Heck Honored. And just what is a “Stevie”?

At a time when personnel needs in the industry are becoming acute (with an estimated 18% loss among professionals through retirement, etc.), a sure 60% percent of people working in the U.S. insurance industry are women. The New York City Association of Insurance Women (NYCAIW) reminds us that only six percent of them hold “C” suite positions – CEO, CFO, COO – according to data from the Insurance Information Institute and the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation, respectively. The list leaves out CIO, CAO and CMO, but the point is made in any case. One “C” suite leader, Elizabeth Heck, CEO of GNY, was honored as the Insurance Professional of the Year by the NYCAIW at its annual luncheon in mid-May. She is a great example for her colleagues.

A “sold-out” crowd of 250 gathered to honor Ms. Heck at the Loeb Boathouse in New York City’s Central Park. Professional networking ruled the day as Liz lived up to her reviews, according to attendees. “Professionally Liz is among the elite handful of women leading insurance companies and influencing industry best practices,” said Jillian Menna, President of NYCAIW and General Counsel at the SterlingRisk agency in Woodbury, NY. In accepting the award, Ms. Heck reflected on the changes she’s seen during her 30-plus-year career, confiding that when she was offered one of her first promotions, her boss asked her to check with her husband to see if it was alright. “I can see by the look on your faces, you get how bizarre that is,” Ms. Heck commented to some women in the first row. “Now, women, by their sheer numbers, women dominate the industry. It’s only a question of time before they assume the leadership positions they’ve earned, as the current executives retire.” She joined GNY in 2001 as the company’s Corporate Controller, and was promoted to Chief Executive Officer in 2014. She serves on the Board of the New York Insurance Association and is a member of the Innovation Advisory Council. She is also an active member of the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, and the American Society of Workers Compensation Professionals, where she is Treasurer. Ms. Heck is the Chair of the Board of Governors of the New York Compensation Insurance Rating Board and is also a Director of the Executive Committee of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America. She is a recent recipient of the Israel Bonds’ Neil D. Levin Memorial Government Service Award, the Women in Insurance Leadership award, and was recognized by the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation for her role as the 2013 Take Steps Revenue Chair. Under her leadership, GNY employees are currently raising money for Alzheimer’s research. NYCAIW is a nonprofit made up of both male and female insurance professionals dedicated to leadership development, continuing education, networking, charity and industry alliances. It currently has 100 members and over 800 industry contacts. … Speaking of awards, ProSight Specialty® Insurance, the fifth fastest-growing company in New Jersey and something of an innovator in the rather traditional world of insurance, has been named the winner of three Silver and four Bronze Stevie® Awards. ProSight’s honors span a broad spectrum of categories in The 14th Annual American Business Awards, including recognition for the company’s “growth, innovation, business-to-business services and leadership”. ProSight received recognition as a Silver Stevie® Award winner in the following categories: Business-to-Business Services: ProSight Specialty Insurance Drone Offering; Fastest Growing Company of the Year – Up to 2,500 Employees: ProSight Specialty Insurance; Management Team of the Year – Business Services Industries: ProSight Specialty Insurance Management Team. ProSight was also recognized as a Bronze Stevie® Award winner in the following categories: Executive of the Year – Insurance: Joe Beneducci, Chairman, President and CEO and Company of the Year – Business Services: ProSight Specialty Insurance. “We are passionate about bringing unrivaled value to our customers to help them succeed. We are proud to have the work that we do recognized by the American Business Awards,” Beneducci stated in accepting the awards. The American Business Awards is one of the nation’s premier business awards programs. Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word meaning “crowned,” the awards will be presented to winners at a gala ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York on Monday, June 20. More than 3,400 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories.