2015 26 Bermuda:Re/insurance+ILS


this time, I gained my Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute (ACII) designation. In 1992, I received a call from Keith White at ACE in Bermuda asking me to consider an assistant underwriter position in their excess liability division. I joined ACE on October 1, 1992 as the 42nd employee of the company … and here I am 23 years later!


What has been the highlight of your career so far? Judy Gonsalves


Job: Chief underwriting officer Company: Ace Bermuda Career path


2015—Chief underwriting officer, ACE Bermuda 2010—Executive vice president, excess liability, ACE Bermuda 2004—Senior vice president, excess liability, ACE Bermuda 2001—Vice president, excess liability, ACE Bermuda 1997—Vice president and manager, underwriting services, ACE Bermuda 1992—Assistant underwriter, excess liability, ACE Bermuda 1989—Insurance officer, AIG Bermuda


As chief underwriting officer, Judy Gonsalves is responsible for the excess liability, property and professional lines insurance operations of ACE Bermuda Insurance and ACE Bermuda International Operations, including strategic growth, product innovation, global capacity & global client management, underwriting best practices and underwriter learning & development.


She was named as one of the Women to Watch by Business Insurance magazine in 2008.


Why did you choose to work in this industry initially?


I didn’t make a conscious choice to pursue a career in the insurance industry; I like to say it was a happy accident. I graduated in 1989 from Emory University, Atlanta, GA in 1989 with a BA in Economics & Psychology. My original plan after undergrad was to return home to Bermuda, work for a year and save up to go to graduate school—I wanted to pursue an MSc in Organisational Psychology.


I secured a position at AIG Bermuda in the captive risk management division and, as part of their internal training programme, I was required to take some insurance classes. Not only did I enjoy the subject matter, it turned out I was also pretty good at it. My one year off from school had suddenly became three years off, and during


Growing up at ACE and being a part of a company that has evolved from one location, two products and 42 employees to now one of the world’s largest multiline P&C insurers in 54 countries, with 20,000 employees, extensive product capabilities and a track record of underwriting excellence. To narrow down the many experiences I’ve had in leadership, managing change, building networks, and learning during my career at ACE to a single highlight would be impossible!


What has been the biggest challenge you have encountered?


No matter what stage of life or what career position I’ve held, balancing work and personal life is always challenging. Sometimes you get that balance right; many times you don’t. The key is learning not to beat yourself up when you get it wrong.


If you had chosen a different profession/career path, what would it have been?


I’m a storyteller at heart, so always thought I could be a bestselling novelist (fiction of course). ■


“No matter what stage of life or what career position I’ve held, balancing work and personal life is always challenging.”


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