JOHN LOFTUS
Senior vice president, cyber security and privacy
Willis Towers Watson P.L.C
New York
Age: 35
John Loftus began his career in investment banking, working at Goldman Sachs and then Morgan Stanley, when a trustee at his school introduced him to an alumnus at Willis Towers Watson P.L.C. The connection paid off, and he has been with the company for eight years.
Best advice you’ve been given
Number one, the journey is the reward, meaning that you really need to be passionate about your job and what you do and enjoy the challenge and learn and grow every day. You have to enjoy the ride and not be focused on the accolades. The other piece of advice that stood out in my mind is the need to embrace change and not to shy away from it.
Best-kept secret about insurance
My old CEO said insurance is the DNA of the modern world. Nothing happens without insurance. We enable virtually every economic transaction in the world.
Next big thing in insurance
I think it could be block chain technology, and specifically the block chain insurance industry initiative. The potential to transform the insurance industry by having transparent distributed ledgers of contract-related information to help streamline our communications and our transactions, improve our process, improve our contracts, our policy delivery … there’s a lot there.
How do you unwind?
I live in the West Village, in Manhattan, and at this time of the year it’s awesome to go for a run outside. Also, having dinner with friends in the West Village, in SoHo or Tribeca, after work is a lot of fun.
Hobbies and interests
I do like to ski when the weather permits ... I like to surf in the summer, and I’m definitely into music and going to concerts here in the city — there are so many.
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