A well-kept secret was revealed at the 2023 AIRROC Legacy Transactions & Networking Forum this October. AIRROC established a new award that was announced for the first time – the AIRROC NextGen Leadership Award. This award acknowledges and celebrates the accomplishments and exemplary leadership of one of the NextGen members that has really made an impact over the course of the year.
The winner and first recipient of the AIRROC NextGen Leadership Award is Katie Reynolds. Katie is a Reinsurance Specialist with The Hartford, handling legacy assumed reinsurance claims. A subcommittee of the Board of Directors selected Katie as someone who has stood out as a leader and made significant and demonstrable contributions to the NextGen Council. Katie exemplifies the quality and character of the NextGen Council, volunteering endless hours and displaying impressive talents to advance the initiatives of this group.
When the NextGen group was originally formed Katie took the initiative to be an AIRROC ambassador to younger professionals employed by our member companies. She worked diligently to attract new members to the NextGen Committee and fosters an inclusive atmosphere to all that have joined. She is the host and voice of the Legacy Life podcast and has played an instrumental role in the structure and growth of the NextGen group. With the growing success of her Legacy Life podcast, she has highlighted AIRROC and our membership to the entire reinsurance community. Simply put, Katie has and will continue to make AIRROC a better organization and AIRROC benefits from her leadership.
A little bit of history on the NextGen Council: the AIRROC Board created the NextGen Task Force in early 2020 to focus on how we could attract younger professionals into our midst and help mentor the next generation of leaders who will eventually be the future of legacy, sitting on the AIRROC Board and steering the association. The initial plan of how the newly formed NextGen group would get underway changed when COVID hit. Nonetheless, it spurred innovation among the NextGen members as they shifted to new digital habits. The first task was to describe and compose a mission statement. The result: the NextGen Council is a group of young professionals in the (re)insurance industry working to create educational, networking and leadership opportunities for other young professionals in the legacy space. They also came up with a host of fantastic, creative ideas, made great strides in executing them and have had a tremendous impact in achieving their mission. The Legacy Life podcast, basics of legacy training, a new social media presence, expanding our scholarship applications to universities across the country, launching the #WhatIsLegacy series on LinkedIn are just a few examples of the important work they have done. The Task Force was transformed to a Council in 2022. As a Council, it advises and supports the governance work of the AIRROC Board to help advance the broader organizational mission.
The intent behind the creation of the AIRROC NextGen Leadership Award is to recognize the exemplary leadership of outstanding individuals on the NextGen Council and celebrate the positive impact they have had on others. The honoree will receive a $3,750 stipend for professional development purposes of their choice, such as earning an advanced degree or professional designation, attending industry conferences, executive coaching – whatever they choose to continue to grow in their career.
Funding for the award was made possible with generous support from Carrick Holdings and supplemented by AIRROC. The award is established in memory and honor of Terry Kelaher, who was a founding AIRROC Board member. Terry was with Allstate for many years where he served as Vice President and General Manager of the company’s Specialty Operations Division, responsible for Allstate’s domestic and international reinsurance activities. He was also Chairman and CEO of Allstate Insurance Company of Canada and Allstate Life Insurance Company of Canada. Terry was a true leader in our space and it is only fitting that an award named in his honor to recognize a rising star in the legacy industry be his legacy. Many thanks to Phil Hernon who was instrumental in coming up with the idea for the award!
AIRROC is honored to have the opportunity to recognize Katie for all of her accomplishments and grateful for all that she has helped to create. Under Katie’s leadership, the structure to grow the AIRROC NextGen Council is in place and will no doubt continue to flourish.
