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2018 Women to Watch: Ellen Charnley

Posted On: Dec. 3, 2018 12:00 AM CST

Ellen Charnley

Ellen Charnley
President
Marsh Captive Solutions
Las Vegas
Age: 49

For much of her professional life, Ellen Charnley has played a key role in the development and management of captive insurance companies.

Her promotion last year to president of Marsh Captive Solutions, the world’s largest captive manager, was only one of several promotions in her 14 years at Marsh that gave Ms. Charnley increased responsibility.

Previously, she held senior positions at Marsh such as office head of Marsh’s captive operations in Hawaii, Arizona and Nevada, and running a captive team in Bermuda.

Ms. Charnley’s enthusiasm about captives has not waned. “Captives continue to offer value. They lower the cost of risk. They formalize loss control, and they provide access to the reinsurance market,” Ms. Charnley said.

Those who have worked with her say Ms. Charnley has many skills.

“She has in-depth experience and insights into how captives can be used effectively as a risk financing tool,” said David Bell, vice president-corporate risk management for the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan in Oakland, California, which has three captives.

“As a person and as a professional, she has the character and intelligence to put the client’s interest first in providing solutions, which best fit her customer’s needs,” said Mr. Bell, who has known Ms. Charnley for about 15 years and is a Marsh client.

Ms. Charnley “is a brilliant captive expert. I admire her technical capabilities and also her people skills. She takes the time to listen and understand what her clients want and need, and helps them develop strategies to drive goals and business results,” said Soraya Wright, founder and CEO of SMW Risk Management Consulting LLC in San Francisco.

Outside of work, Ms. Charnley has numerous interests. She is a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women” campaign, in which she shares her recovery in 2010 from heart surgery to repair a congenital heart defect.

In her free time, Ms. Charnley does a lot of bike riding and studies Spanish.

NEXT: Laura F. Coppola
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