Eileen Frank CEO and president

J.P. West Inc.

New York

As a student at Dillard University in her hometown of New Orleans, Eileen Frank knew nothing about insurance. She did make it known, however, that what she wanted was to pursue a career path with unlimited potential.

Little did she know that she would meet with recruiters from Chubb Ltd., which would change her life. “My school was one of the first schools where Chubb started to recruit,” she said.

To prepare for her interview, she went to the lilbary and took out a book on insurance that the librarian recommended. “I read it all,” she said.

She was asked during the interview what she knew about insurance. “I told them I read the book,” she said. “They asked me what part, and I said, ‘The whole book.’”

Following that interview she was hired. “They brought me through their casualty training program, and I went to work in their New York office,” she said.

Ms. Frank later moved to Continental Special Risks and then to Groupe GAN, a French company that was to privatize and sell its operations in 28 countries.

This gave Ms. Frank an idea. “I talked to the people in charge in New York. I told them I would like to resign and start my own company and I’d like them to hire my company,” she said. “We worked it all out, got licensed in 50 states, and we have been in business since 2000.” This was the beginning of J.P. West, a brokerage and risk management consulting firm.

In 2014, Bonnie Boone, area executive vice president at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., who’s known Ms. Frank for 25 years, asked Ms. Frank and several others to join her as mentors and sponsors for young women of color who were struggling.

“When they get a bad review, we need to talk them off the ledge so that they don’t quit,” she said. “Because she owns her company, she can take them under her wing and help them in the areas where they need it. Eileen is the epitome of helping other people and other women.”