What is your name?
Jennifer Wilson
What is your occupation?
Director of Risk Management, SVP
What is your business name?
HUB International, Risk and Insurance Broker
Were you born and raised in Boston? If not, what brought you here?
I’m a native New Englander. I grew up in central Massachusetts and moved to Newburyport, Massachusetts over 2 decades ago and have never left. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.
Tell us more about your job or company and what led you to your career?
My role at HUB International is to provide insurance coverage advocacy with respect to employment-related litigation; and to provide harassment awareness training; and contractual risk transfer analysis and negotiation. I started my career providing these services in-house to one of the largest and most respected real estate development companies in New England. I established a self-insured/self-administered insurance program that saved the company $1M in combined premium and claim costs annually. When the company sold the business sector that I worked in, I decided to transfer my expertise to the insurance broker side and advocate for multiple clients spanning all industries.
What would your clients say about you and your company?
The risk management tools that I offer provide a second layer of risk transfer that has saved my clients a great deal of costs and expenses. Additionally, claims advocacy is much more than reporting of claims. It is understanding the insurance coverage terms and intent of the policy and knowing how to negotiate coverage of the trigger terms. HUB International invests in subject matter experts from the marketing and placement of insurance coverage, to industry-specific loss control experts, and claims advocates. This sets us apart from brokers that focus on generalized placement.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Advocate for myself as ardently as I do for my clients. + Manage expectations.
What is currently your favorite book?
It’s a tie between Dare to Lead by Brene Brown, and The Big Potential by Shawn Achor.
What is your secret weapon?
Saying “NO” with a smile. Managing my client’s expectations upfront is a key part of my success. I am clear with my turnaround time and do not make promises I can’t keep.
What is your most recent WIN?
A landlord client of mine was able to tender a $300k claim to their tenant based solely on the insurance terms that I negotiated. I also recently turned a declination of coverage around on a significant claim on behalf of my client.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Always bring compassion to the table. Leading with compassion is critical.
How do you enjoy your free time?
I enjoy walking with my dog, listening to books or podcasts, scootering downtown for ice cream with my daughter, and volunteering as a board member for the Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center.
What is something that not many people know about you?
I successfully completed not 1, but 4 marathons — Boston (3) and London (1).