NAV NEWS - Connecticut Challenge

FA L L 2 013
NAV NEWS
T H E Q UA RT E R LY N E WS M AGA Z I N E F O R N AV I GATO RS E M P LOY E ES
COMMUNITY
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
COMMUNITY
On the cover:
T E A M N AV I G AT O R S AT T H E C T C H A L L E N G E
( S E E P G . 6 F O R F U L L D E TA I L S )
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LETTER FROM THE CEO
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F E AT U R E S
CT Challenge
Partner Profile
Compliance Corner
Headquarter Move
HR Wellness Corner
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SPOTLIGHT
Stephen Coward
11 E V E N T S
Southern California Ping-Pong Outing
PNG Client Visit
Navigators Specialty Wrigley Rooftop Event
Environmental Office Opening
Lucky Strike Bowling
Northeast Summer Picnic
13 I N T H E C O M M U N I T Y
Kevin Shea Memorial Classic
K i d s i n C r i s i s Tr i a t h l o n
Corporate Challenge: NYC
Great City Race: London
15 I N S I D E N AV I G AT O R S
17 C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S !
18 A N I V E R S A R I E S
LETTER FROM THE CEO
This month, we marked the beginning of an exciting new chapter in our company’s development with the move of
our corporate headquarters across the state lines from Rye Brook, NY, to Stamford, CT. We are excited to be part of
the burgeoning insurance community that already calls Stamford home. When we began evaluating our options for
the conclusion of our ten year lease in Rye Brook, we learned of Connecticut’s interest in attracting companies, and
particularly insurance companies. Those discussions led to a meeting with Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy, who
made it clear that Navigators was an attractive, growth-oriented company he wanted to bring to the state. Having
negotiated a compelling financial incentive for us to make the move, we are excited to officially become part of the
state’s growing insurance community.
At Navigators, we believe that part of a corporation’s responsibility is to be a meaningful and active part of the
communities in which we work and conduct business. We are excited to feature one of our community activities,
the CT Challenge, as our Nav News cover story in this quarter’s special “Community”-themed issue. While we have
had a team of cyclists participating in this event since 2010, this year marked the largest number of participants from
the Navigators “extended family,” including several brokers and a member of our Board of Directors, some flying
in from as far away as Chicago and London. Team Navigators was the second place team in terms of fundraising for
the cause of cancer survivorship, raising nearly $80K. It was an honor not only to contribute to our community and
to such a great cause, but also to share the experience with other Team Navigators members. The CT Challenge
is only one example of active involvement and leadership in our community—there are numerous activities and
events across the country and globe in which our people participate and give back. I encourage you to keep that
effort up – it is personally rewarding and a lot of fun! In this issue, you will also read about other events in which
Navigators employees have pulled together to contribute, including our long term sponsorship of the Kids In Crisis
Triathlon held in Stamford, CT (recently, we announced that we will be the title sponsor beginning next year!), and
our participation in the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge held in Manhattan.
Meanwhile, along with the move of our headquarters, the broader Navigators organization continues to grow.
This quarter, we’ve hired two new Zonal VPs, Connie Taylor-McCray and Lynette Cardwell, who join Robin Betza
in managing our three U.S. zones. Our Environmental Casualty division expanded with the addition of three new
underwriters based in our New York City office, led by Paul Dastis, along with the hire of Sean McVay leading the San
Francisco Environmental team. We’ve appointed Tim Ryan
as the President of our Wholesale Excess Casualty division,
and Kevin Neumann is now leading a new Onshore Energy
Liability unit out of Houston, TX. It’s certainly an exciting
time in the Navigators community, and we should relish the
opportunity to be leaders in promoting our core values –
integrity, professionalism, pride and teamwork – in all of the
communities in which we live and work.
Stanley A. Galanski
President & CEO
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C H A L L E N G E
Over one thousand riders gathered at the start line in the early morning hours at the Fairfield County Hunt Club.
Once a year, over one thousand bike riders gather in Westport, CT, to participate in a non-competitive cycling event for all ages and
skill levels, embarking on rides anywhere from 12 miles to 100 miles, while committing to fundraising a minimum amount (based on the
miles ridden) towards empowering cancer survivors to live healthier, happier and longer lives through unique survivorship programs
and research. Navigators has been participating since 2010, with our own President & CEO, Stan Galanski, earning the honor of being
the single rider to have raised the most funds in 2013 with approximately $38K (together, Team Navigators has raised $80K this year
alone, with the CT Challenge raising over $1 million altogether). This year, 25-member Team Navigators was truly a group effort, with
our employees flying in from London and Chicago, and our broker flying in from Atlanta and Dallas to participate (thanks to a generous
offer by Mike Conlon who runs Outdoor Sports Center in Wilton, CT, two of our team members flying in from London were loaned bikes
to ride).
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C H A L L E N G E
While technically the CT Challenge was founded and
held its first event in 2005, the story of how the CT Challenge came to be really starts with co-founder Jeffrey
Keith’s experience beginning in 1974. Twelve-year old
Jeff was obsessed with sports and was playing in a peewee hockey team when, one week before Christmas, he
injured his knee. The doctor took an x-ray and found
a crack as he suspected, but he also found something
they had not known would be there: a tumor. Diagnosed
with a deadly form of bone cancer called osteogenic
sarcoma, Jeff’s doctors performed an amputation on
his right leg within one week, and then they prescribed
two years of chemo-therapy. They told him he might
never play sports again.
“It was the dark ages of chemo therapy,” remembers
Jeff. “Me and my mom would drive up every four weeks
to the Dana Farber Cancer Center in Boston. The nurses
and doctors were great, but the environment was horrible. Being in rooms shared by four or five kids, I’d go
back and expect to see the same kids in the room and
I’d ask my mom what happened to them. My mom said,
‘They’re not here anymore, Jeff.’”
But Jeff’s parents were aggressive and they took him
skiing only six weeks after his operation, between his
chemo-therapy appointments. “It was then that I realized I could do a lot of other things down the road,”
says Jeff. “Thank God my parents got me out to sports
right away.”
“Athletics for Jeff was a place where he could prove that
things had not changed in his life,” says Matt Vosler, a
childhood friend of Jeff’s and also now a member of the
CT Challenge’s Board of Directors.
Jeff went on to play baseball and junior varsity tennis at
Andrew Warde High School of Fairfield as a freshmen.
As a sophomore at Fairfield Prep, he made the ski team
(becoming team captain) and lacrosse team (becoming
the team’s goalie). He went on to play lacrosse in college at Boston College, and he became a cross-country
runner after graduating (literally, he ran cross-country
from Boston to Los Angeles, running 3,300 miles with a
prosthetic leg in 1985 over the course of eight months,
raising over $1 million for cancer research). When he
was 22 years old in 1987, he co-founded Swim Across
America and, finally, in 2005, after a visit to the pediatric cancer survivor clinic at the same hospital where
he had been treated, he joined with John Ragland to
organize the CT Challenge in order to create access to
similar survivorship programs in Connecticut.
“There is never a day when I do not think about the
children who received chemotherapy alongside me at
the Dana Farber Cancer Center in Boston when I was a
boy,” says Jeff. “Our healthcare system is not currently
organized to support post-treatment care for the 14
million cancer survivors in the U.S. walking around with
Carl Bach (Navigators President of U.K. Management Liability; London) and Clay Bassett
(Navigators Chief Underwriting Officer; Stamford, CT) cross the finish-line after a 50-mile ride.
Combined, Carl and Clay raised approximately $10K.
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(l-r) (l-r) Trisha Rozas (Navigators Chief Technology Officer; Stamford, CT), David Platter (Navigators Board of Directors), Taha Ebrahimi (Corporate Communications
Director; NYC), Joe Beebe (Managing Director, KBW) in red cap, Jackie Nuzzo (Navigators Corporate Services; Stamford, CT), Denise Lowsley (Navigators Global
HR Officer; Stamford, CT), Adrien Robinson (President of Navigators Commercial; Chicago, IL) and his wife, Angie.
the long-term effects of chemo, PTSD, depression and chronic fatigue. When survivors are done with treatment, they are dropped
off a cliff. Survivors don’t go back to the clinic after they’re
finished with treatment to find out the long-term effects of the
drugs they used. I, myself, was walking around for 30 years and
never knew I had scar tissue on my heart because of the drugs I
took as a kid. The CT Challenge is about survivorship because it’s
an un-met healthcare need in this country. Exercise and nutrition
saved my life, and studies now show that exercise can reduce the
risk of reoccurrence for some types of cancer.”
The funds raised through the CT Challenge have impacted the
lives of 54,000 cancer survivors last year through education, community outreach and survivor programs, including the opening
of the Center for Survivorship in Southport, CT—the first standalone program of its kind in the country.
On Saturday, July 27th, Team Navigators came together for the
big day, gathering at the Fairfield County Hunt Club at 6:30a.m.,
finishing the course several hours later.
“I love this event because it is so focused and grounded on caring
for those affected by cancer in our community,” said Denise Lowsley, Senior Vice President & Global HR Officer. “To ride 50 miles
feels small compared to what survivors have had to go through.”
“It was a great day for us to get together as a Company for such
a worthy cause,” added Stan Galanski, President & CEO. “We’re
proud to be part of this event and are already looking forward to
having an even bigger turnout next year!”
The official Team Navigators tent!
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TEA M
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C H A L L E N G E
NAVIGATORS
(back row, l-r) Jason Martin (Navigators Environmental; NYC), Steve Kuuskvere in red cap (Navigators President of U.S. Management Liability; NYC), Clay
Bassett (Navigators Chief Underwriting Officer; Stamford, CT), {#1 NAME, COMPANY}, {#2 NAME, COMPANY} in sunglasses, Brad Kuchinic below (Navigators
Environmental Practice Leader; Chicago, IL), Peter Burns (President, Retail Excess Casualty) also in sunglasses, Stan Galanski (Navigators President & CEO;
Stamford, CT), Joe Beebe (Managing Director, KBW) in red cap, {#3 NAME, COMPANY} below in sunglasses, Denise Lowsley (Navigators Global HR Officer;
Stamford, CT), David Platter (Navigators Board of Directors) in sunglasses, Carl Bach (Navigators President of U.K. Management Liability; London), Charles
Williamson (AIG); (middle row, l-r) Paul Dastis (Navigators Environmental; NYC) in black visor, Adrien Robinson (President of Navigators Commercial;
Chicago, IL), Ashleigh Grover (Navigators Retail Excess Casualty; NYC) shielding eyes, Jackie Nuzzo (Navigators Corporate Services; Stamford, CT), Adam
Dodge (Navigators Environmental; NYC), Todd Cody (Navigators IT; Danbury, CT) in sunglasses (Navigators IT Enterprise Architect; Stamford, CT), Dave Maher
(Senior Vice President, Central National-Gottesman), Liam Jones (Navigators D&O; London, UK) with blue socks; (kneeling, l-r) Angie Robinson (Adrien’s wife),
Trisha Rozas (Navigators Chief Technology Officer; Stamford, CT), Heather Jasontek (Navigators Head of Internal Audit; Stamford, CT)
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P A R T N E R
P R O F I L E
Maureen Caviston
President & Chief Operating Officer
Partners Specialty Group
Our partner profile this quarter is Maureen
Caviston, President & Chief Operating Officer
of Partners Specialty Group, headquartered
in Stamford, CT. Founded in 1999, Partners
Specialty ranks among the nation’s largest and
best-performing wholesale brokers with 12
offices and 165 employees specializing in providing retail brokers and agents with insurance
solutions that enable their partners to provide
more competitive products and services. Maureen and her husband,
Michael Leventhal, have three sons: Peter (15), Will (17), and Matt (20)
Leventhal, who was a Navigators intern this past summer.
How did you get into insurance?
A friend of my mother’s was working with a wholesale broker when I
was going to college at Penn State. They were very busy with lots of
typing and filing and things like that. My mom knew I had those skills
and she suggested that working there was probably a better alternative to waitressing, so I thought I’d check it out. I went for the interview
and the rest is history. I worked for three summers in college before I
started full-time. I was considering law school when I graduated from
college and I thought maybe I’d go after I worked for a year, but I ended
up staying.
How long have you been doing business with Navigators?
We’ve been doing business with Navigators for at least ten years. We
do a lot of Primary and Excess Casualty, Environmental, Inland Marine
and Professional.
Best advice anyone ever gave you?
Never burn a bridge! People remain in the business a long time and
they move on to different positions and companies.
Something about yourself that most people wouldn’t guess?
In my position, I deal with so many people that I think they might be
surprised to learn that I’m initially shy until I get to know people.
First concert you attended?
Bruce Springsteen
Best movie or TV show you’ve seen in the past three years?
I love watching “Downton Abbey” and “Mad Men.”
Favorite vacation spot?
The beach at Avalon, New Jersey
NAVIGATORS HEADQUARTERS
MOVES TO INSURANCE CAPITAL
OF STAMFORD, CT
Navigators headquarters moved
from Rye Brook, NY, to Stamford,
CT, in September. The new corporate headquarters is located at
400 Atlantic Street, a short walk
from the train station. The corporate datacenter is located 2 miles
away. Navigators joins a community of numerous other insurance companies that call this city
“home,” including Ace Tempest
Re USA, Gen Re, Towers Watson,
Stamford HQ!
Odyssey Re and Partners Specialty. Also home to several Fortune 500 Companies (Charter
Communications, UBS and WWE, to name a few), Stamford is
known for being the largest financial district in the New York
Metro area outside New York City.
According to an industry report from PwC, Connecticut ranks
first nationally in insurance employment as a percentage of
total state employment. “Industry leaders and state government are aligned to make [Connecticut]’s insurance industry
one of the most competitive and advanced in the world,” said
Insurance & Financial Services Chairman, James Bedard, in
2012.
Did You Know?
Gene Wilder (Young Frankenstein, Willy Wonka & the
Chocolate Factory) is a resident of Stamford, and so was
his late wife, Gilda Radner (1946-1989), comedienne of
Saturday Night Life.
NBC Sports Network airs its studio shows from Stamford.
J.D. Salinger, author of The Catcher in The Rye, lived in
Stamford in the 1940s.
Musicians that live or used to live in Stamford include 50
Cent, Michael Bolton, Benny Goodman, Cyndi Lauper,
Meat Loaf, Moby and Rihanna.
Harry Houdini (1874-1926) called Stamford his summer
home.
Alex Raymond (1867-1959), the creator of the Flash
Gordon comic strip lived in Stamford.
Beginning in 2009, “The Jerry Springer Show” moved
from Chicago to Stamford, and “Maury” moved there
from New York City.
Stamford is tied with Iowa City, Iowa for the U.S. metropolitan area with the highest percentage of the adult
population holding a bachelor’s degree or higher with
44% of adults holding a degree and nine out of ten being
high school graduates.
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C O M P L I A N C E
W E L L N E S S
C O R N E R
C O R N E R
OFAC
GET
COMPLIANCE
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S.
Department of the Treasury administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions against certain countries, governments, entities, individuals, and subject matter based on
U.S. foreign policy and national security goals. Economic
sanctions are designed to deter certain behavior and deny
targets the use of their economic resources by excluding them from the benefits of trade and other economic
interactions. The scope of sanctions prohibitions vary and
may be broad and comprehensive or very limited in scope.
Navigators must comply with sanctions imposed by the U.S.
Government and, in some instances, those imposed by the
European Union.
Sanctions may be classified into three general categories:
country-based sanctions, list-based sanctions, and subject
matter-based sanctions. Currently, the U.S. maintains country-based sanctions against Iran, Cuba, Syria, Sudan and to
a lesser extent North Korea. Country-based sanctions are
considered the most comprehensive and impose prohibitions (including the extension of insurance coverage and
services) against these countries as well as entities, vessels,
and persons subject to the jurisdiction of these countries.
List-based sanctions are sanctions imposed against designated individuals, entities and organizations appearing on
OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List that have
been determined by the U.S. to have engaged in activities
such as terrorism, nuclear proliferation, narcotics trafficking,
piracy, etc. Subject matter sanctions prohibit transactions
involving certain subject matter such as round logs, illicit
diamonds, and Iraqi cultural property. Country-based sanctions are triggered more regularly and have the greatest impact on Navigators’ Marine policies of insurance and other
policies providing global or worldwide coverage.
Navigators’ Legal/Compliance department has implemented a robust Economic and Trade Sanctions Policy which
includes the screening of assureds, vessels, claimants and
brokers against OFAC’s SDN List, as well as referrals to the
Legal Department when country-based sanctions programs
may be implicated. New employee and enhanced sanctions training is conducted to further ensure compliance.
Questions concerning the application of a sanctions program, its laws or regulations, should be referred to Angela
Fanelli or Hugh Walsh.
ACTIVE!
Don’t wait! Just join! This online health and wellness program takes a unique social approach to engage and help
you work with coworkers to improve your health. It provides
a year-round curriculum of fun team and individual Healthy
Challenges and includes three main components:
1. Self-assessment and goal setting: The Get Active! platform and online tools help participants identify and set
achievable health goals.
2. Healthy challenges: Employees are invited to join four
team-based fitness challenges focused on walking, exercise,
weight loss and nutrition. Weekly bonus challenges focus on
well-being.
3. Progress tracking and milestones: Participants track progress towards healthy goals in convenient and accessible way.
COMING
SOON!
The month of November will bring another quarterly challenge to us – Fit & Festive! It is a seasonal challenge over
six weeks that combines tracking healthy “fit” activities
and less healthy “festive” activities to help participants
maintain their weight over the busy holiday season.
FLU
SHOTS!
With the flu season right around the corner and to help decrease the spread of influenza this winter, Navigators will be
offering a company sponsored Flu Shot Program provided
by Affiliated Physicians in October of this year. Be sure to
get vaccinated and protect yourself from the Flu!
2ND BIOMETRICS
SCREENING!
We are excited to partner with Quest Diagnostics once
again and offer FREE biometrics screenings to our employees! If you missed our first screening this year, now is your
chance to get it done! At the Navigators Blueprint for Wellness Screening you will undergo a simple blood draw along
with biometric screening of height, weight and blood pressure. You will receive your results online and an easy-to-read
report with normal ranges and a brief description of tests
via mail within two weeks. Get started and schedule your
appointment today!
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SPOTLIGHT
S TEPHEN COWAR D
Stephen, Ana Cristina, and grandchildren Ethan and Eloise
Stephen Coward is President of Nav Tech, our Global Division focused on providing first party cover on Upstream Energy, Downstream energy
and other technical risks that require a sophisticated, engineering-oriented approach to underwriting. He has always had an interest in technical
details. “I was very interested and quite good at technical drawing, particularly of structures and machines,” remembers Stephen of his youth
spent in Hornchurch in Essex. “When I left school at the age of 17, I was determined to become a draftsman.” However, destiny intervened.
In the early 1970s, the local Careers Advisory Service arranged interviews to place young British job seekers in their first assignment. This was
based on an arcane system whereby job prospects were described on handwritten postcards following enquiries from various companies and
Stephen was sent to two interviews on the same day.
“I have taken great satisfaction in building the Nav Tech team, who are a highly motivated group
of consummate professionals with a strong sense of purpose; we understand the elements required for success in a difficult field and, importantly, we pull together at all times.”
~Stephen Coward, President of Nav Tech
“At the first company, I saw a roomful of people doing technical drawings for a construction project, just the sort of thing I wanted to do,” he
remembers. However, things were different at the second interview he had in the afternoon in the City of London. The name of the company was
“The British Engine Boiler and Electrical Insurance Company, Ltd.,” but since the postcard had limited space (and the handwriting was large) the
advisory service had shortened the name of the company to just “British Engine Boiler,” which led them to assume that it was a draftsman’s job,
and Stephen was put forward as a candidate. “This second interview was held at an old Victorian-style office with dark wood panels and furniture
to match,” Stephen recalls. “The receptionist had a sternness that reminded me of the school librarian and there were rows upon rows of men
sitting at desks talking on telephones and writing with what looked like old-fashioned ink pens, all wearing pin-striped suits. It was very obviously not a drawing office. I told the elderly gentleman interviewing me, ‘There’s been a mistake here. I thought this job was for a draftsman and
this is an insurance company, isn’t it?’” “That’s true,” the man told Stephen, but went on to explain that if he joined, he would be specializing in
engineering risks and working with draftsmen’s work and interpreting technical drawings. He offered Stephen a marginally better salary than the
first company and this was sufficient to influence Stephen into picking the insurance job. The rest is history. Stephen never regretted his choice.
As fate would have it, Stephen’s desk at his very first job was in a building located on Mark Lane. This building would later be demolished and
replaced by the Minster Court complex, which is today the home of Navigators’ London operations. “If I were to drop a paperclip from my current office window on the 4th floor of Minster Court, it would land within 5 yards of where my ground floor desk had been at British Engine,” says
Stephen. “In 42 years, I am back to where it all started!”
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Stephen embarked on a five-year training program during which time he
learned all about insurance and legal contracts, how to make logical analyses, and how to understand and assess risks. British Engine taught him
about effective communication, the importance of teamwork and confidence in public speaking.
In order to understand and differentiate risks, Stephen was taken into the
field to see boilers, turbines, and various industrial plants in action. “I was
incredibly lucky to have had such a structured and technically-focused
training because it stood me in good stead for the whole of my career,”
says Stephen. “That type of training nowadays has sadly become rare,
partly because the costs involved are considered prohibitive; today, companies have often replaced this with a “thrown in the deep end” approach.”
Having completed this phase of training, Stephen was granted underwriting authority and led a small team. He stayed with the company for a total
of 11 years – his passion for the technical complexity and variability of the
engineering insurance field had firmly taken root. “I’m still learning after all
these years – that’s one of the great things about underwriting,” he says
with obvious pleasure. “When evaluating engineering risks no two are ever
the same: underwriters are distinguished – or not – by how well we choose
one risk over the other. We have to bring a high level of curiosity each time
we underwrite. I’ve always found that enticing.”
In 1982, when Stephen was 28 years old, he was approached to join a stateowned French company called “Assurances Generales de France” that
wanted to start up an engineering portfolio in the London market, and they
asked Stephen if he would like to head up this new venture. The opportunity to build something from scratch was incredibly attractive to Stephen,
so he made the jump.
In 1986, Stephen transferred to SCOR, an affiliate and also state-owned
French company at that time. He made the move to the reinsurance market
in order to be involved in higher value and even more complex risks. The
same year, he was elected as the youngest ever Chairman of the London
Engineering Group, a role he was to hold again some 16 years later. While
at SCOR, Stephen received intensive management and leadership training.
He recalls this time in his life as the start of a pattern of extensive international travel and the formation of business connections that have resulted
in long-term relationships.
After 16 years, Stephen was ready for a new international challenge when
he was approached in 1997 by a Danish company, Copenhagen Re. In joining them he became responsible for all non-marine facultative business
(including energy) and was charged with re-shaping a problematic U.S. and
Caribbean Natural Catastrophe-exposed property portfolio, which he had
inherited. Having been elevated to the executive management committee
and spending more time in Denmark, Stephen had his first encounters with
rating agencies and he remembers S&P meetings being rather tense, but
equally rewarding affairs.
The world was turned on its head on 9/11 and this catastrophic event led to
the closure of Copenhagen Re. The unexpected accumulation of losses
beyond the Twin Towers destroyed the company’s capital and the parent
company (a Danish bank) placed Copenhagen Re into orderly run-off. Stephen was asked to manage the U.K. run-off and, despite a lucrative proposition, he opted instead to remain in the “live” market in order to fulfill his
ambitions.
Coincidently, around the same time, Lloyd’s Syndicate 1221 was in need of
someone to lead their engineering consortium, as the previous manager
had just resigned. The business was in need of a leader to take them into
the new underwriting year of 2002 and Stephen joined Navigators. “Despite having been in the industry all those years, this was to be my first time
inside Lloyd’s,” remembers Stephen. “I had been conditioned to believe
that the Lloyd’s market was somewhat ill-disciplined and less technical
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when compared to the company market. This image turned out to be
completely unfounded; this was the beginning of a new era of professionalism at Lloyd’s and the advent of what became known as the Franchise Performance Directorate.” At first, Stephen found it strange to be
trading in an open plan environment at “the box” on the trading floor at
Lloyd’s, but soon he adjusted, with his colleagues at that time helping
him integrate.
Stephen and his team successfully grew the business and in 2005 he
joined the Navigators Underwriting Agency Ltd. (NUAL) board with the
additional responsibility for the Syndicate’s offshore energy business.
Following the departure of the Agency’s Managing Director, Stephen
was promoted to that position in October 2006. In 2008, following
losses resulting from Gulf of Mexico windstorms, he was asked to lead a
Group-wide initiative to consolidate all energy and engineering business into one global unit, which became branded “Navigators Technical
Risk,” or “Nav Tech.” “The chance to bring together the Insurance Company and Syndicate underwriters and to introduce a better risk-engineering approach to the Offshore Energy business was very appealing,”
Stephen happily recalls. Nav Tech has become an important contributor
to the Group’s success and a blueprint for a global approach to lines of
businesses that trade across multiple markets.
“Understanding this complex business has never been easy, but it has
become more challenging, as technology and business practices advance at an ever-increasing pace and we have to keep up to speed with,
and adapt to that change,” says Stephen. “It’s not simply about the
premium for the risk. It’s much more about what you are insuring and
how you are insuring it or not, as the case may be. A clear appreciation
of what’s at risk, intelligent selection criteria and applying appropriate
terms and conditions are keys to success. We can suffer a bit with our
technical and selective approach during those times when others compete on the naïve basis of just price or to gain market share. One part of
my job is to reassure the team that we value disciplined and well-informed underwriting and eschew anything else. I have taken great satisfaction in building the Nav Tech team, who are a highly motivated group
of consummate professionals with a strong sense of purpose; we understand the elements required for success in a difficult field and, importantly, we pull together at all times.”
Aside from his work at Navigators, Stephen also dedicates some of his
private time to share knowledge and experience with the wider insurance community, often giving educational talks at international market
events and seminars. Additionally, Stephen has co-authored three specialist books on insurance published by the Insurance Institute of London and he is about to embark on a fourth publication which will focus
on delegated underwriting.
Married for five years to Ana Cristina, Stephen has three children from
his previous marriage: Hannah (29), Nicholas (31) and Lewis (35), whose
wife just had twins this past Christmas, making Stephen a granddad.
With their West Highland Terrier, Hugo, Stephen and Ana Cristina live in
the market town of Epping in Essex, where Stephen takes pride in owning his 45-year old classic Triumph sportscar. As a man who prides himself on technical detail, he keeps the car in impeccable shape and, when
not occupied with it, he also enjoys fishing at a local lake with members
of his angling club.
A lifelong fan of Manchester United, Stephen played soccer for local
league teams right up until he was 42 years old, including a couple of
seasons as a member of the county’s police force team, “a somewhat
combative team!!” he remembers.
It can be difficult at times to juggle work commitments, family and hobbies. When facing the choice between two equally fun hobbies, Stephen
simply lets the weatherman decide: fishing in the wet, driving in the dry.
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EVENTS
N AV I GAT O R S S O U T H E R N C A L I FO R N I A S U M M E R O U T I N G AT
I N T H E D OW N TOW N L . A . S TA N DA R D : L OS A N G E L E S, C A
(l-r, front row leaning on table) Jeremy Isturis (Operations), Marla Thompson (Primary
Casualty), Kelly Tate (Wholesale Excess Casualty) and Jackie Hennig (Excess Casualty); (l-r, standing) Scott Juedes (Navigators Specialty), Julia Manganaro (Primary Casualty), Mary Ann Vorndran (Primary Casualty), Angela Bavone, Scott Lorch (Primary
Casualty), Hermineh Markarians (Primary Casualty), Merrill Tyler (Primary Casualty),
Shannon Seckler (Global Package), Jane Mueller (Wholesale Excess Casualty), Steve
Lokus (Primary Casualty), Dan Marriage (Wholesale Excess Casualty), Whit Whittle
(Navigators Specialty), Simon Higgitt (Navigators Specialty), Jan Weston (Primary
Casualty), Jeff Mayes (Life Sciences)
S P I N
Jackie Hennig and Dan Marriage
P E N N N AT I O N
C L I E N T V I S I T:
N E VA DA
GA M I N G (P N G)
L A S V E GA S,
N AV I GAT O R S S P E C I A LT Y W R I G L E Y
RO O F T O P E V E N T: C H I C AG O, I L
(l-r) Jacques Arragon (Risk Manager, PNG), Chris Piazza,
(VP, Navigators Marine), and Richard Geiger (SVP, Marsh
NY) pictured at PNG’s property, The “M” Hotel Resort,
Spa & Casino in Las Vegas, NV, where Chris visited with
Navigators clients Penn National Gaming during their
annual property & casualty renewal meeting and discussed new insurance risk solutions for a breakout of
PNG’s properties as part of their newly formed Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT).
(l-r) Tim Ryan (Navigators Specialty), Jean Busch (Westrope), Noel Higgitt
(Navigators Specialty)
E N V I RO N M E N TA L
O FFI C E
(l-r) Adrien Robinson (Navigators), Dan Beck
(Synapse Services LLC), Tom Murchio (Synapse
Services LLC) and Greg Steinman (Synapse
Services LLC)
O P E N I N G
E V E N T:
N E W
YO R K ,
Navigators Enviornmental’s Maddie Hazelgrove and Greg Heidemann
N Y
(l-r) Brad Kuchinic (Navigators), Mary Griffin
(Frenkel, NY) and Tom Greenman (Frenkel, NY)
Nav News |
N AV I GATO R S S F S U M M E R
SA N FR A N C I S C O, C A
O U T I N G
TO
L U C K Y
S T R I K E
(back row, l-r) Christina Aviles (Operations), Stacey Thrasher (Operations), Heather Clemmensen (Primary Casualty), Jane Santana (Operations), Rachel Ehrlich (Claims), William
Vaughn (Navigators Specialty), Lisa O’Hara (Navigators Specialty), Stephanie Acevedo
(Operations), Steve Costa, Miranda Williams (Operations), Jasmine Lee (Environmental);
(front row, l-r) Dan Grealish (Marine), Susan Natt (Navigators Specialty), Kathy Yu (Operations), Elaine Chan, Melody Genochio (Operations), Anna Tan (Excess Casualty), Noel
Higgitt (Navigators Specialty), and Josh Koppel (Navigators Specialty) sitting.
N AV I GATO R S
N O R T H E A S T
S U M M E R
Karl Bisbee (Information Technology) and his son, Jackson
(l-r) John Tsahalis (Information Technology), Ralph Giamei
(Information Technology), Nancy Circelli (Lauren’s mom), and
Lauren Circelli (Finance)
P I C N I C
AT
B OW L I N G :
William Vaughn bowls a strike
C A M P
K I W I :
C A R M E L ,
N Y
Paul Kluga (Reinsurance) and Greg Pace (Finance)
(l-r) Cheri Alibrandi (Operations), Joe Landini (Operations), Thomas
Musante (Operations), Fernanda Constante (Operations), Isabel
Velasquez (Operations) and Jenny Brito (Operations)
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IN THE COMMUNIT Y
KEVIN SHEA MEMORIAL CLASSIC
The second annual Kevin Shea Memorial Classic was held on Thursday, May 30, 2013, at the Morgan Hill Golf Club in Easton, Pennsylvania,
with Kevin’s family, friends, coworkers and peers in the marine insurance industry attending. Proceeds from the event in the amount of
$20K went to the Kevin Shea Memorial fund established at St. John’s School of Risk Management, Insurance and Actuarial Science as
an endowment scholarship to benefit students of marine insurance, with the endowment now in excess of $60K. An additional $3K was
donated to the Russell Neary Memorial Fund, another marine industry leader in New York who was a good friend of Kevin’s throughout
his career and who was killed during Hurricane Sandy while working as a volunteer fireman in Connecticut. Kevin was a beloved member
of the New York Marine team who passed away unexpectedly two years ago at the age of 37. For those that missed the chance to donate,
you can do so through the Kevin Shea Memorial Fund at www.kevinsheamemorialfund.org.
(l-r) Stan Galanski (President & CEO, Navigators), Mike McKenna
(President of U.S. Marine, Navigators), Joe Valenza (Frenkel &
Co.), and Clark Smith (Norman Spencer Agency)
The Shea family: (l-r) Brian Shea, Jack Shea Sr., Jane Shea, and
Jack Shea Jr.
K I DS I N C R IS IS TR I ATH LO N — STA M FO R D, C T
On Saturday, June 29, 2013, Team Navigators participated in the annual KIC IT Triathlon in Stamford, CT, to raise funds for Kids in Crisis,
the area’s only temporary emergency shelter and counseling center for families and children of all ages. The sixth annual event included
a 1.5K swim in Long Island Sound, a 40K bike ride, and a 10K run through the streets of downtown Stamford. Team Navigators included
Greg Pace (Stamford Finance) who did the swimming portion, Stephanie Oberheim (Stamford Finance) who did the running portion,
and President and CEO, Stan Galanski, who did the biking portion. Navigators has participated in and sponsored this event since its
inception in 2008. Next year, Navigators will be the title sponsor.
Team Navigators: (l-r) Stephanie Oberheim (Stamford Finance), Greg Pace (Stamford Finance), and Stan Galanski (President & CEO)
Nav News |
J . P. M O R G A N C O R P O R A T E C H A L L E N G E — N E W Y O R K , N Y
The 37th annual J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge in Manhattan occurred on Wednesday, June 12th. Team Navigators completed the 3.5-mile
course in Central Park with over 15,000 entrants from 361 companies. The Central Park Conservancy was the main beneficiary with funds going
towards reconstructing and enhancing the park’s 21 playgrounds. Started in 1977, the Corporate Challenge has grown to encompass events in
cities across the world.
(back row, l-r): Ken Watkins (Management Liability Intern), James Winkler (Claims), Maciej Kupiszewski (Operations), Kevin Kuntz (IT), Jerry
Wosleger in blue cap (Nav Tech), Jason Wallace (Management Liability), Richard Berghaus (Management Liability), Stan Galanski (President &
CEO), Jason Martin (Environmental), Mike Dempsey (Primary Casualty) in sunglasses, Jeff Jamison (WTCIS Broker) in white baseball cap, Ben
Robbins (Nav Tech); (middle row: l, r): Suzanne Gough (Life Sciences), Spring Cheng (Actuarial), Trisha Rozas (Chief Information Officer), Inna
Kogan (Claims), Megan Ellis (Claims), Stephanie Oberheim (Finance), Jackie Nuzzo (Corporate Services), Glen Bronstein (U.S. Chief Claims
Officer), Mike Fetchko (Management Liability); (front row, kneeling): Jenny Brito (Claims), Taha Ebrahimi (Communications), Carolyn Leder
(Claims), Ben Levine (Claims Counsel) in white shorts, Heather Jasontek (Internal Audit) in sunglasses, Sachette Barber (Operations), and Paul
O’Grady (IT).
STANDARD CHARTERED GREAT C IT Y
R ACE— LONDON, U.K.
Navigators participated in the 5K Standard Chartered Great City Race
on July 11th, which took place around the closed-off streets of the City
of London. Over 350 companies and 5,000 runners took part in the race,
which raised funds for medications to help tackle trachoma in Zambia in
the hopes of eliminating avoidable blindness.
Suzanne Gough (Life Sciences), Jackie Nuzzo (Corporate Services)
Glen Bronstein (U.S. Chief Claims Officer), and Richard Berghaus
(Management Liability) guarding the Navigators tent!
(back row, l-r): Alex Noorbaccus (Corporate Services), Patrick Crellin (Actuarial), Micheal Baines (Actuarial), Martin Potter (Information Technology), Robert Langridge (Internal Audit); (front row, l-r) Caroline Busby
(Finance), Louise Falloon (Operations), Sophie Wormleighton (Human
Resources)
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I N S I D E NAVIGATORS
Daria Reddington, Claims Specialist based in our Schaumburg
office, married Christopher Hoffman on June 22, 2013, at their
home in Palatine, IL.
Simon Marshall, Global Engineering Construction Practice Leader
based in the London office, recently completed the Fastnet Race
(a famous biennial offshore 608 nautical mile yachting race organized by the Royal Ocean Racing Club of the United Kingdom). His
boat came in 10th in its class out of 79 boats, and 27th overall out
of 294 boats. Simon is pictured here on the far left (wearing red
pants) with his crew in the harbor after being at sea for five days.
Mark Yunque, Group Chief Actuary based in our Stamford office, married Laura Ann Lover on July 27, 2013, at Battery Park in
Manhattan.
Leigh Hill, Financial Reporting
and Tax Accountant, based in the
London office, recently passed the
Chartered Institute of Management
Accountants (CIMA) exam.
Nav News |
THANK YOU!
“I would like to say thank you to the Premium Service Unit for being such a great team to work with. They all lend
a helping hand when one of us is out sick or on vacation. If one of us is overwhelmed with tasks, you don’t need to
ask for assistance, because one of them is always looking out for what needs to be finished for the day.”
Melody Genochio
(Senior Premium Services Specialist; San Francisco, CA)
“I would like to express a big ‘thank you’ to Jennifer Johnston who has made my joining the organization such a
smooth and welcoming process. Not only have I joined the company, but working in two locations and travelling
between London and Rye Brook / Stamford has complications. Jennifer has gone out of her way to ensure that I
have been introduced, welcomed and wanting for nothing. Thank you to her for all her help and support and going
the extra mile to ensure that I have all the (much appreciated) organizational support.”
Paul Robotham
(Finance Transformation Manager)
“A special Thank You to Amy Cornett and Greta Powell for accepting additional responsibilities in our new
Alpharetta office. We recently moved our office to a permanent space. Both Amy and Greta handle supplies,
building communication, mail and more to make sure our office runs smoothly. THANK YOU Amy and Greta for
that you do for us!!!”
From everyone in the Alpharetta office
Greg Heidemann, from the Environmental division based
in our Chicago office, and his wife Jess welcomed their
second child, a new baby girl Evelyn Ruth Heidemann, on
June 19, 2013. She weighed 7 pounds and 7 ounces.
Ed Pomeroy, D&F Property lead based in our London office,
and his wife Clare welcomed their new baby son Louis Arthur
Lloyd Pomeroy on March 8, 2013. He weighed 6 pounds and
1 ounce.
FA L L 2 013
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CONGR ATUL ATIONS!
STELL AR
STAR
POL ARIS
PROGR A M
Nominate someone by going to the Intranet today!
STAR
The Polaris award winner is someone who has demonstrated superior customer service resulting in an intermediate level of impact on business, process or efficiency. They are recognized with a $100 gift certificate.
Jane Adams (Operations;
London, UK) nominated by
Frank Bastiaens (Operations; Antwerp, Belgium)
STELL A
Jennifer Brancho (Operations;
Pittsburgh, PA), (two separate
nominations), nominated by
Dominick Bruno (Underwriting;
Chicago, IL) and Keith Poopor
(Underwriting; New York, NY)
Damien Carric (Information
Technology; London, UK)
nominated by Carol Bach (Management Liability; London, UK)
Greg Heidemann
(Underwriting; Chicago,
IL), nominated by Michelle
Memon (Information
Technology; Stamford, CT)
STAR
The Stella award winner is someone who demonstrated excellent customer service and has
gone beyond their normal job responsibilities. They are recognized with a $25 gift certificate.
Jennifer Brancho
(Operations; Pittsburgh,
PA), nominated by
Ashleigh Grover (Underwriting; New York, NY)
Toni McCoy
(Claims; London, UK),
nominated by Daniel
Whale (Claims;
London, UK)
Tiffanie Mytnik
(Operations; Schaumburg,
IL), nominated by Pam
Semapongpan (Operations;
New York, NY)
Teri Dickson
(Operations;
Schaumburg, IL),
nominated by Jeff
Kuklinski (Underwriting;
Pittsburgh, PA)
Terri Mellea (Operations;
Parsippany, NJ), nominated
by Robert Philhower (Underwriting; Parsippany, NJ)
Anthony Tellez
(Information Technology;
Stamford, CT), nominated
by Tom Bolovinos (Finance,
Stamford, CT)
Natanya Groen
(Operations; London,
UK), nominated by
Lisa MacDonald
(Human Resources;
London, UK)
Danielle Minehart
(Operations; Chicago, IL),
nominated by Kenneth
Skipper (Operations;
Chicago, IL)
Prabhavathi Vulindala
(Information Technology;
Stamford, CT), nominated
by Scott Kohut (Operations;
New York, NY)
Nkeshie Henry
(Operations; Stamford,
CT), nominated by
Michelle Bradley
(Administration;
Stamford, CT)
Joanna Mstowska
(Human Resources;
Stamford, CT), nominated
by Benjamin Stough (Underwriting; Atlanta, GA)
Nav News |
ANNIVERSARIES
J U LY T O S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 3
TWENTY-FIFTH YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Lyn Chen, Senior Reinsurance Accountant
based in the Stamford office, celebrated
her twenty-fifth year anniversary with the
Company on July 11, 2013.
FIFTEENTH YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Scott Christy, Nav Tech Underwriter based in the Houston office,
celebrated his fifteenth year anniversary with the Company on September 1, 2013.
TENTH YEAR ANNIVERSARIES
Chris Piazza, Vice President Marine based in the Manhattan office,
celebrated his tenth year anniversary with the Company on August 10, 2013.
Frank Policastro, Senior Application Developer based in the Stamford office,
celebrated his tenth year anniversary with the Company on September 2, 2013.
FIFTH YEAR ANNIVERSARIES
Taha Ebrahimi, Corporate Communications Director based in the Manhattan office,
celebrated her fifth year anniversary with the Company on September 29, 2013.
Maryann Gesualdo, Investment Accounting Manager based in the Stamford office,
celebrated her fifth year anniversary with the Company on July 14, 2013.
Paul Hennessy, Head of Navigators Europe based in the London office,
celebrated his fifth year anniversary with the Company on September 17, 2013.
Rob Larson, Nav Re Vice President of Reinsurance Pricing based in the Schaumburg office,
celebrated his fifth year anniversary with the Company on September 29, 2013.
Emily Miner, SVP & General Counsel based in the Stamford office,
celebrated her fifth year anniversary with the Company on July 22, 2013.
Ricardo Morales, VP Senior Underwriter based in the Miami office,
celebrated his fifth year anniversary with the Company on September 9, 2013.
Helene Polycarpou, Claims/Operations Manager based in the London office,
celebrated her fifth year anniversary with the Company on September 1, 2013.
Roberto Rivera, Senior Claims Specialist based in the Stamford office,
celebrated his fifth year anniversary with the Company on September 9, 2013.
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