2022 Break Out Awards NORTHEAST SOUTH MIDWEST WEST
MATTHEW DURKIN Assistant vice president, regional underwriting manager
Westchester, a Chubb Ltd. company
Malvern, Pennsylvania
Matthew Durkin’s management responsibilities cover three regions after adding Westchester’s western territory to his portfolio, which already included the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions, some two months ago. He has been in his current management role for four years and was previously a senior underwriter, having followed a friend to the company in 2014 shortly after college.
What’s a lasting effect of the pandemic on the way you work?
The pandemic and nearly two years of remote work made me realize how much I like and how important being in an office environment is. From building and keeping team culture and training purposes for newer employees, it’s an important aspect of the industry and has a huge impact on development.
What’s your advice on navigating the current insurance market?
Agents and insurers should embrace and leverage the digital experience in their own way but make sure the human touch and relationships with their trading partners is not lost. There’s still plenty of room for direct interactions.
What should the industry do to attract more young people to work in it?
There are so many different paths to go down and so much opportunity. We do internships at Chubb and at Westchester and we need to have that opportunity well understood in the two or three months interns are with the company.
What is something about you that would surprise people?
That I graduated college with plans to be a teacher and after I got through the student teaching, I made an immediate pivot.
Favorite hobby or pastime?
I’m really into food. On Sundays at the house, I make pasta from scratch. I also play quite a bit of golf, which I started playing because everyone in insurance plays golf.
Click here to Watch Video
