Rising stars


and easily explain these matters to others. The multi-faceted nature of the industry constantly keeps me challenged and that is very attractive to me.


Do you think the industry is attractive to young


professionals? Whether it is underwriting, broking, claims, actuarial or some other niche, young professionals can pursue a wide array of career paths tailored to their individual goals and strengths. The reinsurance industry is in the midst of an exciting evolution that is broadening the scope of services and analytics associated with the field and making it a much more consultative-like business. Young


opportunity Name: Matthew Cohen


Company: Guy Carpenter Job:


Managing director


Timeline: 2015: Managing director March 2011: Senior vice president March 2009: Vice president March 2006: Assistant vice president 2003: Risk analyst, Guy Carpenter


Describe your career so far and current role. I started working at Guy Carpenter’s Atlanta office as a risk analyst immediately after graduating from the University of Georgia in June 2003. Working my way up through the ranks to my current role. as a senior vice president, I have been tasked with an assortment of responsibilities and I have worked with a wide variety of clients. I currently specialise in placing property treaty reinsurance


programmes for a diverse group of insurers with an emphasis on the residual market, Florida, and regional


reinsurance


placements. In particular, I tend to focus on the analytics and consultative services associated with these placements. I also play a key role in our office’s new business origination


efforts, and I am one of the leaders of Guy Carpenter’s residual market sector, which identifies, analyses, and addresses the trends and activities of residual markets.


Why did you choose the re/insurance industry? My degree is in risk management and insurance, so I was attracted to the re/insurance industry at a relatively young age. The primary reason was the fact that, at its core, insurance is a relationship-driven business and I enjoy working with people. On any given day I have to be conversant in accounting, economics, finance, insurance, and legal topics while also being able to clearly


18 | INTELLIGENT INSURER | May 2015


professionals to take


in the advantage


reinsurance of


this industry have evolution the to further


expand their opportunities. This speaks to what I believe makes re/insurance so attractive to young professionals—the development of the industry continually presents new opportunities and challenges.


Do you think the re/insurance industry offers good opportunities and career development to young professionals? The spectrum of opportunities available to young professionals is one of the most attractive aspects of reinsurance and is a key differentiator relative to other industries. As the industry evolves and adapts to meet the demands of the future business environment, growth opportunities for young professionals will continue to expand. The prospects for career development are exciting for those young


professionals who embrace the changes taking place within the business and constantly seek new challenges. In addition, as the many experienced professionals within the industry move closer to retirement and companies increasingly focus on succession planning, there will be many chances for young professionals to assume prominent roles within their companies and the industry as a whole.


What are your aspirations for the future? My aspirations focus on continuing to grow and adapt my role to whatever the changing business environment has in store for our industry. Because re/insurance is currently going through a transformation, I do not know what the industry will look like in five to 10 years or how my role will evolve. I feel very fortunate to work for a company that has allowed me


to grow throughout my career by continually presenting me with new challenges and responsibilities. I am very confident that my company will continue to allow me to seek new opportunities in the future, whatever shape or form they may take.


If you had chosen a different profession/career path, what would it have been? I would have pursued another career path that was heavily reliant on interpersonal interaction. My sister is a teacher, and I see first- hand how rewarding the work of teachers is and the impact they have on society. Who knows, maybe I will get the best of both worlds one day by getting the opportunity to teach insurance.


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