2015 40 Under 40 Broker Awards: Pat Roth

Pat Roth

Vice president and team leader

Aon Risk Solutions

Age: 35

When Pat Roth first learned of the intricacies of the insurance industry, he knew he wanted to be a part of it.

This was early in the interview process for a job at Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Cos. in 2003. “I recognized that this was a business comprised of smart and ethical individuals,” said Mr. Roth, who has a finance degree. “I thought it was for me.”

“(This industry) is a combination of relationship skills, deal-making, and a strive to serve the customer,” he added. “I think that has led me to be successful in the industry.”

Fast forward 12 years, and Mr. Roth now co-leads a 16-person deal team for Aon Risk Solutions and is a regional leader for its life science sector for the West Coast. He's also helping to put together a team of like-minded individuals at Aon Risk Solutions in Denver and Dallas, offices that have dealt with turnover over the past few years — what he calls the most interesting part of his job today.

“In the last year, a lot of my job has been hiring and training new talent in which we have had to seek outside of Aon while maintaining a large book of business,” he said. “It allows us to reinvent who we are. I think the new group is very focused on customer service and bringing enthusiasm to client relationships.”

“(This) has allowed us to create a push for new clients and make the extra effort,” he said.

Today he's seeing a heightened litigation environment and more regulations facing clients. “They are reaching out to us to develop products to help recognize what their risks are,” Mr. Roth said. “This is where we reach out to our team to really get the best-in-class person in front of the marketplace.”

To Portland, Oregon-based Eddie Albers, director of life sciences at Aon Risk Solutions, that team usually includes Mr. Roth.

“He's extremely detail-oriented and focused on the individual clients,” he said. “He really digs in and gets to know his clients well, and is very knowledgeable in industry-specific issues.”