2017 Break Out Awards, West: Jennifer Smith
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JENNIFER SMITH
Senior vice president, FINPRO
Marsh L.L.C.
Los Angeles
Age: 35
Jennifer Smith joined Marsh L.L.C. in July 2006. After a little over a year in the strategic sales group, working in a variety of industry practices and risk practices, she gravitated toward the financial and professional liability practice, FINPRO. She began as a client representative and over the years worked her way up to her current position as senior vice president, FINPRO.
Best advice you’ve been given
It was given to me early in my career by Lou Ann Layton, who was running FINPRO at the time. She told me to always have a voice. She said if you are invited to a meeting you are invited for a reason and you should actively participate.
Best-kept secret about insurance
It’s that while you’re in the process of negotiating renewals and doing deals, you end up forming lifelong friendships. I think this is a relationship business, and those relationships you have are of the utmost importance for success from a professional perspective. A lot of times those same connections you’ve made become some of your close personal friends. I’ve been the maid of honor in the wedding of a girl I started with at Marsh and some have been in my wedding.
What inspires you?
My dad, and I know that’s the classic answer ... seeing his strength, his positive attitude, and seeing him face cancer while maintaining focus is just incredibly inspiring. It put a lot in perspective in life.
How do you unwind?
By not reading anything. I joke that I spend all day analyzing insurance policies and concentrating on coverage and language and parsing words that after spending all day doing that I either want to be outside being active, going for a run or on my couch watching mindless TV.
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2017 Break Out Awards
Business Insurance’s Break Out Awards program honors 40 top professionals on track to be the next leaders in the risk management and property/casualty insurance field.
