From problem solver to president – Susan Rivera of V3 Insurance Partners

President of brokerage speaks on her dreams for the insurance industry, her work philosophy and her goals for her company

From problem solver to president – Susan Rivera of V3 Insurance Partners

Insurance News

By Allie Sanchez

President and chief executive of specialty brokerage firm V3 Insurance Partners Susan Rivera is a force to reckon with.

She comes with the pedigree insurance dreams are made of. She has a degree in mathematics from Villanova University and started her storied career with insurance giant AIG in the actuarial department, moved up the ranks, and left as the president of American Home Assurance Company in 2002.

From there she has held various top positions in major insurance firms throughout the US. However, Rivera’s success is a by-product of hard work, determination and focus.

“It’s really important to take time out of your day to invest in your long term goals,” she said. “I really do think that’s invaluable for long term success. You know it’s really easy in a world of emails to focus on the tasks at hand today and get totally consumed in answering emails, but you really need to become disciplined and chip away at tasks you need to fulfil, your longer term strategies.”
.
As with many insurance professionals, she did not set out to become one after completing her degree in college in Pennsylvania. It was a series of fortunate events that landed her a job with AIG in New York City, starting with college recruitment day in university.
.
“AIG came to Villanova College recruiting day and they said they wanted to interview math majors,” she explained. “So I went and I interviewed with them and I went to New York City and met with some of the leadership in the actuarial department and got a job and started my career in the actuarial department of AIG.”

Are you a program specialist? Download our free whitepaper to understand how to evaluate program carriers, and find a partner that shares your specialty mindset.

As one of the tens of thousands of employees of the company, she said she came to work on her first day, just eager to do her job. Her knack for making sense of statistics propelled her to cross over to the underwriting side of insurance and she never looked back.

But one thing that stayed with her, even from college, is the desire to solve problems.

“I just wanted to be solving problems, and didn’t really know what I was going to do with a math degree,” she recalled of the days when she was feeling around for career options.

To this day, she continues to perceive her passion—insurance—as one continuous opportunity to solve problems.

“We get to do that at V3, running a small business, everything is just problem solving,” she observed.

While the instinct to solve problems served her well through college and most of her career, it would not have led her anywhere without her work ethic.

“There are people that are blessed and fortunate to have gifts, but the things that are worthwhile in life really come through hard work,” she said. “If we’re working hard and we’re executing on the strategies, I do believe the results will fall into place. So it’s really that simple. I do think we can control our destiny and overcome hurdles as they arrive.”

She is also one for big dreams.

In her new turf as the leader of a specialty insurance company, she colors the mindset of her team with her aim for excellence.

“We say to ourselves we don’t want to be just another MGA,” she noted. “We want to be ranked among the top successful MGAs. We strive and we have high expectations of ourselves. We’re not perfect but we try to aim to be the best and not be sort of mediocre. Nobody really wants to come to work to be mediocre…and we also want to be a place where people want to come to work every day.”

Rivera’s dreams are also not confined within the auspices of her company. When asked what she would change about the insurance industry, if she could, she said she wants people to look upon the industry with better regard for its contributions to the business community and to society as a whole.

“It’s not really a highly regarded profession or industry in the US, and I would love to see the perception of it changed,” she explained. “I mean underwriting is exciting, it’s challenging. I think if we could change the outlook insurance provides and its significant benefit to business and society, then I think we could continue to attract better talent because there is tremendous opportunity.

“Like for example if you go to Lloyd’s of London - it’s got a name it’s got an air about it, you go to London, it’s a differently regarded profession. I’d love to see the same thing happen in the US.”

Given all that she has achieved, is she resting on her laurels already? Not just yet, Rivera says.

“You have to prove yourself every day,” she said. “It’s not what I did yesterday or the day before, you know you come into work and you prove yourself every day. I want to prove myself as a leader to our employees and I think I should be the role model and show them I work hard every day.

And at the end of the day, “It’s just really important to be a role model to them and set that tone within the company.”


Related stories:
‘Days are numbered’ for traditional brokers
Five things you can expect from the auto insurance industry in 2017 – Part one

Keep up with the latest news and events

Join our mailing list, it’s free!