AMY FLANAGAN
Posted On: Jul. 29, 2007 12:00 AM CST
Senior Vp
Arch Insurance Group
New York
Age: 40
Amy Flanagan started in the insurance business in 1989 as a trainee at Philadelphia-based CIGNA Corp. where she spent several years as an underwriter before joining Reliance Insurance Group’s ceded reinsurance department in 1992, and then working in a similar capacity at Kemper Insurance Co. from 2000. Ms. Flanagan then worked at New York-based intermediary Guy Carpenter & Co. Inc. as a reinsurance broker from 2003 until September 2006, when she joined Arch as a senior vp to manage its ceded reinsurance department.
Greatest influence: "It’s difficult to pick just one. I would say I’ve been fortunate to work directly for many talented insurance/ reinsurance professionals who’ve acted as mentors and have helped to guide me, and I would say each one of them has greatly influenced where I am today, because each provided me the opportunity and independence to do the job."
Advice to young women: "I would encourage them to get a broad based experience of the industry and then find an area that really is of interest to them, and that they’re passionate about, because they’ll enjoy their profession that much more."
Early aspirations: "I knew I wanted to be in the business world and actually I interviewed out of college for several commercial banking jobs, but was only offered positions in the retail side of banking, and so this insurance underwriting job seemed like the next best thing."