100 influential women in re/insurance
“Working for a startup company, Hamilton Re, has a unique set of challenges including building a portfolio of business from scratch.”
Name: Kathleen Reardon Company: Hamilton Re Job:
CEO
Timeline: 2014—CEO, Hamilton Re 2012—CUO property, Hamilton Re 2005—Chief underwriting officer international, ACE Tempest Re Bermuda 2001—Vice president underwriting, ACE Financial Solutions International 1994—Actuary, ACE USA
Kathleen Reardon is a member of the founding management team and has over 20 years of re/insurance industry experience. From November 2005 to October 2012, Reardon served as chief underwriting officer SVP for ACE Tempest Re Bermuda’s international property catastrophe reinsurance business. Prior to joining ACE Tempest Re, she worked from 2000 to 2005 at ACE Financial Solutions International, first as AVP underwriting and then as VP underwriting. Before moving to Bermuda, Reardon held various actuarial
roles at ACE USA following ACE ’s acquisition of CIGNA’s P&C business in 1999. She began her career at CIGNA in 1994 as an actuarial assistant. She is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and a Member
of the American Academy of Actuaries. She received a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics from Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the midst of one of the most difficult markets on record,
Reardon has emerged as a CEO who knows how to build a profitable business and inspire her employees. She led her team in establishing a balanced portfolio, ending 2014 with a mix of business split almost evenly among property, casualty and specialty segments. She bolstered Hamilton Re’s underwriting and risk analysis capabilities, hiring employees with the skills and expertise to support Hamilton Re’s business plan. She also began to explore the potential for further diversification of Hamilton Re’s book, forging a partnership with Iron-Starr
84 | INTELLIGENT INSURER | 2015
that provided access to a range of insurance products. Reardon also makes a point of paying it forward, taking time to mentor the younger women on her staff. She is co-founder and chair of Women in Reinsurance (WiRe) in Bermuda and devotes volunteer time to providing networking and professional development opportunities for women in the reinsurance industry.
Why did you choose to work in this industry initially? After a recommendation by my high school calculus teacher, I started focusing on a potential career as an actuary. I loved math and statistics and actuary ranked very high in the Job Almanac. During university, I had several actuarial internships at insurance companies and I passed a few actuarial exams. I enjoyed the work, so I continued to pursue an actuarial career.
What has been the highlight of your career so far? Making the decision to move in December 2000 from ACE in Philadelphia to ACE in Bermuda and start shifting from a pure actuarial role to more of an underwriting role was a very exciting time in my career. I haven’t regretted it since.
What has been the biggest challenge you have
encountered? Working for a startup company, Hamilton Re, has a unique set of challenges including building a portfolio of business from scratch. It has been the most challenging, but also most rewarding experience of my career. The learning opportunities are numerous.
If you had chosen a different profession/career path, what would it have been? Unlike many students, I had a pretty good idea that I wanted my career to involve math. However, looking now at what else interests me; I have always had an interest in improving nutrition and fitness for me and for others, so perhaps a dietician. Add an occasional Master of Ceremonies opportunity to that and I would be content.
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