2023 Women to Watch Awards Americas EMEA
Ania Caruso Regional senior vice president, managing director and casualty practice leader, Southeast region
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
Atlanta
Ania Caruso has had quite a career journey.
Growing up in a small town in southeast Poland, Ms. Caruso was always encouraged by her mother, a chief financial officer, to tackle new frontiers. At 16, she came to the U.S. as an exchange student and two years later won a scholarship to Syracuse University, where she studied international relations and economics with the goal of working for the European Union or United Nations.
But during her last semester, she attended an information session for Marsh LLC, which led to a 10-year tenure at the brokerage in a variety of roles, including global risk management. She then joined a predecessor to Willis Towers Watson PLC to start its complex casualty practice, before spending four years on the insurer side with CNA Financial Corp. In 2021, she joined Gallagher.
“One thing that really drives me as a professional is the ability to create something and challenge the status quo,” she said.
Ms. Caruso is still excited about her work and about mentoring and teaching young people about the industry. She works with several industry groups, including the Atlanta RIMS Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee and the IICF Inclusion Forum Committee.
Outside of business, she serves as a board member for the Atlanta chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation — a cause that is close to her heart as her daughter has Type 1 diabetes.
“I am not someone who is going to throw my hands in the air or sit in the corner and cry. I want to find a way to effectively help my community,” she said.
Andrew Moss, national director of client strategy for Gallagher, said he routinely collaborates with Ms. Caruso because of the depth and high value she brings to an account.
“Not only is she incredibly dedicated to her clients and to everyone that she engages with, but she really wants to be hopeful. She operates with a combination of tenacity, kindness and passion both on a professional and personal basis,” he said.
Amy O’Connor
