Recruiting in Risk Management with Mike Tannenbaum

Sep 5, 2025

Mike Tannenbaum, Founder and Managing Partner of Key Strategies, shares insights from over 30 years of experience in insurance recruiting. He discusses the evolving landscape of talent acquisition, emphasizing the importance of understanding candidates’ career aspirations beyond just salary. Mike highlights the challenges of non-compete agreements and the necessity of integrity in recruitment. He also touches on the talent shortage in the industry and the value of personalized communication in connecting the right talent with opportunities.

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ANECDOTE

Beach Club Beginnings

Mike got into recruiting after meeting a recruiting firm owner while working at a Brooklyn beach club as a student.
He studied HR at Pace University at night and later joined that recruiter, launching his career in insurance recruitment.

INSIGHT

Fit Beyond Technical Skills

Recruiting is about matching personality, experience, and career goals, not just technical skills.
Mike challenges hiring managers to consider transferable skills and nontraditional backgrounds for greater creativity.

ADVICE

Guard Confidentiality Rigorously

Protect confidentiality throughout a search and remind candidates to keep conversations private.
Avoid sharing details casually because the insurance industry is small and relationships overlap.

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Mike Tannenbaum is the Founder and Managing Partner of Key Strategies, a boutique recruitment firm that specializes in providing world-class insurance and risk management talent to Fortune 500, insurance brokerage, carrier, and consulting firms across the U.S. With over 30 years of experience in this niche market, Mike has built a best-in-class network of corporate risk managers, insurance brokers, underwriters, claims and safety directors, RIMS account managers, and risk consultants at all levels. In this live from RIMS 2024 episode, Mike answers the top questions about recruiting in the insurance industry, from how often is acceptable to switch positions, what the total compensation package looks like, and whether the non-compete agreement is still an issue in the industry.

Key Takeaways:

● Mike shares the work that he does at Key Strategies and his podcast Should I Stay or Should I Go?

● Mike’s path to becoming a career risk management recruiter started at a beach club.

● As a recruiter, Mike builds relationships with both candidates and companies.

● The importance and challenge of confidentiality in risk management recruiting.

● Why should you have conversations with a recruiter if you’re not interested in changing jobs?

● Connecting candidates and employers in a pre-LinkedIn world.

● The evolving work of Key Strategies utilized LinkedIn as an effective tool.

● Addressing the talent shortage and inflation in the insurance industry.

● It’s not only about salary — the importance of considering the total compensation package and the career opportunities.

● What is the acceptable timing to transition from one position to another?

● Is the non-compete agreement no longer an issue in the insurance industry?

● The most meaningful advice that Mike has learned in his career.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Mike on LinkedIn

Key Strategies

Tweetables:

“A good risk manager really needs to understand their company and how they operate in every little detail to be able to provide the right insurance and advice.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being open to having those introductory conversations with a recruiter.”

“LinkedIn has presented some great challenges and some great opportunities in recruiting.”

“If you want people to believe in the mission, you have to sell them on the mission.”

“If you have your superstar employees, or anyone that you really value, you have to give them a reason to want to stay.”