HEIDI MACK
Westfield Insurance Co. Reprints
Chief Underwriting Officer, Commercial Lines
Westfield Insurance Co.
Westfield Center, Ohio
Age: 44
Heidi Mack has been a woman on the rise in 21 years with Westfield Insurance Co. She has held various roles in the Westfield Center, Ohio-based organization in underwriting, marketing, product management and information technology, gaining higher leadership roles within the company. Earlier this year, Ms. Mack was promoted to chief underwriting officer of commercial lines to lead a staff of 300 people providing service for small- and middle-market commercial accounts, agribusiness and specialty lines. In May, Ms. Mack received the YWCA Women of Professional Excellence Award in Cleveland for her professionalism and commitment to helping other women achieve.
Early aspirations: "When I was little I thought I wanted to be a jockey because I loved horses. As I got older and taller and, more importantly, wiser, I knew I wanted a job that would make a difference and where I could use my love of solving problems. I stumbled on Westfield Insurance during that time when a lot of us decided to work for a few years, save some money and go back to school. It is now 21 years later with Westfield and I feel as though I have had many careers. It has been an ongoing, post-graduate development program."
Best professional advice: "Make career choices based on the experience, not the job title. A great career isn’t where you end up, but how you got there."
Advice to young women: "The great thing about our industry is the variety of opportunities from actuarial sciences, information technology, risk management, underwriting, claims management, sales and service to leadership and strategy, and from international business to local, relationship-based sales. My advice would be to investigate all angles of our business as the long-term opportunities for personal and professional growth are almost endless."
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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.
