BLEDION DIZDARI | Age: 33 First vice president, operations and finance

Alliant Insurance Services Inc.

New York

An internship with Marsh LLC while in high school paved the way for Bledion Dizdari to land a job at Aon PLC after he graduated from college in 2009 at the height of the Great Recession. After starting as a financial analyst, he worked his way up to senior financial analyst and moved to Alliant in 2012. He started as assistant vice president in the construction services group and was promoted to vice president operations and finance in the group in 2015 and then first vice president in June 2018.

What advice would you give to someone starting out in the business?

Cultivate those relationships. Ask questions beyond just your role and duties and get to learn exactly the industry you’re in. Understand what feeds it, and don’t just stay in your box. Speak to colleagues, learn what they do and how their side works and get the full picture.

How will your work change going forward?

There will be a lot more video conferencing for me in the future. I was pretty mobile and comfortable working remotely, but now everybody else is catching up.

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

I think the industry isn’t portrayed accurately. This industry can be very complex and challenging, and it can also be very rewarding. There’s a lot of successful people at the top.

What is something about you that would surprise people?

I was voted class clown and most likely to succeed in high school.

What is your favorite meal?

Byrek — an Albanian dish which has spinach and cheese wrapped in filo dough.

All-time favorite movie?

“Kingdom of Heaven,” 2005 starring Orlando Bloom.

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