By Loretta Worters, Vice President, Media Relations, Triple-I
When Karen Griswold graduated with a B.S. in advertising and marketing 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 urged she take into account collaborating 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 learn 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 way of their skilled coaching program and was assigned to a cargo unit in New York as an ocean cargo underwriter.”
It was an interesting journey, in keeping with Griswold.
“As a part of the coaching I discovered about mechanical provides, prescribed 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 totally 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, equivalent to the worth of freight, the value of the boat, whether or not it is going to function inland or on the ocean, and the legal guidelines and laws of nations the place the vessel would possibly journey,” she mentioned. “It was fascinating.”
Her profession spanned all the things from cargo to hull and legal responsibility to tugboat and marine services. She discovered about totally different courses 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 every single day.
“It’s an enormous insurance coverage world, that’s what I discover so thrilling and fascinating, whether or not it’s the political impacts of delivery, to world commerce legal guidelines, totally different points in distinct ports, it’s continually 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 fascinating than the opposite.
“That’s one of many issues that challenges me probably the most in my place. “I decide up the paper and discover out what’s taking place on the earth, the political complexities, and the way that impacts the best way we transact enterprise.”
Schooling 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. Through the years, she has sat on the hull and finance committees and at the moment serves as AIMU’s Director of Funds.
“AIMU’s President John Miklus has been an excellent champion of girls, and for the trade usually,” 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 imagine it’s a nice privilege to be a girl within the maritime trade; there usually are not quite a lot of us,” she defined. “There’s a pure camaraderie between us. For some time, I used to be the one girl at numerous occasions, totally different organizations, and committees. That has modified all through my profession. It’s an unbelievable discipline for individuals. The gender range has elevated during the last 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 elevate girls, not solely within the marine trade however in enterprise total,” 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 kids in a male-driven trade, discovering that steadiness. However I’ve had an incredible quantity of assist.”
Griswold, who spends a good period of time sponsoring girls inside and out of doors the trade, famous that extra range is required.
“Being a champion is essential, to showcase a few of that expertise,” she mentioned. “When girls see others like them, it’s extra empowering to have that bond, that means to see individuals like themselves and develop and develop and take into account protected areas. It’s essential 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 supply mentoring and networking.
“We have to discover compatibility, friendship, mentoring teams,” she mentioned. “Ladies must forge their profession paths and discover their area of interest on this discipline. There’s energy in numbers.”
