2013 40 Under 40: Michael Tomasulo
Northeast Region Reprints
Senior vice president and management liability practice leader
AH&T Insurance
Age: 39
Michael Tomasulo's path to success started when he decided to cut out the funny business and start working in insurance.
“I thought I wanted to be in the entertainment industry, so I started working for Comedy Central,” Mr. Tomasulo said.
He soon realized that his MBA in finance was better utilized elsewhere and started a job at American International Group Inc., specializing in directors and officers liability insurance.
“I decided I wanted to find a part of the insurance industry that dovetailed with my finance background, and D&O was something that really popped out,” he said.
He subsequently left AIG for a stint at Zurich Insurance Group Ltd., but eventually was offered an opportunity to join an old boss from AIG, who was starting an in-house insurance brokerage for Nasdaq.
After a decade, Nasdaq sold the brokerage to Aon P.L.C., and Mr. Tomasulo followed. However, he missed building something from the ground up. Three years ago, he approached the owners of AH&T, whom he had gotten to know during his decade at Nasdaq, with a proposition to start a Northeast office in Newark, N.J., for the Leesburg, Va.-based brokerage.
“They were doing great on property/casualty and benefits, but they didn't have an in-house department dedicated to the nuances of management liability,” he said. While he enjoys the technical side of the job, Mr. Tomasulo said he enjoys the relationship-building aspect the most.
Eddie Lee, executive vice president and treasurer for San Jose, Calif.-based technology firm Xilinx Inc., said Mr. Tomasulo's attention to detail sets him apart.
“I have used Mike for eight years now and think he is fantastic; we have even followed him through several different brokerage firms,” he said. “We have a rather small risk department for a multibillion-dollar corporation, and Mike is definitely my second set of eyes and ears in the marketplace.”
