2006 Women to Watch: Melissa Kerns
Posted On: Oct. 8, 2006 12:00 AM CST
Senior Vp
AIG Risk Management Group
New York
Age: 40
Melissa Kerns has spent her entire career in the insurance industry with AIG, joining the company as a professional associate in 1988. Currently, she is the profit center manager for the group’s national account segment, which consists of property/casualty accounts with $700 million or more in sales.
Q: Who has had the greatest influence on your career and why?
A: Charles Dangelo, president of AIG Global Risk Management. "He makes it look so easy when running a company is certainly not easy to do."
Q: What advice would you give young women entering the industry today?
A: Young women should build a network of contacts both within their companies and within the industry, which will help foster relationships that not only present new business opportunities, but also provide valuable insight for their own professional development. "The business in my opinion is a very people driven business and I think having relationships both within your organization and the market is a very important aspect," adding that young women should not be afraid to ask questions about the business.
Q: If you had the ability to change one thing about the industry what would it be?
A: More open communication between carriers, clients and brokers is the only way to create an open and free dialogue that will enable them to work together to truly explore and resolve issues in a more timely manner, Ms. Kerns said.