By Loretta Worters, Vice President, Media Relations, Triple-I
When Karen Griswold graduated with a B.S. in advertising from Penn State College, her first foray into the enterprise world was to turn out to be an government retail purchaser in a big division retailer. It didn’t take lengthy earlier than she realized it wasn’t a path for her.
She took an informational interview with somebody she knew on the Marine Workplace of America Corp. who prompt she contemplate taking part of their marine insurance coverage coaching program.
“I didn’t have a maritime background, my household didn’t even personal a ship, what did I find out about marine insurance coverage?” Griswold mentioned.
“I began as an underwriting trainee assigned to the marine unit,” she defined. “I did 18 months rotating in inland marine, cargo, hull and marine legal responsibility after which generalized insurance coverage coaching by means of their skilled coaching program and was assigned to a cargo unit in New York as an ocean cargo underwriter.”
It was a captivating journey, in keeping with Griswold.
“As a part of the coaching I discovered about mechanical provides, prescription drugs, equipment, and livestock. There was no field you possibly can put your self in, it was altering on a regular basis.”
Cargo itself was completely different, Griswold discovered she needed to have a geopolitical sense.
“Sooner or later China, one other day Brazil, and I had to take a look at how cargo was shipped weighing variables, reminiscent of the worth of freight, the worth of the boat, whether or not it can function inland or on the ocean, and the legal guidelines and rules of nations the place the vessel may journey,” she mentioned. “It was fascinating.”
Her profession spanned all the pieces from cargo to hull and legal responsibility to tugboat and marine amenities. She discovered about completely different lessons of marine enterprise, too.
Thirty years later, Griswold is an government vp in Chubb’s Ocean Marine Division, and she or he nonetheless finds she learns one thing new each day.
“It’s an unlimited insurance coverage world, that’s what I discover so thrilling and attention-grabbing, whether or not it’s the political impacts of delivery, to international commerce legal guidelines, completely different points in distinct ports, it’s consistently altering and evolving,” she mentioned.
In her present function, Griswold abroad all of it: ocean marine, hull, cargo, liabilities, and marinas enterprise. Relying on the day, one is perhaps extra attention-grabbing than the opposite.
“That’s one of many issues that challenges me probably the most in my place. “I choose up the paper and discover out what’s occurring on this planet, the political complexities, and the way that impacts the best way we transact enterprise.”
Training is essential to Griswold, which is why she has been concerned with the American Institute of Marine Underwriters (AIMU) for the reason that starting of her profession. She began attending their instructional applications as a trainee. Over time, she has sat on the hull and finance committees and at present serves as AIMU’s Director of Funds.
“AIMU’s President John Miklus has been an amazing champion of ladies, and for the trade basically,” she mentioned.
Griswold is also concerned with the Worldwide Union of Marine Insurance coverage (IUMI) and sits on their coverage discussion board committee that screens all the worldwide marine points impacting the trade.
“I consider it’s a nice privilege to be a girl within the maritime trade; there are usually not loads of us,” she defined. “There’s a pure camaraderie between us. For some time, I used to be the one girl at varied occasions, completely different organizations, and committees. That has modified all through my profession. It’s an unimaginable area for folks. The gender variety has elevated over the past couple of years and has been encouraging to see.”
Griswold, who celebrated her twenty-fifth anniversary with Chubb, attributes her success to the mentors and sponsors all through her profession – each women and men.
“We have to increase girls, not solely within the marine trade however in enterprise general,” she mentioned. “Simply being a feminine in a closely male-dominated group is a problem. I’ve been fortunate; I’ve been handled pretty, and my expertise has largely been optimistic. Although it has been difficult as a mom, elevating youngsters in a male-driven trade, discovering that stability. However I’ve had an amazing quantity of assist.”
Griswold, who spends a good period of time sponsoring girls inside and out of doors the trade, famous that extra variety is required.
“Being a champion is necessary, to showcase a few of that expertise,” she mentioned. “When girls see others like them, it’s extra empowering to have that bond, that capacity to see folks like themselves and develop and develop and contemplate protected areas. It’s necessary to showcase these girls and their expertise.”
Whereas Griswold didn’t get pleasure from sponsorship amongst senior girls, she did have nice male sponsors alongside the best way.
“These males helped me discover my voice and my path ahead,” she mentioned. “We should assist different girls to search out their voices. We should assist one another, empower ourselves, and never create a aggressive surroundings.”
Griswold pointed to the worth of Chubb’s enterprise roundtables, that are worker useful resource teams that provide mentoring and networking.
“We have to discover compatibility, friendship, mentoring teams,” she mentioned. “Girls have to forge their profession paths and discover their area of interest on this area. There may be power in numbers.”
