Vp and Risk Manager, Silverstein Properties Inc./World Trade Center Properties

Germantown, Md.

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Shari Natovitz leads the two-employee risk management group at Silverstein Properties Inc., which is building three towers at Ground Zero in Manhattan along with building and managing other residential and commercial construction projects and properties in New York. Ms. Natovitz sits on the external affairs committee and national conference programming committees for the Risk & Insurance Management Society Inc., on a council of national construction contractors convened by Chartis Inc., and she recently was asked to join a global client advisory council established by brokerage Willis Group Holdings Ltd. The International Risk Management Institute named Ms. Natovitz a 2008 Horizon Award Finalist for marketing innovation in recognition of her role leading the team that purchased insurance for Towers 2, 3 and 4 being constructed at Ground Zero. In 2007, Silverstein was told only about $350 million in capacity was available for the project, but Ms. Natovitz, her assistant and 56 professionals from Willis launched a marketing campaign aimed at insurers. Insurers later offered proposals for more than $6 billion in all-risk builder's insurance and an equal amount of standalone terrorism coverage.

WHAT YOU WANTED TO BE PROFESSIONALLY WHILE GROWING UP: I wanted to be president of the United States. I was a (political science) major. I fell into (the insurance industry) just by happenstance and I had the extraordinary good luck to fall in with a group of people who were interested in learning for learning's sake. I spent 35-plus years as a broker and I loved every minute of it. I wanted to be the broker for the (World Trade Center) project and I ended up being the risk manager for it. It's been an extraordinary journey.

THE BEST BOOK YOU'VE READ RECENTLY: “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom, because its life lessons can be shared and valued at any time, not just your youth.

Complete profiles of all 2009 Women to Watch can be viewed at www.BusinessInsurance.com/women2009.