“If I had to sum them up I would say that the highlight is always getting the ‘impossible’ done—whether it’s an acquisition, a new location, a new system or new regulations—getting those key, deadline-driven projects done with little or no resources.”
Name:
Company: Arch Re Job:
Michelle Seymour-Smith Chief financial officer
Timeline: 2011—Chief financial officer, Arch Re 2004—Vice president, controller, Arch Re 2002—Vice president, consolidations & reporting, XL Capital
As CFO, Michelle Seymour-Smith oversees all financial operations of Arch Re. She joined Arch in 2004 as vice-president, controller and has over 15 years of experience in the insurance and reinsurance industry. Before joining Arch Re, Seymour-Smith was with XL. She
received a Bachelor’s degree from Dalhousie University and is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bermuda.
Why did you choose to work in this industry initially? At the time I was trying to decide what to do, it was a very dynamic and growing industry. ACE, XL and RenRe were big names at home and doing exciting things and there were lots of opportunities, especially for young Bermudians willing to work hard.
What has been the highlight of your career so far? A career is built on many achievements and there are several that I’m really proud of. If I had to sum them up I would say that the highlight is always getting the “impossible” done— whether it’s an acquisition, a new location, a new system or new regulations—getting those key, deadline-driven projects done with little or no resources. There are several instances of this in my career and I’m proud of all of them.
What has been the biggest challenge you have encountered? Resistance to change. I’m guilty of this myself on occasion. I’ve learned change is coming one way or the other and the sooner you embrace it, the sooner you can help to be a part of shaping the change.
www.intelligentinsurer.com
If you had chosen a different profession/career path, what would it have been? I would have been a writer.
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