When Hanna Kim lived and worked abroad during her summers in college, she picked up a skill that would serve her well in her career in the insurance industry.
“I learned a lot about building relationships from scratch during my internships as I put myself out there in foreign countries not knowing anyone,” says Hanna, who worked as a research assistant for a global electronics company in South Korea and then as a market research intern at a Czech Republic-based company. “When I got into underwriting, I enjoyed reaching out to agents and brokers that I didn’t know to meet them for coffee, talk through a renewal, and start building a working relationship.”
Kim landed her first role in the insurance industry almost a decade ago. After five years as an underwriting specialist, she joined The Hartford in 2019. Since then, she’s earned two promotions at the company and today is a managing director based in Chicago.
Here, Kim shares why The Hartford was the right fit, how the company helped her become a better leader, and her favorite employee perk.
What inspired you to pursue a career in the insurance industry?
It was learning about the underwriting role that sold me on joining the industry. I loved the idea that I wouldn’t be sitting at the desk doing the same thing every day. And to this day, my favorite part of the job is building relationships with our agents and brokers, and being part of a collaborative, high-performing team.
What led to your job at The Hartford? How did you know the company would be a good fit?
I stayed connected with a former colleague who moved over to The Hartford. Through this person, I met others who worked there. I had a good gut feeling from the leaders that I met, and they sold me on a development plan. I didn’t have that at my last company.
What is the underwriting department responsible for? What is your role as a managing director on the team?
The underwriting department is responsible for growing profitably in new business while retaining our current book of business. To achieve this, our underwriters build relationships with our agents and brokers to be their trusted advisors. My role as managing director is to support my team so they can be best equipped to do so.
What is The Hartford’s approach to management and mentorship, and how has this impacted your experience at the company?
The Hartford has the best people! People here genuinely care about each other. I have some of the best mentors who take time out of their days so that I can learn from them. I’ve been set up with mentors and mentees formally, and I have also built these relationships organically. The support that I get at The Hartford makes me want to be a better manager, colleague, and friend.
How else has The Hartford helped you learn and grow?
A couple of years ago, I went through an enterprise-wide leadership development program that emphasizes inclusion and empathy between employees and their managers. We learned both soft skills and technical skills from leaders across the organization. We were in a safe environment to truly bring our whole selves to the program and discuss our unique backgrounds as well as the challenges we face. This past year I participated as an advisor to help others benefit from the experience I had, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity.
How have your managers helped prepare you to lead your own team? What skills have they taught you?
My managers have taught me a lot about how we manage our book of business (all the policies we write). I’ve also learned about having courageous conversations, and the importance of transparency internally and externally. I had a development plan in place to learn some of these skills before I took on a manager role and continued to have this support as I’ve progressed in my current role.
What is your favorite employee perk or benefit at The Hartford and how has it impacted you?
I love our hybrid work model! I enjoy dedicating time to prepare for the week by working from home on Monday, being in the office with our team and agency partners during the week, and having desk time to follow up on anything I need to before the weekend by working remotely on Friday.
How would you “sell” working at The Hartford to a potential candidate?
In underwriting, we work hard and we play hard! We’re out in the marketplace with our agents and brokers doing fun events to build relationships and get quality submissions. We work through the underwriting internally and put our best quote on the table to win with our agency partners. It’s also a fun environment here in Chicago! We have a collaborative culture, and we host a lot of events for our teams.