Chelley Schaper
Posted On: Nov. 30, 2008 12:00 AM CST
Senior Vp and Client Service Executive
Lockton Cos L.L.C.
Denver
Age: 36
Chelley Schaper has spent nine of her 14 years in the insurance industry at Lockton. She was one of the youngest employees to be named a senior vp in Lockton's history, earning the title at age 32. She is a leader and contributor to two of Lockton's global practice groups, the global property practice and the risk management group, where she places complex insurance programs for large national and international firms. Ms. Schaper also has been heavily involved in recruiting and training other young, talented women for Lockton Inc.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE INDUSTRY: "It was actually by happenstance. I went to the University of Georgia. All general business students are required to take introduction to risk management. I thought it would be good preparation for me for law school, so I changed my major from general business to risk management in insurance. I thought it was interesting. It was a field where you got to learn about many different industries instead of just your own."
THE BEST ADVICE YOU'VE EVER RECEIVED: "In life, my parents taught me to work hard and do the right thing and all else will follow. It seems cliché, but it's really the way I was raised. Chuck McDaniels, president of our office, taught me to listen more than I speak because it gives me more opportunities to learn."
ADVICE FOR THOSE STARTING IN THE INDUSTRY: "I think it's important they be themselves. If you try to be someone you're not, people know that. It's a people business. Invest in and get to know your clients, your carrier partners, your co-workers and the community where you do business to be successful. Always thirst for knowledge because you'll never know everything in insurance. Believe in the company you work for because it makes working so much more fun."
WHAT YOU WANTED TO BE PROFESSIONALLY WHILE GROWING UP: "I wanted to be a brain surgeon. I left that dream behind in grade school. All of high school and college I really did want to be a lawyer."