2023 Women to Watch Awards Americas EMEA
Laura Beckmann President, chief operating officer
AmRisc Group, a unit of Truist Insurance Holdings Inc.
Houston
After graduating from Texas State University with a degree in broadcast journalism, Laura Beckmann began working as a production assistant on the shows “Friday Night Lights” and “One Tree Hill.”
She enjoyed the work but knew the long days on set were not conducive to having a family and she needed a career change. She gave her mom, a teacher, her resume and asked her to find out if any of her students’ parents were hiring. The next day she got a phone call from then-CEO of AmRisc Dan Peed, whose son was in her mom’s class.
“AmRisc was in the process of really starting to grow, and he said, ‘I don’t really know what I need, but I know I need help,’” she said. “That was music to my ears because that’s what I thrive on. I like to have different projects and have something thrown at me and figure it out.”
Fast forward 17 years and multiple promotions later, Ms. Beckmann now manages all aspects of AmRisc’s four distribution channels, the learning and development department, which she established, and AmRisc Claims. She also oversees all the company’s administrative functions.
Since starting her current role in 2017, Ms. Beckmann has focused on building AmRisc’s management infrastructure to better support new and current employees, and works hard to foster a fun, creative and inclusive work environment.
“Spending time with people on their personal and professional development is an area I really enjoy,” she said.
She encourages other women in insurance not to be afraid to ask questions or get their hands dirty, saying, “That’s how you learn.”
Dave Obenauer, president and COO of Truist Insurance Holdings Inc., said Ms. Beckmann has been instrumental to AmRisc’s growth. She’s also committed to important causes outside the company, even starting an outreach program focused on child welfare, disaster recovery and helping veterans, he said.
“She’s a person who cares in all regards,” Mr. Obenauer said. “She cares about her job, she cares about her team, her company and the broader community in a way that I very rarely see people do.”
Amy O’Connor
