TIMOTHY CHUNG | Age: 41 Head of environmental, central region

Axa XL, a unit of Axa SA

Chicago

Timothy Chung entered the insurance business just three years ago, at the encouragement of a friend who is a broker at Aon PLC. The knowledge he built before that over more than a decade in the environmental consulting and contracting sector has stood Mr. Chung in good stead. Since being hired by Axa XL in 2019 as an environmental underwriter, he has advanced rapidly.

 

What’s a lasting effect of the pandemic on the way you work?

For better or worse, and worse maybe, managing as well as creation of a work-life balance. Through the pandemic we learned that people work a lot of long hours and without that separation from commute it’s easy to blur it sometimes.

 

What’s a problem that needs fixing in your sector?

Discipline, overall and throughout the market. The environmental market space has generally been a relatively soft market. Being disciplined and understanding your long-term goal and strategy and appetite and getting a firm grip of that strategy is important.

 

What should the industry do to attract more young people to work in it?

Through the pandemic the industry did a great job of adapting, working from home for the most part, but the industry can definitely do better at promoting that work-life balance. As offices reopen and there’s a lot of encouragement for people to go back, it’s good that the pandemic allowed a hybrid model to surface, enticing young people into this space.

 

What is something about you that would surprise people?

I’m pretty open-book. For me I think because I look so young, most people don’t realize how old I am.

 

Favorite hobby or pastime?

It’s a love-hate relationship, but golfing would be my favorite hobby. And recently I’ve taken up canoeing with the family.