2022 Women to Watch Awards Americas EMEA
Tracey Estes Executive vice president, head of large account casualty
Arch Capital Group Ltd.
Alpharetta, Georgia
Tracey Estes began her career on the brokerage side with Marsh & McLennan Cos. Inc. as a casualty risk analyst in 2003, but it was an internship while at George Washington University in 2000 that first introduced her and ultimately bound her to the industry.
With no particular interest in entering insurance, after her sophomore year she landed a summer internship at Aon PLC. “Being in New York City, climbing to the 102nd floor at Two World Trade Center every day, changed my life. It was the first time I had exposure to a traditional business trading environment.”
She remained in contact with her colleagues at Aon while back at school. Then on Sept. 11, 2001, she lost half of those whom she knew at the brokerage — including her boss, who was pregnant at the time — during the terrorist attacks.
“When that hit, losing those who inspired me to seek a path into business, it became a part of what I wanted my legacy in the insurance industry to be. To give back in the way my mentors had done for me,” she said.
She found it too “emotional and sobering” to return to Aon, and thus began with Marsh in 2003.
In 2006 she was recruited by American International Group Inc. to become a primary domestic casualty underwriter.
“I wanted to understand more about how underwriters price risk — I wanted to go three clicks deeper,” said Ms. Estes, who spent four years in the role.
She was recruited to Arch eight years ago by her current boss, Pete McGuinness, executive vice president for the company in New York.
She first ran Arch’s Northeast U.S casualty operation, then added the Southeast along a progression of growing responsibility before being asked three years ago to run the insurer’s large complex casualty team nationally.
Ms. Estes is “passionate about what she does, which makes her highly effective at her job,” said Shannon Gardner, executive director, enterprise risk management, for Chick-fil-A Inc. In addition, she “brings out the best in others,” Ms. Gardner said.
