 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 equivalent to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns in development, reflecting the evolving panorama of the business.

Other than her skilled endeavors, Howard is captivated with selling variety in management roles throughout the monetary companies sector. She chaired the Elite Girls 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 ladies within the group.

“We created the Elite Girls Producer Group as a result of there have been so few ladies on this position inside Lockton 10 years in the past, and we had been on the lookout for our personal connection and assist group within it,” Howard mentioned. “We’ve since taken that group and advanced it into an essential position in recruiting, mentorship, onboarding and ensuring there is a trajectory for achievement, not solely on the manufacturing aspect, but additionally inside senior management, working committees, observe chief roles and unit managers.”