LAAIA Atlanta Chapter President Jose Aponte

Mar 26, 2024

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Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.

Justin Smulison interviews Jose Aponte, the LAAIA Atlanta Chapter President. They discuss his career in the industry, what led him to be a founder of the Atlanta Chapter of the LAAIA, what the LAAIA has accomplished so far, and what the current and future expectations are of the LAAIA for DE&I in the insurance and risk management industry. Jose talks about the growing numbers and influence of the Latino population. They wrap up with a discussion of Jose's upcoming panel at the DE&I Studio at RISKWORLD 2024.

Listen in for Jose's story of lifting the industry and the Latino talent he wants to attract to the industry.

Key Takeaways:

[:01] About RIMS and RIMScast.

[:14] Public registration for RISKWORLD 2024 is now open. Explore infinite opportunities with RIMS from May 5th through May 8th, 2024, in San Diego, California. Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD.

[:31] About today's EPISODE of RIMScast. I will be joined by Jose Aponte, Atlanta Chapter President for the Latin American Association of Insurance Agencies.

[:54] The RIMS-CRMP is the only competency-based risk management credential. That matters because earning the certification shows employers and recruiters that you have the skills necessary to manage risk and create value for your organization. [1:09] Several Exam Prep virtual workshops are coming up. The next RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Virtual Workshop will be held from April 2nd through the 4th and led by Joe Mayo. Visit the certification page on RIMS.org for more information. A link is in these show notes.

[1:32] As you know, RISKWORLD 2024 is coming up from May 5th through May 8th, 2024, in sunny San Diego, California. Registration is open at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD and at the link in this episode's show notes. Register today!

[1:49] In Episode 276 of RIMScast we had opening keynote Peter Diamandis join us. Check out that episode for just a taste of what's in store for RISKWORLD 2024. The full roster of keynotes has been announced! I'm so excited! We will be welcoming Academy Award-winning actress, director, and activist, Marlee Matlin!

[2:13] For our industry keynote, we will be rejoined by Evan G. Greenberg, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Chubb Limited and Chubb Group. That session will be sponsored by Chubb. Just announced, our closing keynote will be Daymond G. John. You know him from Shark Tank. He's also the CEO and Founder of FUBU. I'm a big fan.

[2:37] I'm so excited for that closing keynote on May 8th! It will be extremely high-energy! Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD. We want to see you there!

[2:48] Jose Aponte is my guest. He is a vice president at Alliant and the president of the Atlanta Chapter of the Latin American Association of Insurance Agencies (LAAIA). Jose will be one of the featured speakers at the DEI Studio at RISKWORLD 2024. His session will be on Monday morning, May 6th at 10:00 a.m., following the opening keynote.

[3:16] We wanted to hear his take on the state of DE&I today, how he and the LAAIA are upholding a legacy that began nearly 60 years ago, and the methods they are using to recruit and retain the next generation of risk talent. Jose Aponte, welcome to RIMScast!

[3:53] Jose Aponte will be at RISKWORLD 2024 representing the Latin American Association of Insurance Agencies. Jose tells of his career path, working in sales, then in claims for direct carriers. He worked briefly for Wells Fargo, and then Marsh. With Marsh, Jose relocated to Atlanta, GA, where he was recruited by Alliant.

[5:15] Jose works for Alliant as a Senior Account Executive Lead. He supports various producers. His role is market-facing and client-facing, which he enjoys. He manages a large book of business with large business and large middle-market accounts.

[5:49] When Jose started at Marsh, he was asked to be part of Marsh's Hispanic Employee Resource Group called OLA. They have chapters throughout the country. It was a great experience for him.

[6:08] They also wanted, as an ERG Group and with the Diversity Inclusion Division at Marsh, to see how they can expand further and support Latino Inclusion within the industry. Jose suggested they support the LAAIA and help them expand. George Woods connected Jose with Javier Naranjo, (now a past president of LAAIA) in 2015.

[6:45] The intent was to support Latino engagement with the insurance industry and risk management. How could they help the LAAIA expand? The LAAIA was established in 1969. Jose helped, along with several other founding board members, to form the first LAAIA chapter outside of Florida, in Atlanta, with Marsh's support, right before COVID.

[7:25] Other chapters have since expanded beyond Atlanta. Jose is the Atlanta Chapter President. There are chapters in Houston and Dallas Texas, and Denver, Colorado, and there are more to come.

[8:02] The LAAIA was launched in 1969. At the time, Latino insurance agents weren't able to seek appointments or partnerships with carriers. The LAAIA was founded by Manual Arques with seven founding members of Cuban descent out of Southern Florida to help Hispanic Latino insurance agents receive carrier appointments.

[9:00] There were carriers at the time that did not want to insure Latinos. That general inequity was the catalyst. Today two of the seven founding members are still alive. They are honored in Hispanic Heritage Month because of their vision and foresight in establishing the LAAIA. The LAAIA stands strong today.

[10:00] Pastor De La Tejera and Andy Rodriguez, two of the founders and past presidents share an aura of wisdom and experience in meetings of past presidents. They are inspiring. Jose wants to be like them and inspire others as well.

[10:32] In 2024, Jose would like to see more Latino leadership in the insurance industry. The talent pool of Latino speakers for panels is very limited. How do we fix that? We need to build the pipeline and attract more Latino talent into the industry. That is the main focus of LAAIA, to attract young Latinos to the insurance and risk management industry.

[12:11] When he was a broker, Jose told people working for him that insurance was the industry where Warren Buffet had most of his assets. Why would you not want to be part of an industry with so much potential for wealth? To attract people you have to be a great storyteller and show people how the industry and all its verticals align with them.

[12:57] The challenges are the lack of Latino leadership, how to build our pipeline for the up-and-coming talent, and for current talent, how to further expand and be in those management positions as well.

[13:28] Jose helped found the Latinos at Alliant Employee Resource Group two years ago. He tells members that even though they don't have the title "leader," they can be leaders in the sense of driving for change. Be disruptors in that regard. The LAAIA looks for scholarship funding, partnering with the Spencer Educational Foundation.

[14:13] The LAAIA awarded two scholarships to risk management talent and they are determined to do more. The LAAIA just partnered with the University of Southern Florida and brought in various resources to provide $2,500 in scholarships to expand and market the industry.

[14:48] The success of the LAAIA is measured by how much young talent they sponsor, and how many members are in the organization who receive mentorship on the benefits of being a member. The benchmark is the size of their book of business and how the LAAIA encourages them to expand through mentorship with expertise and knowledge.

[15:30] The LAAIA looks at how is the member's success, looking forward. How is the members' knowledge being developed by the educational resources, training, and continuing education seminars? Jose notes that members are increasing, as well as the quality of membership and the expensing of it.

[15:55] The IAAIA has a very committed legislative committee. It tracks legislative issues in Florida, Georgia, Texas, and Colorado and interacts with local legislators. Last month they had lunch with Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King, addressing issues that are going on affecting IAAIA members and insurance consumers.

[16:48] RIMS plug time! RIMS Virtual Workshops: Visit RIMS.org/virtualworkshops to see the full calendar. On March 27th and 28th, our good friend, Ken Baker, of Enterprise Risk Consulting, will lead the two-day course, Fundamentals of Risk Management.

[17:07] Information about these workshops and others is on the RIMS Virtual Workshops page and a link to the full calendar is in this episode's notes. There are RISKWORLD 2024 pre-conference workshops held on May 4th and 5th at the San Diego Convention Center. A link is in this episode's show notes.

[17:25] Topics include but are not limited to Applying and Integrating ERM, Fundamentals of Insurance, and a RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Workshop. Go to RIMS.org/RISKWORLD and then go to Learn and then Workshops. You will find it there.

[17:41] On March 28th, our friends at TÜV SÜD GRC will present Inflation and Property Valuation: Aligning Your Assets with Reality. On April 11th, Clara Analytics returns to present AI's Impact on Emerging Risk Management Trends.

[18:00] On April 18th, Hub International returns for the second installment of its Ready For Tomorrow Series, Challenging the Status Quo: Rethinking Your Casualty Risk Strategy. Archer makes its RIMS Webinars debut on April 23rd at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. The session is titled Advancing RMIS: Strategies for Risk Management.

[18:27] Visit RIMS.org/Webinars to learn more about these webinars and to register! Links are in the show notes. Webinar registration is complimentary for RIMS members.

[18:40] Our friends at FERMA encourage you to participate in its inaugural International Risk Managers Survey, open through March 2024 to risk professionals from the U.S., Latin America, Asia-Pacific, and Africa. It is produced in partnership with PwC France. The results will be distributed in October 2024. A link is in this episode's show notes.

[19:15] Justin recently had Megan Miller and Tandeka Nomvete of Spencer on RIMScast for Women's History Month. Tandeka is on the board of the Atlanta Chapter of the LAAIA. Megan said in the interview that she hopes one day to see a panel of only women talking about an issue not tied to the challenges of women in the profession.

[20:01] Similarly, Jose would be pleased to see a panel of Hispanic and Latino industry experts talking about auto liability, for example, and not Hispanic and Latino issues. Jose would like to see how risk managers develop in their career track. The LAAIA has to reach out to find out who are those individuals and bring them to the panel.

[21:21] Comparing the DE&I visions of LAAIA and RIMS, Jose believes they align very well. It's about bringing in future leaders within a culture of DE&I. The LAAIA has great partnerships with diverse allies. There is so much intersectionality in our industry; we have to think about how we can support each other. The LAAIA does that very well.

[24:17] Jose will be at RISKWORLD 2024 in sunny San Diego. He will host a conversation at the DEI Studio in support of the evolution of the risk profession, Latinos and Latino women in the industry, and equity, making sure things are more fair. Latinos represent a GDP of $3.2 trillion and it keeps climbing with a growing population.

[25:14] The insurance industry is well aware of the impact of the Latino population. We need more Latino men and women in the industry to speak to them. This is a global trend. Your opportunities are greater when you know two languages and greater still if you know three.

[26:38] Typhaine Beaupérin of FERMA was on RIMScast. She speaks at least five languages. It's a great life skill. Jose used two languages in his first job as a bilingual claims rep.

[27:54] In his first job, Jose did not have a champion or mentor. When he started at Nationwide, he sought champions and support from leadership, and he found them. He mentors and volunteers now to help others avoid learning the hard way. We need individuals from RIMS who have experience to be mentors committed to advancement.

[29:48] Jose will be in the DE&I Studio on Monday, May 6th, at 10 a.m. Pacific, following Peter Diamandis's opening keynote. Jose is excited to speak to colleagues from other boards and organizations such as NAAIA, Insure Equality, and APIW. It will be an amazing discussion at the DE&I Studio. Come by with your questions and solutions!

[30:49] The details are on this episode's show notes. Justin looks forward to getting a selfie with Jose in May! There is a link to LAAIA and a link to Jose Aponte in this episode's show notes. Jose also invites listeners with questions to talk to him on LinkedIn.

[31:29] Jose, thanks for joining us on RIMScast!

[31:36] Special thanks again to Jose Aponte of the LAAIA for joining us here today on RIMScast. A link to the LAAIA.com site is in this episode's show notes. If you'll be attending RISKWORLD 2024, be sure to check out Jose's session at 10 a.m. Pacific, on Monday, May 6th, in the DE&I Studio. A link is also in this episode's notes.

[32:03] Go to the App Store and download the RIMS App. This is an exclusive members-only benefit with all sorts of RIMS resources and coverage. Everybody loves the RIMS App!

[32:27] You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in our show notes. RIMScast has a global audience of risk professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate! Contact pd@rims.org for more information.

[33:09] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information.

[33:24] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more.

[33:39] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com, and check out the blog at RiskManagementMonitor.com. Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org.

[33:59] Thank you for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe!

Mentioned in this Episode:

RISKWORLD 2024 — San Diego, CA | May 5–8, 2024

RISKWORLD Pre-Conference Workshops

RISKWORLD Speakers

NEW FOR MEMBERS! RIMS Mobile App

RIMS DEI Council

Spencer Educational Foundation — Grants Page

RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP)

RIMS-CRMP Virtual Workshops

2024 International Risk Manager Survey conducted by FERMA in partnership with PwC FERMA

RIMS Webinars:

Inflation and Property Valuation: Aligning Your Assets with Reality | Sponsored by TUV SUD GRC | March 28, 2024