Influential Women in Captive Insurance: Amy O’Brien
Amy O’Brien, VP, new business development, Gallagher Bassett
Amy O’Brien heads new business development for captives and programmes for Gallagher Bassett (GB), a claims management firm. She serves as the sales liaison to the captive programme manager, insureds, carrier, and other stakeholders. She oversees the financial aspects of the property/casualty claims programme including proposal process, pricing, contract and overall service.
O’Brien has more than 30 years of experience in claims management and was named Captive Service Professional of the Year 2022 by Captive Review and is a Captive Power 50 designee. She is chair of CICA’s Amplify Women Networking committee and Conference Programming Committee. She is based in the Chicago area.
How did you get started in the captive insurance industry?
It feels like yesterday, but it’s now the silver anniversary of my being involved with captives. Earlier in my career, I was a newer account manager at GB, and I was given the opportunity to work with a 30-member, established group captive that was outsourcing its claims to GB for the first time.
I served as the primary liaison on that captive for five years. I spent a lot of time with members hosting claim reviews and presenting in US claim workshops and offshore board meetings, and I was enamoured with the captive model.
Who inspired you or acted as a mentor in your career?
I have often said that the aforementioned group captive I served was one of the experiences that best formed my future career. I learned very quickly how to navigate so many stakeholders involved in the captive insurance process.
Lessons were learned along the way and some inspirational people helped guide me. One who stands out is the captive claim consultant who I spoke with almost every day throughout that five-year period. In addition to that client influence, I have been blessed over the years with some key managers who proactively helped me have a seat at the table and encouraged my voice to be heard, while I observed and learned from the more senior staff.
As a vice president at GB, I have co-workers who inspire me with new ideas and I have hand-picked as my “mentor” a personal board of trusted advisors from across the industry and community.
What do you think deters people from entering the world of captives?
Simply put: “you don’t know what you don’t know” and many people have not been exposed to the captive insurance model. It hasn’t come up in their education, internship or current role. It is very important to get the education and information in front of the insurance community to inspire them to embrace captives, in the same way I was inspired.
“It’s all about sharing the message with women who might be interested.”
How can mentorship and sponsorship programmes be designed to better support the career development of women?
As a member of CICA’s Amplify Women committee, I am fortunate to have a front seat on the resources available. We keep these topics on the agenda, whether that is at an insurance conference, on social media or passed along through conversations and email campaigns. There are programmes out there and it’s all about sharing the message with women who might be interested.
In what ways can companies in the sector create a more inclusive culture that actively promotes gender diversity at all levels?
There are several ways that companies in the captive insurance sector can create a more inclusive culture, and they aren’t unique to captives or to women. Creating a more inclusive culture that actively promotes diversity requires a comprehensive and sustained effort. It requires a commitment from leadership, the implementation of inclusive policies and practices, and the active involvement and support of all employees.
Examples include ensuring that you establish clear diversity and inclusion goals; provide equal opportunities for career advancement; offer flexible work arrangements to accommodate the needs of employees with caregiving responsibilities; and measure and track progress through employee surveys, diversity metrics, and regular reporting to senior leadership.
By holding themselves accountable, companies can identify areas for improvement and make necessary changes.
What are your ambitions?
I’m at a point in my career where it’s exciting to be recruiting students and persuading insurance trainees to join the world of captives. This enables me to educate them, while partnering with executives to form new captives, grow existing captives, and achieve superior outcomes for them and their insureds.
This is my recipe for ongoing growth, securing new business and creating a legacy in the captive insurance arena.
Click here to read Captive International’s first Influential Women in Captive Insurance publication, celebrating the women transforming the captive sector through their sustained excellence and leadership.
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