Kim Guerriero
Consulting actuary
Milliman
Personal bio: I currently live outside of Boston with my husband and one-yearold child. When I’m not playing with trucks or throwing balls with my son, I spend my free time outdoors hiking, swimming, skiing, and snowshoeing.
Another passion of mine is volunteering. While in middle school, I participated in a community service learning class and have been hooked ever since. Currently, I serve as vice president of marketing and communication for the Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS). I am finding it an incredibly rewarding experience to be a part of the daily operations of the CAS and be implementing the new strategic vision.
Professional profile: graduated from Hamilton College where I majored in economics and minored in mathematics. I also had wonderful experiences of studying abroad in Spain and volunteering in a kindergarten classroom.
During the summer between my sophomore and junior year, I began my actuarial career with an internship at Milliman’s Boston casualty practice. I have now been at Milliman over 15 years, and have passed all of the actuarial exams and assumed the role of consulting actuary.
How did you end up in the captive industry?
In the spring of my sophomore year, at the suggestion of my mother who knew that I excelled at math, I applied for an internship with Milliman’s Boston casualty practice. This practice specialises in alternative markets, and during my internship, I worked on a variety of captive clients. I loved how every day was different and every client presented an opportunity to learn something new. I ended up coming back the following summer and 15 years later, I’m still learning new things every day.
What has been your highlight in the captive industry so far?
I have been fortunate to work with captive industry leaders, as colleagues, clients, and service providers. I enjoy the need for creative thinking and the opportunity to develop innovative solutions to insurance problems.
I’m amazed how two companies who at first glance appear to be very similar, can have such different solutions to controlling and managing their liability exposures. I look forward to attending conferences to learn from and collaborate with others in the industry and bring new cutting edge solutions to my clients
One other highlight from the Vermont Captive Insurance Association conference I attended last August. When I grabbed my badge from the registration desk, I inquired about a mother’s room. Having attended numerous non-captive conferences previously, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that they had a pre-arranged room. I’m so proud to be a part of an industry that supports working mothers.
What/who have been your influences in the captive industry?
Can I say my whole office? I am extremely fortunate to be able to work with a number of captive industry leaders, many of whom are well known and respected by your readers. Pretty early on in my career, a colleague told me, “you’re not on an island”.
Whenever I encounter a problem or a situation where I need advice, I am reminded of just that – I only need to ask. If I’m half as accomplished as many of my colleagues who have helped me through this stage of my career, I will consider my career a success.
What is your impression of the industry?
Innovative. The nature of the risks faced by insurance companies is constantly changing. The industry has to be constantly adapting to help a rapidly changing and evolving insurance market. It is filled with talented professionals seeking to create out-of-the-box solutions for unique challenges.
With the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, will business interruption be the next big coverage to take over the captive industry? It’s exciting to be a part of a field that is so nimble and adapts quickly to evolving changes
What are your aspirations for your career in the captive industry?
I’d love to get more involved in volunteer opportunities – whether that be planning conferences/webinars or serving on committees. I’d also like to help the insurance industry as a whole become more diverse and inclusive. The captive industry is not immune to diversity challenges, particularly around ethnicity. The captive industry has the opportunity to lead the charge. We are an innovative group that seeks out unique and creative insurance solutions. We can expand those ideas to find solutions to the diversity challenges faced by the insurance industry.
What advice do you have for someone considering a role in the industry?
Dive in! Don’t be intimidated, you will be surrounded by people way smarter than you. Use that to your advantage to learn and grow.
Amy Angell, consulting actuary at Milliman and Mike Meehan, consultant at Milliman “Through a combination of her dedication for excellence, her continuous efforts to expand her own expertise, and her drive to provide quality consulting services to her clients, Kim has become a valuable member our Boston-based practice. Kim’s positive attitude and her desire to help others succeed have helped her take on a leadership position in our practice where she consistently helps to inspire and develop new members of our consulting team. We suspect you will be seeing Kim’s name more and more in the next few years as others get to know her and recognise the value she brings to her captive clients and the industry.”
