Senior vice president and producer
Aon Risk Solutions
Age: 36
After spending a few years working at a major advertising agency in New York, Ryan Kraus decided it was time to change course.
“I was an advertising major in college and gave it a try for a while, but quickly found out it wasn't for me,” Mr. Kraus said. “I had an internship with Aon in 1999, so I revisited some of those relationships in the summer of 2001, and by 2002 I had landed a job with the financial services group, which does D&O executive liability.”
In the new role, he worked to cultivate deep expertise in the directors and officers liability market.
Transferring to Chicago in 2005, Mr. Kraus stayed in the D&O group until 2010, when he transitioned into his current role as senior vice president at Aon Risk Solutions, where he helps companies involved in mergers and acquisitions obtain representations and warranties insurance.
“I focus a lot on private equity, and specifically on transaction liability,” he said, noting the market for representations and warranties insurance is evolving rapidly. “This is an area that I have dug into over the last few years, and we've seen double-digit growth over the last three years.”
Jeffrey Wright, Chicago-based associate general counsel for private equity firm GTCR L.L.C., said Mr. Kraus' ability to operate under tight competitive tight deadlines is a great fit in the rapid-fire world of private equity M&As.
“He's a true problem solver,” Mr. Wright said.
“Coming to work can be mundane at times, but not when you are in the middle of executing a live deal, where this product can really help bridge a gap between the buyer and seller,” Mr. Kraus said. “Getting those "thank you' emails from clients is really what fuels us.”
Talent is the lifeblood of the insurance brokerage business. That's easy enough to say, but finding that talent is anything but easy. Finding and cultivating the best and brightest takes time and commitment — on the part of the brokerage and the part of the person hired.