By Loretta Worters, Vice President, Media Relations, Triple-I

When Karen Griswold graduated with a B.S. in advertising and marketing from Penn State College, her first foray into the enterprise world was to develop into an government retail purchaser in a big division retailer.  It didn’t take lengthy earlier than she realized it wasn’t a path for her.

She took an informational interview with somebody she knew on the Marine Workplace of America Corp. who instructed she take into account collaborating of their marine insurance coverage coaching program. 

“I didn’t have a maritime background, my household didn’t even personal a ship, what did I find out about marine insurance coverage?” Griswold stated.  

“I began as an underwriting trainee assigned to the marine unit,” she defined.  “I did 18 months rotating in inland marine, cargo, hull and marine legal responsibility after which generalized insurance coverage coaching via their skilled coaching program and was assigned to a cargo unit in New York as an ocean cargo underwriter.”

It was a captivating journey, in response to Griswold. 

“As a part of the coaching I realized about mechanical provides, prescription drugs, equipment, and livestock.  There was no field you might put your self in, it was altering on a regular basis.”

Cargo itself was completely different, Griswold discovered she needed to have a geopolitical sense. 

“In the future China, one other day Brazil, and I had to take a look at how cargo was shipped weighing variables, reminiscent of the worth of freight, the worth of the boat, whether or not it is going to function inland or on the ocean, and the legal guidelines and rules of nations the place the vessel may journey,” she stated. “It was fascinating.”

Her profession spanned every thing from cargo to hull and legal responsibility to tugboat and marine amenities.  She realized about completely different courses of marine enterprise, too. 

Thirty years later, Griswold is an government vp in Chubb’s Ocean Marine Division, and he or she nonetheless finds she learns one thing new every single day. 

“It’s an enormous insurance coverage world, that’s what I discover so thrilling and attention-grabbing, whether or not it’s the political impacts of delivery, to world commerce legal guidelines, completely different points in distinct ports, it’s consistently altering and evolving,” she stated.

In her present function, Griswold abroad all of it: ocean marine, hull, cargo, liabilities, and marinas enterprise.  Relying on the day, one is likely to be extra attention-grabbing than the opposite. 

“That’s one of many issues that challenges me essentially the most in my place.  “I choose up the paper and discover out what’s taking place on the earth, the political complexities, and the way that impacts the way in which we transact enterprise.”

Training is essential to Griswold, which is why she has been concerned with the American Institute of Marine Underwriters (AIMU) because the starting of her profession.  She began attending their instructional applications as a trainee.  Over time, she has sat on the hull and finance committees and at the moment serves as AIMU’s Director of Funds.

“AIMU’s President John Miklus has been an excellent champion of girls, and for the trade basically,” she stated.

Griswold is also concerned with the Worldwide Union of Marine Insurance coverage (IUMI) and sits on their coverage discussion board committee that screens all the worldwide marine points impacting the trade. 

“I imagine it’s a nice privilege to be a lady within the maritime trade; there usually are not plenty of us,” she defined.  “There’s a pure camaraderie between us.  For some time, I used to be the one lady at varied occasions, completely different organizations, and committees.  That has modified all through my profession.  It’s an unbelievable discipline for individuals.  The gender range has elevated during the last couple of years and has been encouraging to see.”

Griswold, who celebrated her twenty-fifth anniversary with Chubb, attributes her success to the mentors and sponsors all through her profession – each women and men. 

“We have to increase ladies, not solely within the marine trade however in enterprise total,” she stated. “Simply being a feminine in a closely male-dominated group is a problem.  I’ve been fortunate; I’ve been handled pretty, and my expertise has largely been optimistic.  Although it has been difficult as a mom, elevating youngsters in a male-driven trade, discovering that stability.  However I’ve had an amazing quantity of help.”

Griswold, who spends a good period of time sponsoring ladies inside and out of doors the trade, famous that extra range is required.

“Being a champion is vital, to showcase a few of that expertise,” she stated.  “When ladies see others like them, it’s extra empowering to have that bond, that capacity to see individuals like themselves and develop and develop and take into account secure areas.  It’s vital to showcase these ladies and their expertise.”

Whereas Griswold didn’t get pleasure from sponsorship amongst senior ladies, she did have nice male sponsors alongside the way in which. 

“These males helped me discover my voice and my path ahead,” she stated.  “We should assist different ladies to search out their voices.  We should assist one another, empower ourselves, and never create a aggressive setting.”

Griswold pointed to the worth of Chubb’s enterprise roundtables, that are worker useful resource teams that supply mentoring and networking.

“We have to discover compatibility, friendship, mentoring teams,” she stated. “Girls have to forge their profession paths and discover their area of interest on this discipline.  There may be power in numbers.”