Maddie Beja says she, like many insurance professionals, simply “fell into the industry” – but her success in the sector has led to her being included on IBA’s Rising Stars list for 2023.
While at university, Beja spent two years in Risk Placement Services’ (RPS) internship program and received an offer to join the company when she graduated in 2016.
“Our team often refers to insurance as the ‘best-kept secret’ in the business world,” Beja told IBA. “As someone without family in the industry and who did not attend a college that offered a risk management program, I can say I wholeheartedly agree with that statement. I accepted my internship at Risk Placement Services with hardly any knowledge of insurance. As a business student at a large university, I knew I wanted to do something in sales or consulting, but insurance was just not on my radar.”
Beja said she met an RPS representative at a career fair, dropped off her resume, and was eventually offered a position at the company. In her seven years with the company, she has risen from associate broker to area vice president.
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She has helped grow her team’s book of business from $2.2 million in 2016 to $5.5 million last year, and the team is on track for $7 million by the end of 2023. She has also been a member of RPS’s Top Performers Club for five consecutive years.
Beja is also passionate about bringing young talent into the industry. She has served as coordinator of the RPS Internship Program and a mentor for the company’s internal career associate program. She has also been a member of the Wholesale & Specialty Insurance Association’s internship committee since 2020.
Want to learn more about this industry’s top young talent? Check out the IBA Rising Stars 2023 list.
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