UP CLOSE: Jeffrey S. Bruno

Jeffrey S. Bruno

PARSIPPANY, NEW JERSEY-BASED PRESIDENT AND CHIEF UNDERWRITING OFFICER

Global Aerospace Inc.

PREVIOUS POSITION: Parsippany, New Jersey-based chief underwriting officer at Global Aerospace.

LOOKING FORWARD TO: Making everyone understand the strategy and the message and making each of them feel like they are making a contribution.

GOALS FOR NEW POSITION: Teamwork, higher levels of operational efficiency, greater diversity of revenue streams, making people comfortable with the concept of continuous improvement and change.

CHALLENGES FACING INDUSTRY: Growing your business in a relatively stagnant economy, and generally soft market, coupled with the increasing cost of complying with the patchwork of regulatory requirements that insurers face.

INDUSTRY OUTLOOK: Barring the unforeseen, I don't see any reduction in capacity anytime soon, and that probably means that pricing is likely to remain on the soft side for the foreseeable future.

FIRST INDUSTRY JOB: Commercial property and inland marine underwriter at American International Group Inc. in New York City.

ADVICE: It takes more than one person to lead a company. No one individual is so brilliant that they know all of the answers, and that certainly includes me.

OUTSIDE THE INDUSTRY, A DREAM JOB: Major university program basketball coach.

HOBBIES: Golf, boating — new for me — fishing and flying. Really, I would say almost anything that involves the outdoors.

WHEN I RETIRE: I am going to tour the country in a monster RV. I chose an RV because I have already done enough flying to last a lifetime.

FAVORITE BOOK: I have a first edition copy of “The Spirit of St. Louis.” I love that book.