Discovering Treasures
Amidst a Sea of Awards
AwArd progrAms seem to be flooding our industry. every timeyou turn
around there’s a new award being announced by vendors, associations and, yes, trade
publications.
for example, in this issue we are wrapping up coverage of our innovators awards
program, and announcing the call for nominations for our 5th annual women in insur-
ance leadership program. And, at the ACord lomA insurance systems forum on may
24, we’ll announce the winners of our vanguards in insurance practices program.
is the existence of so many awards a good thing, or does their very abundance devalue them?
At a time when the insurance industry’s reputation could use some improvement,
awards can boost individual, company and the industry’s reputations. And, it never hurts
to receive a pat on the back for a job well done.
but if it seems as though there are more than enough awards to go around, think
about what goes into actually winning. As the person in charge of submitting nominations for INN’s various publication awards, i know just how taxing it can be to nominate
a candidate—endless questions to answer, examples to produce, information to gather
from multiple sources, etc.the value of winning is in the assumption that it is earned,
and those who earn awards tend to do so not solely for themselves, but as a representative of the greater insurance industry.
someone who knows that you have to be in it to win it is ursuline foley, Cio, Xl reinsurance, who also serves on INN’s board of Advisers. INN would like to congratulate
her for being one of four insurance executives named to our sister publication,
Information Management magazine’s 25 top information manager list.
we already knew that urs is a game-changer in her company and within the industry
after being named one of INN’s women in insurance leadership in 2007. with acquisition and growth, urs led Xl reinsurance’s executive management team through a strategy that would realign the reinsurance business from 11 to a single global system. she
and her team are also credited with executing a 5-year plan that came in on schedule
and within budget in late 2009.
so, the next time it seems like insurance awards are overwhelming the industry’s
print and online news coverage, consider the benefits of learning from the award-winner’s example, and employing those lessons to your own “in it to win it”
professional strategy.
Carrie burns
editor
EDITORIAL
Editor-in-Chief patricia speer 312.777.1376
Editor Carrie burns 312.777.1366
Senior Editors william Kenealy 312.777.1372,
Alex vorro 312.777.1378
Contributors daniel Joelson, Joe mcKendrick
Art Director mike vella
Group Editorial Director John mcCormick
BUSINESS
SVP & Group Publisher rob whitaker 212.803.8844
Associate Publisher Holli gronset 847.428.0627
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CIRCULATION/DISTRIBUTION/PRODUCTION
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BOARD OF ADVISERS
eric bulis, SVP and CIO, SBLI USA Mutual Life
ursuline foley, SVP and CIO, XLRe at XL Capital
dick mucci, Chairman and CEO of International, New York Life
dennis mehmen, CIO,VP, Business Information Services,
Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Co.
mike murray, VP of Finance, OneBeacon Insurance Co.
michael romano, SVP, Risk & Administrative Services, Highmark Inc.
Anthony sisti, Information Systems Director, Travelers
Jan tomlinson, Past EVP and International Field Operations Manager,
The Chubb Corp.
INVESTMENT ADVISOR AND TECHNOLOGY GROUPS
EVP & Managing Director bruce morris
Chief Executive Officer douglas J. manoni
Chief Financial Officer richard Antoneck
EVP & Chief Content Officer david longobardi
EVP, Marketing & Strategic Planning Anne o’brien
SVP, Inside Sales and Technology Adam reinebach
SVP, Director of Operations & Technology Celie baussan
Vice President, Finance rebecca Knoop
Senior Director, Human Resources ying wong
