Nikki L. Brown
Practice leader, private client and U.S. fine art, jewelry and specie
JLT Specialty USA
New York
Age: 40

Successful insurance brokers dedicate a lot of time, resources and expertise to their clients, but for Nikki L. Brown it’s been a two-way process and she lists some of her clients as her mentors.

Ms. Brown, who is practice leader, private client and U.S. fine art, jewelry and specie at JLT Specialty USA, said her mentors were “entrepreneurs who were leaders in various business segments” and willing to take the time to “really educate me about different industries.”

As she has received help from others, Ms. Brown said she believes it is important in turn to help others in the industry, particularly women. “I’ve always felt strongly in the adage that there’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women, and I’ve always greatly appreciated the time that women have taken for me as I’ve come through the industry,” she said.

Because of this, “I’ve really taken the time to hire great women and help promote them and help them grow and learn about the industry and the way they can differentiate themselves,” she said.

Observance of the needs of others has also helped her in her business, according to Roy van Duivenbode, director of risk management at Seattle-based Vulcan Inc., who worked with her while she was at a previous position at Aon P.L.C.

“She is really sensitive to clients and their passion for art and recognizes it’s not just about insurance, it’s about helping protect and be a steward for those pieces” of art, Mr. van Duivenbode said.

Ms. Brown first became interested in insurance and risk management while attending the University of Georgia, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in risk management.

“I found risk management to be unusual and recognized that insurance is an industry that has been around since the beginning of the modern world,” she said.

Ms. Brown, who minored in art history, joined JLT after stints at Marsh & McLennan Cos. Inc. and Aon, when JLT started to develop its U.S. division in January 2016.

Her work is also reflected in her personal life; her hobbies include collecting contemporary art, 18th- and 19th-century English and French furniture and, in jewelry, “anything that sparkles and catches my eye.”

>> NEXT: Lynsey Cross
>> 2016 Women to Watch Home