The Voices of Risk Management Tackling Career Opportunities Head On with Scott Smidlein
Scott Smidlein is the Head of the Energy Practice at HSB (Hartford Steam Boiler), where his experience in both the insurance and energy industries has helped push HSB into a major insurer in the space. Previously Scott worked for Marsh as a Client Executive and Property Specialist for Marsh’s Energy and Power Practice, where he worked with clients on tailoring their insurance programs to best fit their risk management needs. In this final live from RIMS 2024 episode, Scott details the intersection of insurance and energy, shares how curiosity and a willingness to try new things have benefitted his career, and underscores the importance of maintaining relationships throughout your career.
Key Takeaways:
● Scott’s role with HSB focuses on growing and running their cyber and energy practices.
● Risk management and insurance weren’t Scott’s initial career plan.
● The leap from Marsh to Lockton (and back again) gave Scott an opportunity to take on a new challenge.
● Scott is working to help HSB realize its full potential in the insurance and brokerage side.
● Transitioning from the brokerage side to the client side.
● Talent and willingness to try new things always equals opportunity in this industry.
● Scott’s average day is chaotic and unpredictable – for now.
● Success, to Scott, means taking HSB to the next level in the insurance industry.
● Saving relationships in the face of a mistake means admitting your error as soon as possible.
● Scott’s dream job includes a lot of chaos, a lot of success, and a lot of fun.
● Defining energy as it relates to the future.
● Scott’s advice to his early career self is simple — be curious and ask questions.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Tweetables:
“To be a specialist in the energy sector you really have to know the technology.”
“The benefit of not burning any bridges when you leave a place is that you maintain those connections and the opportunities keep opening up.”
“If you’re always the guy who raises your hand when people ask if you’re looking for a new opportunity, you’ll find yourself doing a lot of different things.”
“We’re a very unique industry that has a ton of opportunity in place. Whatever you’re passionate about, there’s probably a job for it in the insurance industry.”