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Chief Operating Officer
Aon FSG Global, London

Broker Cements his Credibility Factor

Few brokers have more major league risk manager fans than Patrick Donnelly, chief operating officer of Aon FSG Global.

"Patrick built our errors and omissions (E&O) liability program from the ground up and it's really a world-class program," said Maria Diaz, director of global risk management at Xerox Corp. "And this is not a once-a-year program. We are constantly acquiring programs in this complicated space, and Patrick is always on top of things."

Also, Diaz said, Donnelly is handling work for varied types of businesses. "These are not off-the-shelf businesses," she added. "Patrick has to scour the world for coverages. There is a lot of art in it."

Diaz described Donnelly as "extremely thoughtful, methodical and very personable all at the same time. He has a lot of passion for insurance. Technically he is very knowledgeable."

A risk manager at a major media and technology company, who once was a broker, said, "Patrick has a keen sense for understanding your core business and he knows exactly how to present your exposures in dealing with underwriters."

"Patrick's communications skills are unsurpassed and he has as much credibility as I've ever seen," the risk manager said.

Last August, Donnelly relocated to Aon in London to work specifically on building out his global risk consulting and servicing capabilities in the directors' and officers' (D&O) and E&O space.

Principal
EPIC Insurance Brokers, San Mateo, Calif.

A Broker Who Stays Ahead of the Game

Nancy Hahn, principal at EPIC Insurance Brokers in San Mateo, Calif., is the kind of broker who inspires exceptional loyalty. "Over 15 years and three firms, I have followed Nancy each step of the way," one client said. "Nancy has a lot of integrity. I never feel that she is applying sales pressure."

This client also emphasized that one of the benefits of working with Hahn is her ability to pick out trends as they develop. "As a result of staying ahead of the game, Nancy is always able to present us with different approaches and different venues," the client said.

In one case last year, another buyer noted that "our premium had dropped so low that it was falling below the insurer's minimum. But we really liked them and wanted to stay with them. Nancy got on the case and to our pleasant surprise the insurer waived its minimum. I thought there was only a small chance of success, but Nancy made it happen."

Added another client, "Nancy is very technically skilled as well as being very personable. She comes to meetings extraordinarily well prepared.

"In one case we had last year, our D&O insurance was up for renewal and at best our financial statements were misleading. But Nancy stepped in and straightened things out to everybody's satisfaction."

In the past year, Hahn has been appointed the broker on four large new accounts. Each of these programs had structural or design flaws, which was why Hahn was called in to help. Her enhancements to the insurance programs resulted in little or no additional premium.

Vice President & Principal
Roach Howard Smith & Barton, Dallas

A Deal Saver

Douglas Jones, vice president and principal with Roach Howard Smith & Barton in Dallas, is known for consistently delivering broader coverage at lower costs.

"He lowered our costs, increased our coverage and closed risks we didn't even know we had," one client said.

Another client said Jones was adept at staying on top of any changes that had to be made in his account.

"He is very good at breaking things down for me, especially when I have to present to top management," the client said. In addition, Jones updated this client's policies outside the United States. He also revised his own company's directors' and officers' (D&O) coverage for the next two years in case the company was acquired.

In the last year, a large publicly traded client was attempting to win a major new contract, but the deal was nearly lost when there was a last-minute requirement for a specific endorsement on the technology errors and omissions (E&O) liability and cyber policy.

Within one day, Jones worked with the Lloyd's broker to create endorsement wording that satisfied the requirement, while making additional contractual changes that further mitigated potential liability and saved the deal.

Also, Jones established a formal Technology, Life Science and Media specialty practice group for RHSB. The practice is the fastest growing group within RHSB and utilizes an outsourced risk management model that has reportedly yielded excellent results for its clients.

Senior Vice President
Wells Fargo Insurance Services, San Francisco

A Broker and Keeper of the Strategy Playbook

Janice Kellogg, senior vice president with Wells Fargo Insurance Services in San Francisco, is known for building a cohesive and dedicated team of associates.

In the past year, Kellogg created and led what she called her "burning man" group, a group of 10 bright and motivated account executives who work together to tackle the challenges of enhancing client deliverables.

"They really wanted our business," one new client said. "I had them do a lot at the end of a renewal period and they really came through. They had to act in concert and under tremendous pressure."

Added this client: "Janice has a reputation for always having an eye out for new talent that allows her to take a fresh look at your situation. She sets the highest set of service standards."

As for Kellogg herself, this client said, "Janice likes to get out and experience the world. She obviously finds tech very exciting. And she's a very good listener who comes to a meeting with a good set of questions. Her clarity is outstanding. She always lets you know what she can and can't do."

"Janice is very creative," another client said. "She doesn't look at a situation from standard viewpoints. She provides many different angles for analyzing a situation. She and her team are always looking for ways to design solutions that will meet my needs."

Kellogg's "burning man" group projects cover a host of risk management topics.

Managing Principal
Integro Insurance Brokers, San Francisco

A Broker Who's All Ears

Michael Korn's clients said that more than anything, the secret of his success is that he is an excellent listener.

"His listening skills lead to suggestions that help us grow," one client said. "His suggestions are on the risk management side, not just with regard to insurance issues. Plus, he does not push his agenda, but rather comes back to our team repeatedly to explore what our needs are."

"He had one of his team members in attendance with us while he participated by phone," the client also said. "Throughout the conversation he made very thoughtful suggestions. He is definitely a good boss."

One client described Korn's listening skills as "a gift."

"This really shows in our negotiations with underwriters," another client said. "Michael is good at adapting to different needs in conversations with underwriters. It is a gift. As a result, he is extremely respected by underwriters. He doesn't go into these negotiations with an attitude of 'This deal or else.' He is a likable person who presents to underwriters in a compelling fashion."

In the past year, increased inventory levels due to backlogs of unsold product in catastrophe-prone areas were dealt with by shifting risk from the traditional cat property market to the more competitive marine market.

In addition, revenues and associated business interruption exposures saw dramatic drop offs, often mid-term. In each case Korn found a compromise between client and underwriter.

Vice President
Wells Fargo Insurance Services, Seattle

Broker Delivers Consistency

No client is too small for Ryan Murphy and his team to give their full attention.

"We are a small company, but Ryan takes good care of us," said Diane Toomey, senior director of human resources at Epigenomics. "For example, he always comes to our open enrollment meeting."

That kind of attention has paid off handsomely. In the past year, the Wells Fargo Insurance Services life sciences and technology benefits consulting practice has grown from $360,000 to more than $1.5 million in annual billings.

A highlight this year was the rollout of a new consumer-directed health plan that develops focus groups to get at employees' key concerns. Murphy's team was able to achieve a 98.7 percent enrollment in the plan during the first year it was offered. Murphy is known for bringing together various clients to share information.

"Ryan is working on starting a consortium of human resource executives and he would host the group," said Hui Chong Mooney, director of human resources for Wild Tangent, creator of online computer games.

Shannon Swift, founder and CEO of Swift HR Solutions, praised Murphy for not just focusing on big players. "My company serves early-stage companies, primarily in the tech sector," Swift said, "and Ryan treats all of them the same."

Senior Vice President
Willis
Boston

Account Executive
Aon
Los Angeles

Deputy National Tech Practice Leader
Aon
San Francisco

Senior Vice President
Wells Fargo
Redwood City, Calif.