2020 Break Out Awards NORTHEAST SOUTH MIDWEST WEST
CRYSTAL WARE Risk manager
Total American Services Inc.
Houston
Crystal Ware started out her career as an attorney, but soon decided to break out from the cycle of billable hours and landed her first job in insurance at Lockton Cos. LLC in 2010. After several years in claims advising and then broking, she moved into the risk management field. She likes applying every facet of her law school education to her role as risk manager for North American operations for Total American Services Inc., a unit of a French energy company.
What is the biggest challenge of working through the pandemic?
As a social person, I love seeing and talking to people even if it’s grabbing a coffee with a colleague down the hall, so from that perspective it can be a little challenging. But if you polled me, I think more than 70% of our population is working at 90% or higher efficiency. For us as an organization it’s been great.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in the business?
First and foremost, always be kind. You don’t know where your next job is going to come from, internally or externally. You don’t always have to like people, but you can always get along with people.
What should the industry do to attract more young people to work in it?
The coming generations are more reliant on social media. There’s no way around it without being connected and making things more interesting on LinkedIn or Twitter, and getting out and talking to people and making clear when they think about insurance it’s not just homeowners and auto insurance and the guy on the strip mall selling insurance. It’s a huge international industry that can take you far and wide.
What is something about you that would surprise people?
I played the cello growing up. People would also be very surprised to know that I get extremely nervous public speaking.
All-time favorite movie?
“The Labyrinth”
Click here to Watch Video
