SUCCESS PATHWAY

When growing up, I always thought that I would either be a medical doctor or a professor because so many family members have embraced those professions. Yet, my life played out differently – I emigrated to Tampa, Florida from Belarus at age 17. There, I focused on my education with a goal of earning a business degree and tapping into the corporate world. I earned a master’s in accounting and passed the CPA exam.

The journey into the insurance industry was not a conscious choice: as a first-year audit staffer at Deloitte, I was assigned to the MetLife engagement, the largest audit account for the firm, and it ultimately shaped the rest of my professional career while at the Big Four. Over the years, I most enjoyed the opportunities that are available in the insurance industry. For example, one could become an expert in investments given the extent of the insurance companies’ portfolio, or in the myriad types of insurance products, each with its own nuances.

I began focusing on life & annuity insurance as an external auditor, then took an internal opportunity to join the Deloitte Group Audit team in New York City and subsequently made a pivot into the P&C world as an internal auditor.

With ever rapidly advancing technology and Al, there is an overabundance of information. It is critical to keep up by continuously educating oneself and the team while not being afraid to try new ways of doing the work. I have adapted this mindset many years ago and it continues to carry me through my professional journey.

My life passions have always been animals (especially Bengal cats!), fashion, interior design and travel. Over the years, I have traveled to over 25 countries (and counting), collected upwards of 300 pairs of shoes and redecorated at least 10 homes. I like to think that it is my Eastern European side that stimulates me to stay creative in how I dress, look and things I surround myself with.

SUCCESS PATHWAY

Originally from Queens, I now split my time between Brooklyn and Long Island. When not working, I spend my time with family and friends, enjoying the vibrant restaurant and nightlife scene that New York offers. I also cherish quiet moments at home, binge-watching my favorite TV series and spending quality time with my wife and our one-year-old. Now, I find myself frequently singing along to Mrs. Rachel’s hymns.

My father was an appeals officer for the IRS, which certainly influenced my career choice. I excelled in math during high school and entered the honors program at the University of Delaware, where I majored in accounting. I didn’t initially plan to stick with the major, but the coursework came naturally, and I found myself excelling.

Like many in the industry, insurance wasn’t a conscious choice. Initially I focused on roles in the financial services sector, but came across an opportunity at QBE, where their Americas division was looking to fund a series of acquisitions. The chance to work on M&A projects was appealing to me.

As I approach 20 years in the industry, my perspective has evolved. Insurance is one of the oldest industries in the world and plays a crucial role in helping people and companies manage risk — the aspect of the industry which I find most intriguing.

Looking ahead, I am excited about expanding my contributions in a broader, more international role within Odyssey, where I plan to apply the same approach across the wider organization.

What excites me most about working at Hudson is the culture. Despite the decentralized nature of Fairfax and its subsidiaries, a shared culture permeates all operations, and their guiding principles continue to shape our culture. While it might sound cliché, these principles genuinely drive our approach to serving employees, customers and communities.

SUCCESS PATHWAY

Currently my hobbies are whatever my kids are interested in. My son is 5 and my daughter is 2 years old. So we are into princesses and Legos.

In college, my accounting 101 class was the first time I truly felt that a course had real-world application. I think that insurance chose me – I was assigned to a P&C insurance company and found the business fascinating.

Throughout my career, mentors have been extremely supportive and involved in my development. One piece of advice was that ‘perfect is the enemy of the good’. Being a perfectionist cripples productivity; so I try to prioritize and focus my efforts and those of my teams.

Although I learned leadership skills through trial and error, my time in public accounting provided a great training ground for building managerial skills. I certainly stumbled more than a few times, but the key was acknowledging what wasn’t working and tweaking my approach accordingly.

Only a few years ago, I never would have imagined being able to effectively work as a team in a mostly remote environment. I now see how it’s possible to do so using collaborative software. Encouraging colleagues to meet in-person is still a great way to ensure that each team member is on their path to success.

SUCCESS PATHWAY

People who help others for altruistic reasons truly inspire me. I try to demonstrate that both professionally and personally. For example, I am treasurer for an organization that provides food support for those in need. And with 3 kids under 10, I enjoy helping them to learn to be confident, sensitive to others’ needs as well as helping to improve their skills on and off the sports field.

I always knew I wanted to major in business gravitating toward accounting/ finance. During my senior year I par- ticipated in a national tax competition and I was offered a scholarship to the University of Denver. This has had a major influence on my life choices.

Throughout my career, mentors have encouraged me to be confident in advocating for myself and my ideas in team meetings and more broadly with senior leaders. This has led me to tackle new opportunities and become a results-oriented team player who stays calm in stressful situations.

With additional hands-on experience and observing leadership in practice by mentors and colleagues, I gained insight on how to be a good leader: it is critical to constantly communicate and not be afraid to challenge consensus. I found that most successful managers are active listeners, candid and honest. These are concepts I try to convey to younger colleagues.

SUCCESS PATHWAY

“I am a hard worker with an eagerness to learn and a strong desire to problem solve! That stems from growing up in several foster homes and being on my own since I was 16. Putting myself through college and starting my own family has helped me to understand my strengths as well as areas for improvement. My background has motivated me to become an independent, hard-working self-starter which is a perpetual endeavor at a large insurance company.

Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to work with mentors who have helped me to adjust my professional aspirations. This attitude allows me to work with colleagues and teams to identify practical solutions to issues.

My family is very important to my success. We embark on activities together like skiing and watching the kids (daughter and son) play soccer, basketball, and baseball. I discovered that being together and building relationships are very important as I moved along my personal and career paths.”

SUCCESS PATHWAY

The experience of immigrating to America and growing up in an immigrant environment helped lay the foundation for her success.

“I will always be able to draw on the strength I built while dealing with issues that a newcomer to this country faces. Seeking to understand another view-point has taught me to be inclusive and collaborative, to sit back and listen before sprinting to conclusions.”

She is inspired by taking on new challenges: getting excited about a reengineering project, leading a team toward a resolution and then implementing a fix.

“Being empathetic and actively listening has allowed me to effectively coach for performance and build relationships. I have found that former colleagues still lean on me for advice and mentorship many years later.”

Having the experience of leaning on others during my immigration to the U.S. and an appreciation for those who went out of their way to make me feel welcome ensures that I promote team collaboration and inclusivity while also setting the vision.

SUCCESS PATHWAY

Anastasia grew up in Novosibirsk, the 3rd largest city in Russia. She started her career at EY in Russia then transferred to NYC. Throughout her career as an assurance professional and technical accounting expert, she’s had opportunities to gain a holistic understanding of how organizations operate and has learned best practices across multiple industries (insurance, media &  enteretainment, consumer products, technology) and regions (EMEA and Americas). She has a keen sense of teamwork and adaptability with an international perspective on business, people, and culture. Seizing a new challenge while expanding her insurance acumen, she has recently moved into a business partnership and strategic cost management role.

SUCCESS PATHWAY

Growing up in Brooklyn, Lori worked in a family-owned retail business, learning skills she would use to build and work with teams.

While in college, Lori’s summer job in accounting changed her career path. She switched her major from biology to accounting. During college, she was hired by St. Paul Re; deciding to work full-time while finishing college at night.

Lori also attributes her success to the support of her husband and family. With 3 beautiful daughters keeping both spouses busy, they’ve found ways to support each other’s careers and build a strong family bond. Like Lori, the girls like to travel, and their favorite destination is Italy.

SUCCESS PATHWAY

Joe learned leadership skills early and deploys them daily. Growing up in Brooklyn with an accountant mom and a small business owner dad, Joe chose to attend college in NYC, allowing him to continue working for his dad.

Playing sports was also an important part of his life and taught Joe the skills needed to work with different situations and foster a winning attitude among all the players.

Those two links from childhood to AVP, playing on sports teams and working for his dad, emphasized the skills needed to get along with different personalities and diverse situations. Now, his goal is to develop a mutual respect with his team members so that they can together achieve personal, department and company goals.