IN OCTOBER, Hugh B. McGowan, CPCU, president and CEO of McGowan Insurance Group, was inaugurated as the new president of the CPCU Society. The society has about 27,000 members, representing all disciplines within the insurance industry. Among them are some 4,500 independent agents.

McGowan Insurance Group, which is located in Indianapolis, was founded nearly 75 years ago by Mr. McGowan's father. Mr. McGowan's son, Hugh M. McGowan, CPCU, is vice president and represents the third generation of the family to manage the agency.

Recently we talked with Mr. McGowan about his plans for his year at the helm of the CPCU Society. Following is an edited transcript of that conversation.

AA&B: How did you originally become interested in the CPCU program?
McGowan: Many local chapter members encouraged me to attend meetings and get involved. I started participating, and after attending a few meetings, it became clear to me that being an active member in the Central Indiana Chapter would be a great way to continue to grow professionally and develop rewarding friendships. I received my designation in 1976 and later served on some committees with the local chapter, then went through the officers' chairs. I enjoyed this so much that I became a national director (now they're called “governors”) and went on to serve as regional vice president. I decided to pursue a national chair and was fortunate enough to be nominated. And now I'm president.

AA&B: So was your initial decision to pursue the CPCU designation a result of prompting from other insurance agents in your area?
McGowan: My father encouraged me strongly to become a CPCU. He was not one himself, but he saw that the industry was becoming much more technical and sophisticated. He called Wally Clapp to find out how I could go about getting involved. (The late Mr. Clapp, an Indianapolis native like Mr. McGowan, was editor of Rough Notes' Insurance Marketplace magazine for many years and was active in the CPCU Society.)

AA&B: What benefits have you received from becoming a member of the CPCU Society?
McGowan: Sometimes it's hard to quantify benefits, but they include the friendships and the relationships that I have been able to develop, which have benefited the agency. Becoming a CPCU and being active in the society also has helped enhance our relationships with our companies and clients.

AA&B: In the past, the CPCU Society's presidents have had various themes. Is there a particular theme or objective for your presidency?
McGowan: The CPCU Society has created a theme for next year's annual meeting, which is “Reach for the Stars.” We have a five-year strategic plan. Within that plan, each president comes in with an operating plan. In my particular year, there are certain things I would like to accomplish. One is making lots of what we call “Connections visits.” We want to meet with as many insurance companies and agencies as possible to spread the word about the CPCU designation and also to encourage those with the designation who are not active to become so. The Connections visits are in the five-year strategic plan; but in my own plan, I want to accelerate their pace.

AA&B: Any other major objectives that you hope to accomplish while you're president?
McGowan: We are working with the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America to contribute to the educational content of their annual meeting. In general, I'd like to develop a stronger working relationship between the CPCU Society and IIABA.

AA&B: How did that decision come about? Did you, as an independent agent, have something to do with it?
McGowan: I met with Tom Ahart, who is past president of IIABA, and we talked about this. The possibility of working with IIABA at their convention is in the planning stages now. Turning to another matter, we have a diversity task force that's just been formed to promote diversity within the society.

AA&B: As an independent agent, do you think you bring a different perspective to the job than that of someone with an insurance company or other background? Do you think your presidency will somehow reflect your status as an independent agent?
McGowan: I think it will to some degree. Some past presidents have been independent agents; others have come from other disciplines in our industry, which probably was reflected in their approach to the job. We pretty much are governed by our strategic plan and operating plans, which primarily are concerned with our two major goals: building visibility for the designation and increasing members' success.

AA&B: Do you encourage your own employees to pursue the designation? If so, how do you support their efforts?
McGowan: We do encourage participation in the CPCU program, paying for all expenses associated with earning the designation. We have 25 employees, and four are CPCUs.

AA&B: You mentioned the five-year strategic plan. What year are we in now?
McGowan: We're in the middle-the third year.

AA&B: Does your particular year have any of its own goals, or are you mainly working to further goals that were announced in previous years of the strategic plan?
McGowan: The goal of working with IIABA was a specific goal initiated for this year. As for the Connections visits, we sort of took them to a new level, raising the bar of what we want to accomplish this year. The diversity task force is new. And, of course, our 60th year, which will be celebrated at our annual meeting in Los Angeles, is in this year's plan. We feel we can capitalize on that milestone, as far as honoring the past, celebrating our current accomplishments and looking toward the future. One other item in this particular year's operating plan is a business plan for the Society's previously created National Leadership Institute, an educational program for insurance industry professionals looking to advance their careers or take on leadership roles within their organizations.

AA&B: Are you a member of one of the society's interest sections?
McGowan: I am a member of the agent and broker interest section.

AA&B: Do you and the society have any particular plans for these sections in the year ahead?
McGowan: We're just in the initial stages of our plans for our 60th annual meeting, but all the interest sections will be involved in providing the educational content for it.

AA&B: Are there any plans or initiatives regarding how the national society interacts with or supports the local chapters?
McGowan: National is providing technical support for chapters to improve their existing Web sites or create new ones. And National gets out to many of the local chapters' conferment and “I-Day” programs. The governors get to most of those conferment ceremonies, and we have great interaction between them and the local chapters. In that regard, having a large board is very positive. We have 154 chapters, which include two new chapters overseas-one in Europe and one in Japan.

AA&B: Is there anything else you'd care to mention?
McGowan: I feel honored and privileged to be the president of the CPCU Society. We're financially sound and have highly motivated volunteers, a dedicated staff and a sound governance structure.

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