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 into 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 advised she take into account 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 stated.
“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 via their skilled coaching program and was assigned to a cargo unit in New York as an ocean cargo underwriter.”
It was an enchanting journey, in response to Griswold.
“As a part of the coaching I discovered about mechanical provides, prescribed drugs, equipment, and livestock. There was no field you may 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.
“At some point China, one other day Brazil, and I had to have a look at how cargo was shipped weighing variables, equivalent to the worth of freight, the worth of the boat, whether or not it’s going to function inland or on the ocean, and the legal guidelines and rules of nations the place the vessel would possibly journey,” she stated. “It was fascinating.”
Her profession spanned every little thing from cargo to hull and legal responsibility to tugboat and marine services. She discovered about totally different lessons of marine enterprise, too.
Thirty years later, Griswold is an government vice chairman in Chubb’s Ocean Marine Division, and she or he nonetheless finds she learns one thing new each day.
“It’s an enormous insurance coverage world, that’s what I discover so thrilling and attention-grabbing, whether or not it’s the political impacts of transport, to international commerce legal guidelines, totally different points in distinct ports, it’s continually altering and evolving,” she stated.
In her present function, Griswold abroad all of it: ocean marine, hull, cargo, liabilities, and marinas enterprise. Relying on the day, one is likely to be 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.”
Schooling is essential to Griswold, which is why she has been concerned with the American Institute of Marine Underwriters (AIMU) because the starting of her profession. She began attending their academic applications as a trainee. Through the years, 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 a fantastic champion of ladies, and for the trade on the whole,” she stated.
Griswold is also concerned with the Worldwide Union of Marine Insurance coverage (IUMI) and sits on their coverage discussion board committee that displays all the worldwide marine points impacting the trade.
“I consider it’s a nice privilege to be a girl within the maritime trade; there aren’t loads 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 subject 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 elevate ladies, not solely within the marine trade however in enterprise general,” she stated. “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 stability. However I’ve had an amazing quantity of assist.”
Griswold, who spends a good period of time sponsoring ladies inside and outdoors the trade, famous that extra variety is required.
“Being a champion is vital, to showcase a few of that expertise,” she stated. “When ladies see others like them, it’s extra empowering to have that bond, that skill to see folks like themselves and develop and develop and take into account protected areas. It’s vital to showcase these ladies and their expertise.”
Whereas Griswold didn’t take pleasure in sponsorship amongst senior ladies, she did have nice male sponsors alongside the best way.
“These males helped me discover my voice and my path ahead,” she stated. “We should assist different ladies to seek 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 stated. “Girls must forge their profession paths and discover their area of interest on this subject. There may be power in numbers.”
