JULIANNE JESSUP
Benfield Group Ltd. Reprints
Senior Executive and Head of Industry Analysis and Research, Investor Relations, and Global Marketing and Communications
Benfield Group Ltd.
London
Age: 46
Best known for her leadership role in establishing Benfield Group Ltd.’s investment banking-grade industry research for the global reinsurance industry, Julianne Jessup was one of the first female reinsurance brokers at Lloyd’s of London. With more than two decades of experience, Ms. Jessup is a member of Benfield’s executive leadership team overseeing industry research, investor relations, marketing and communications. She began her insurance career in 1983 as a graduate trainee with a Lloyd’s brokerage firm. After three years as a broker working in the aviation and construction markets, she moved to the investment banking sector as an equity analyst specializing in insurance. After a decade in investment banking, she was invited to join Benfield.
Professional role model: "When I started out at London broker Stewart Wrightson L.L.C. in the early 1980s, women had only just been admitted to the Lloyd’s market. I was mentored by some of the first women brokers ever to work in Lloyd’s. Even now I look back at these women with admiration for their tenacity and professionalism in what was then a fairly hostile environment."
Advice to young women: "Don't allow yourself to be limited by the preconceptions of others. Aim high."
What would you change: "Better collective communication. It seems the bigger the paid loss, the worse the press."
Read Next
-
2007 Women to Watch
Business Insurance's "Women to Watch" feature is our attempt to identify some of the women who are doing outstanding work in commercial insurance, risk management, employee benefits and related fields.
