When Robert P. Hartwig talks about insurance, his eyes get wide and his voice grows loud to the point where he doesn't need a microphone, no matter how big a room he is addressing. His passion for the business and keen intellect in defending the industry are two big reasons he was chosen to lead the Insurance Information Institute as its president, starting today.

“I hate to hear anyone say that insurance is a boring industry,” he told National Underwriter during an exclusive interview in his Lower Manhattan office. “I think it's fascinating. I literally wake up every morning and look forward to all the calls about the business–even the tough ones.”

When told that many who have seen him speak at his frequent public appearances detect an almost religious fervor in his delivery, he doesn't argue the point.

“I've been called an evangelist for this business because I am so animated and passionate when I speak about the industry. Someone who followed me to the podium once said he didn't know he'd be speaking after 'Reverend' Hartwig,” he recalled.

Indeed, he enthusiastically accepts that role, going so far as to watch television preachers at work for tips on how best to captivate a crowd. (“Not the ones who just speak out of a studio and ask for money,” he noted, “but the ones who speak in an amphitheater and who can really grab you.”)

However, he is quick to add, “I'm not just a motivational speaker, and I never ask anyone to take what I say as a matter of faith. I provide a lot of facts to back up everything I say. In fact, people have observed that getting information from me is like drinking from a fire hose.”

Playing to his strength, he said, “There is a role for an evangelist in the insurance industry, and if I can fill that role–using the Institute as a bully pulpit to explain the industry–I would be very satisfied.”

Mr. Hartwig, on board since 1998, is very different in style from his predecessor, Gordon Stewart, who retired after running the Institute for 17 years. (See NU's Dec. 18/25 edition for his farewell interview.) Mr. Stewart was mostly an inside man, working with staff, board directors and individual members to create a more effective, valuable organization.

Indeed, Mr. Stewart pulled the Institute out of what he called a “death spiral,” and left it in excellent shape–more focused, widely accepted as the industry's most credible source, quoted regularly in all the leading media, and boasting a Web site that generates over 300 million hits annually.

However, while Mr. Stewart had an incredibly diverse career before joining the Institute–writing speeches for President Jimmy Carter, directing “Elephant Man” for the stage, and handling public affairs for the American Stock Exchange, among other interesting gigs–his public profile outside of the insurance industry has been limited.

Mr. Hartwig, on the other hand, is perhaps the industry's best-known spokesman, quoted in about 1,100 media outlets annually–in print as well as TV and radio interviews. He is also one of the industry's most ubiquitous public speakers, traveling over 150,000 miles in each of the last three years and spending 60 percent of his time on the road. He describes himself as “the extreme traveler,” and planes as “my office in the sky.”

The good news is that Mr. Hartwig doesn't intend to cut back on his public role, determined to fulfill all his new administrative and internal leadership duties without allowing himself to be trapped behind a desk.

He noted that when his appointment as president was announced last year, he had to reassure many reporters who called to say they were worried whether he would still be accessible once he took over the top spot. He promised to “maintain my high profile and be very visible. That's the message I've received from my board. They very much value that aspect of what I bring to the job.”

Mr. Hartwig said he has two big advantages over outgoing president Gordon Stewart. One is that he had an insurance industry background coming into the job. The other is that the organization he inherits is strong and growing, as opposed to being “on the brink” and having to be rebuilt when Mr. Stewart took over.

Mr. Hartwig hailed Mr. Stewart for turning the organization around, emphasizing that without his predecessor's Herculean efforts, he wouldn't be preparing to take over the presidency–because the Institute would probably not be around.

Going forward, Mr. Hartwig said he intends to “jealously guard our credibility against anyone who might believe the Institute should be more of a public relations firm, when in fact the value of the organization is its strong history of objectivity in putting out data and analysis.”

“We are an unbiased advocate,” he added. “That might sound like an oxymoron, but rather than take up the industry's causes, we provide sound data, put issues into historical context and offer defendable analyses, which is very effective in getting the industry's perspective heard.”

He emphasized that as the “voice of the industry,” the Institute has many different stakeholders. Beyond the media and individual consumers, the organization seeks to educate and influence the industry itself (both insurers and producers), regulators and legislators (both state and federal), academics, and even investors (via analysts, private equity firms and consultants).

In dealing with the media, he said, “we don't just react to stories, we help create them. We spend hours working with reporters, editors and producers to shape a piece in which I may have only one or two quotes, but that's part of the job. We educate reporters and their superiors.”

However, he noted that while media contact is a critical part (and the most visible aspect) of his job, he also will continue making speeches before industry groups and on behalf of member carriers–at board meetings and executive strategy sessions, as well as to groups of producers and key clients.

Mr. Hartwig also often testifies at state and federal hearings–to put issues into perspective, not necessarily to push a certain agenda beyond getting the facts straight, he noted.

Indeed, working with lawmakers is a huge part of the Institute's mission, according to Mr. Hartwig. “They come to us knowing we're an industry-funded organization, well aware that we're an advocate for the industry, but confident we're a reliable source of data and analysis,” he said. “We're frequently asked to educate new legislators in insurance issues, which we do as part of a legislative boot camp.”

One way the Institute earns its credibility, he said, is by “offering all points of view on a particular issue–pro and con–unlike the individual trade groups, which have a particular point of view to promote.”

Communication and education is a constant job, he noted, as reporters, regulators and legislators regularly turn over, and new consumers enter the market.

In addition, he said that with each catastrophe or industry development, “a whole new group of reporters who never covered insurance before need to be educated about the story.”

“Our goal is for people–whether they are consumers or policymakers–to be fully informed so they make decisions based on the facts, not misconceptions or ignorance,” he added.

Special Reports /

'Hartwig, Industry's Top Evangelist, Takes Command Of Bully Pulpit

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