Composing the Next Insurance Generation with Jim Jones
IN-the-Know
Jim Jones is the co-creator of the new In The Know podcast music and has been the Executive Director of the Katie School of Insurance & Financial Services at Illinois State University since 2001. The Katie School supports over 500 students majoring in Risk Management and Insurance (RMI), actuarial science, and other majors, who are interested in careers in insurance. Jones works with ISU faculty, staff, administration, and industry executives in helping to develop talent for industry and educate students at the velocity of change. He holds an MBA in International Business from Saint Louis...
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Identifying Emerging Issues and Exposures in the Insurance Industry with Tim Fletcher
IN-the-Know
Tim Fletcher is Gen Re’s VP, Senior Emerging Issues Specialist, and an avid contributor to Gen Re’s blog, and he edits the UM/UIM Liability Laws Survey. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota (Bachelor of Arts, Journalism) and the Michell-Hamline School of Law (Juris Doctor), and currently serves on CPCU’s Reinsurance, Excess & Surplus Lines Interest Group and as chapter governor for the Upper South Region. He is a founding member of the Atlanta Insurance Coalition for Change and a guest lecturer on Risk Management and Insurance at Georgia State University and many industry...
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Ethical Decision-Making Throughout the Claims Lifecycle with Lori Hurkin
IN-the-Know
Lori Hurkin is the Director of Casualty Claims at Nationwide Insurance. Lori has over 31 years of experience and has worked for State Farm and Nationwide. Lori spent six years honing her leadership skills and facilitating effective communication within teams as a development trainer. She has 24 years of experience in auto claims and has navigated every stage of the claim life cycle in multiple leadership roles. Lori achieved her CPCU certification in 2003 and has remained involved with the Iowa chapter and the Ethics Committee at the national level. Lori holds several prestigious designations,...
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Understanding Ceded Risk and Reinsurance with Ryan White
IN-the-Know
Ryan White serves as Assistant Vice President and Director of Ceded Reinsurance at UFG Insurance. He has held the roles of associate, commercial, and senior underwriter, underwriting supervisor, and the first underwriting manager of UFG Online. In 2021 he was named Assistant Vice President and recently transitioned into the newly created role of Director of Ceded Reinsurance. White holds extensive reinsurance experience, a BBA in Finance, and an MBA from the University of Iowa. He also holds the CPCU, ARe, AU-M, AU, and Associate in General Insurance (AINS) professional designations. He has...
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Product Strategy in the Ever-Changing Insurance Environment with Marisol Schulte
IN-the-Know
Marisol Schulte, CPCU, AIC, is a Senior Consultant of Personal Lines Strategic Planning and Insurance at TransUnion. Marisol supports in developing and executing TransUnion’s product strategy for the personal lines property and casualty markets. She has over 18 years of property and casualty insurance experience, beginning in claims, with additional positions in R&D and Product Management for State Farm, CSAA, and Farmers. Schulte attained her CPCU in 2017 and graduated cum laude from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in...
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Making Industry Risks into Opportunities with Dale Porfilio
IN-the-Know
In2Leadership keynote speaker Dale Porfilio, FCAS, MAAA, is the Chief Insurance Officer for the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I) and President of the Insurance Research Council (IRC). In these roles, he leads the research and education activities of both organizations, working closely with Triple-I and IRC subject-matter experts to develop data-driven industry insights and analyses. Dale previously worked at Genworth Financial, Kemper, and Allstate for a total of 29 years. Dale is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society (FCAS) and Member of the American Academy of Actuaries...
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Developing Niche Products for Healthcare Providers with Maia Jarvis
IN-the-Know
As Vice President of Operations at BLISCare, Maia Jarvis provides executive leadership for the company’s MGU activities, spearheads product development, and oversees the ever-evolving BLISCare insurance management platform. With over 10 years of experience in the insurance industry (focused on creating innovative, niche solutions) and more than two decades of leadership under her belt, Maia has mastered the art of problem-solving and resource-wrangling. A key player in the launch of the BLISCare captive, Maia now serves on its Board of Directors. Maia earned her BA from the University of...
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The Evolution of Captive Insurance with Nick Hentges
IN-the-Know
Nick Hentges is CEO of Captive Resources, which represents over 6,700 shareholders in 48 member-owned casualty and medical stop loss group captives, with a total annual written premium of $4.7 billion. He has an extensive background in insurance company, brokerage, and captive consulting and management operations. As Captive CEO since 2022, Nick has presided over unprecedented growth in the company’s casualty and medical stop loss group captive business. He has been instrumental in supporting the further development and expansion of the Risk Management and Insurance program at the University...
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A 2025 of Service and Growth for the CPCU Society with Sherry McFadden
IN-the-Know
This episode of In The Know features incoming 2025 CPCU President Sherry McFadden. Sherry recently retired from her position as Director of Enterprise Customer Care in Phoenix, AZ. Throughout her 34-year career with State Farm, she held various leadership roles in human resources, personal lines underwriting, and claims. Ms. McFadden has completed several insurance designations including CPCU, CLU, ChFC, and FLMI. She also holds a Master of Science degree in Human Resources from the University of North Florida and a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Tougaloo College, MS. Sherry has...
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Unlocking Insurance Careers with Rajesh Narayan
IN-the-Know
Rajesh Narayan is a seasoned insurance industry leader with experience in driving technology innovation, operations transformation, and business agility. In his early industry roles at Majesco, IDP, and ValueMomentum he has architected and deployed core insurance systems across on-premises, cloud, and SaaS environments. In the last decade, he has taken on global roles at Genpact (AVP, Underwriting Transformation), RMS (Sr. Director, Analytical Services), and Gartner (Senior Director Analyst). In these roles, he has led teams in underwriting transformation, digital-first operational...
info_outlineRajesh Narayan is a seasoned insurance industry leader with experience in driving technology innovation, operations transformation, and business agility. In his early industry roles at Majesco, IDP, and ValueMomentum he has architected and deployed core insurance systems across on-premises, cloud, and SaaS environments. In the last decade, he has taken on global roles at Genpact (AVP, Underwriting Transformation), RMS (Sr. Director, Analytical Services), and Gartner (Senior Director Analyst). In these roles, he has led teams in underwriting transformation, digital-first operational transitions, and new product and distribution strategies and authored research on climate risk, IoT, and emerging technologies in P&C insurance. To help other career seekers in insurance follow a path of continuous education that leads to career building, Rajesh wrote Unlocking Insurance Careers. Today on In The Know, Chris Hampshire and Rajesh consider his career in the insurance industry, his experience with international programs, why he authored a book, and his role at the intersection of technology and insurance.
Key Takeaways
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Rajesh’s journey into insurance began with a curiosity about technology.
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A desire to help people develop their careers led to Rajesh’s first book.
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Key features that drew Rajesh into the risk management and insurance sector.
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The rapidly evolving role of technology in the insurance space.
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The globalization of insurance and technology from the viewpoint of a native Indian.
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The CPCU provides opportunities to continue education and stay relevant.
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Rajesh shares his motivation to write a book.
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The potential impact of GenAI on the insurance industry in coming years.
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Unique offerings for anyone who is considering joining the insurance industry.
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Possible five-year changes to the future of the industry.
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Rajesh shares advice for his early-career self.
Quotes
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“All of this was shaped by my early quality experiences with the CPCU.”
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“This is a thrilling time to be in the execution space where the inflection point of technology is making insurance so much more democratized.”
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“It’s not just the skills or knowledge, it’s also the aptitude and the network that you build that defines how far you take your career.”
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“I just wish I knew about the CPCU Society earlier in my career.”