Developing an Emerging Insurance Market with Paul Dumitru
IN-the-Know
Paul Dumitru is an Insurance Specialist at the Financial Supervisory Authority of Romania, President of the CPCU Romanian Chapter, and 2025 CPCU Society International Ambassador, where he will represent the CPCU Society and continue fostering international connections and awareness of the CPCU designation and the CPCU Society. A CPCU Society member since 2013, Paul earned his CPCU designation in 2017. He is a member of the Europe Chapter, serves as the acting President of the newly forming Romania Chapter, and is a committee member on the Global Virtual Community Steering Committee....
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Strategic Operations Support in Modern Insurance with Brian Schmidt
IN-the-Know
Brian Schmidt is a senior insurance executive with more than two decades of experience across primary insurance, reinsurance, data and analytics, and consulting. At Xceedance, Brian leads the Strategic Accounts division as Senior Vice President and Business Leader, overseeing global teams that deliver operational excellence across the insurance policy lifecycle. Brian holds several industry designations, including CPCU, CIC, and ASLI, and earned both his BBA in Marketing and MBA from the University of Cincinnati’s Lindner College of Business. Brian has served as Chair of the Underwriting...
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The Go-Getter Mindset with Janice Romero
IN-the-Know
Janice Romero is Home Office Manager at ICW Group Insurance Companies and the CPCU Society's inaugural Go-Getter of the Year Award winner. This new award recognizes a CPCU Society member whose professional growth and active engagement best exemplify the spirit of the organization. With over three decades in workers' compensation underwriting, Janice has witnessed the insurance industry's transformation from a traditionally male-dominated field to today's more inclusive and diverse landscape. She is passionate about mentoring the next generation and encouraging young people to consider...
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From Panic to Purpose in a Changing Industry with Amy Waninger
IN-the-Know
Amy Waninger is the Founder & CEO of Lead at Any Level, where she helps organizations transform their STEM professionals from reclusive nerds into inclusive leaders. Amy offers assessments, advisory services, and training on essential skills for inclusive leaders. She is the author of eight books, including Network Beyond Bias: Making Diversity a Competitive Advantage for Your Career. Amy spent twelve years working in the insurance industry, where she achieved the CPCU designation in 2016 and the Certified Insurance Data Manager (CIDM) designation in 2018. She also holds associate...
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Innovation and Ecosystems in Insurance with Rose Hall
IN-the-Know
Rose Hall is a visionary innovation strategist and risk management expert with 25 years of experience. She leverages innovation to solve complex business problems and create unique growth opportunities at the intersection of technology and risk. Her unique expertise spans the insurance, construction, and technology industries, and was cultivated in senior leader roles at global organizations such as AXA XL and Turner Construction. As CEO of RH Business Ventures, she advises the insurance, technology, and construction industries, focusing on transforming risk management through innovation and...
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The Changing World of Workers’ Compensation with Mark Walls
IN-the-Know
Mark Walls is the Chief Marketing Officer at Safety National, a multi-line specialty insurance and reinsurance carrier and member of the Tokio Marine Group. With over 30 years of workers’ compensation and risk management experience, Mark’s career spans claims management, client engagement, strategic analysis, and market research. He previously served as VP Client Engagement at Safety National and as Senior VP at Marsh’s Workers’ Compensation Center of Excellence. Mark is the founder of the Work Comp Analysis Group on LinkedIn, the largest online discussion group dedicated exclusively...
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The Evolution of the Legacy Sector with Katie Reynolds
IN-the-Know
Katie Reynolds is the Executive Director of AIRROC, the Association of Insurance and Reinsurance Run-Off Companies, the only U.S. nonprofit dedicated to promoting the interests of the legacy insurance and reinsurance community. She brings nearly a decade of experience in the legacy sector from claims leadership roles at RiverStone and The Hartford. An active AIRROC member since 2020, Katie has served on committees, the NextGen Council, and the Board of Directors. She holds a B.A. from the University of Rochester and a J.D. from the University of New Hampshire School of Law. On this episode of...
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Removing Friction for Growth in Wholesale Specialty with Leah Ohodnicki
IN-the-Know
This episode of In The Know features host Chris Hampshire and Leah Ohodnicki, Executive Vice President of Carrier Relations at RT Specialty. Leah leads strategic initiatives to strengthen trading partnerships and drive growth across the wholesale insurance landscape, and brings two decades of experience spanning retail brokerage, E&S carriers, MGUs, and program business. Leah began her career at Marsh in 2006, advancing through leadership roles in marketing and business development. In 2015, she joined Argo Group, where she led distribution for the group and later led Specialty Programs....
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Flipping the Script on Host Chris Hampshire
IN-the-Know
In this special episode of In The Know, our podcast host Chris Hampshire takes on the role of guest when he is interviewed by Spenser Villwock, Executive Director of the CPCU Society and President of Associations at The Institutes. Chris works with leading P&C carriers and program administrators to design impactful claims management programs as a Vice President of Sales in Gallagher Bassett’s Carrier Practice. He was elected as the Global CPCU Society President in 2022, served as the President-Elect in 2021, began a three-year term on the National CPCU Society's Leadership Council in...
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Building a Culture of Innovation with Rob Galbraith
IN-the-Know
In this 5th anniversary episode of In the Know, one of our earliest podcast guests returns to help us celebrate and to determine which of his 2020 predictions have come true. Rob Galbraith is the founder and CEO of Forestview Insights, an independent consulting, research, and training company focused on enabling organizations to create and build a lasting culture of innovation. Rob has over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry in various leadership positions, and is the author of the international best-selling book The End Of Insurance As We Know It. He is a recognized...
info_outlineAmy Waninger is the Founder & CEO of Lead at Any Level, where she helps organizations transform their STEM professionals from reclusive nerds into inclusive leaders. Amy offers assessments, advisory services, and training on essential skills for inclusive leaders. She is the author of eight books, including Network Beyond Bias: Making Diversity a Competitive Advantage for Your Career. Amy spent twelve years working in the insurance industry, where she achieved the CPCU designation in 2016 and the Certified Insurance Data Manager (CIDM) designation in 2018. She also holds associate designations in Management, Claims, Insurance Data Analytics, Information Technology, and General Insurance. On this episode of In The Know, Chris Hampshire and Amy discuss building a business, learning how to sell yourself, and strategies that can help anyone overcome external and internal barriers.
Key Takeaways
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Amy’s journey from small-town Indiana to CEO.
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Getting to the jumping point and then making the jump.
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Amy’s decision to leave her job and build a business.
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Learning how to sell yourself is a continual process.
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How to get started on the process of writing a book.
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Panic can be reframed as fuel.
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Strategies for facing internal and external barriers.
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Amy’s far-reaching advice to her early career self.
In the Know podcast theme music written and performed by James Jones, CPCU, and Kole Shuda of the band If-Then.
To learn more about the CPCU Society, its membership, and educational offerings, tools, and programs, please visit CPCUSociety.org.
Follow the CPCU Society on social media:
X (Twitter): @CPCUSociety
Facebook: @CPCUSociety
LinkedIn: @The Institutes CPCU Society
Instagram: @the_cpcu_society
Quotes
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“We spend a lot of time in the industry talking about barriers to inclusion. What if we spend some time talking about solutions?”
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“Enjoying the process, in addition to the results, is key.”
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“If you want to do something so badly that you are willing to be bad at it, and get better, then you know you’re doing the right thing.”
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“I am still surprised by the depth and breadth of the impact that I’ve had. I had no idea global impact was even possible.”