Risk Management

2017 Break Out Awards, South: Kevin Smith

June 05, 2017 Reprints

Willis Towers Watson Agents & Brokers More + Less -

KEVIN SMITH

Vice president, FINEX

Willis Towers Watson P.L.C.

Nashville, Tennessee

Age: 31

Kevin Smith is an executive risk broker at Willis Towers Watson P.L.C. who has worked in the management liability field since joining the industry. His first permanent insurance job was at Ace Ltd., but he’d held two internships at the insurer during college, including a stint at its Lloyd’s of London operation. Looking to work more closely with clients, he moved over to the broking side of the business in January 2016.

Top industry concern

Making sure that the industry attracts the best and brightest young talent. I think that tech and finance are trendy careers, but insurance can be very rewarding for young professionals.

Best-kept secret about insurance

Definitely the people. Whether it’s the mentors I’ve had over the years, the camaraderie amongst co-workers or the exposure you get to a broader array of individuals across different industries on the client side, the experience gained through these interactions is unique and hard to find elsewhere.

Next big thing in insurance

Hands-down, data. Being able to harness and effectively use the vast amount of quantitative and qualitative information that we collect is going to significantly change how the insurance industry operates in the not-too-distant-future. The key to this is not only going to be the technology that we use to collect and analyze this information, but also being able to cohesively communicate this to the people on all sides of the transaction, and the cultural change to the way the insurance industry has historically operated.

Hobbies and interests

I’m an avid outdoorsman, so everything from big- and small-game hunting to camping and hiking. Also, whether through work or personal, I also enjoy traveling and seeing new places and meeting new people.

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