NU Online News Service, Sept. 19, 1:14 p.m. EST

INDIANAPOLIS—Mutual insurance executives need to express their passion for the industry by telling their stories and pointing to the mission that the protection of policyholders is the backbone of insurers' business, says the outgoing chairman of the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC).

In an emotional address at the 116^th annual convention of NAMIC, Sandra Parrillo, the first female chairman of the association, tells attendees that during her tenure she has had to testify before Congress about the role of mutual insurers. While mutual insurers are clumped together as part of the financial-services industry by Congress, they do much more than transact finances.

After first responders, insurance representatives are often the next ones on the scene after a disaster, she notes. Insurers arrive not just to file claims, but to protect their policyholders and help them put their lives back together again.

“Our policyholders matter most to us,” she says.

But most importantly, she says, is that many have risen to her call last year to “let their passion” about what mutual insurers do as an industry “show through when bringing our message to both those inside and outside the industry.”

She says she never thought when she started in the industry that she would become as passionate as she is today. She calls insurance a “noble and fascinating” industry.

“Our business is very rewarding to those in it and indispensible to our policyholders and we must keep that focus when times get tough, when there is turmoil in the market; when the challenges we face seem numerous and insurmountable,” says Parrillo, who is president and chief executive officer of Providence Mutual Fire Insurance Co. “I urge you to always remember who we are and why we are here.”

She adds, “I hope that this past year, my passion has inspired others to continue the journey and spread the message of our mutual insurance industry. I may be giving up the gavel to Jim Kennedy in a couple of days, but I won't give up on advocating for all of us or sharing the news of the good work that mutual insurers do. I promise you to keep the passion alive and I ask, and hope, that you do too.”

Kennedy, president and CEO of Ohio Mutual Insurance Group, takes over the chairmanship this week for his one-year term.

Focusing on the need to better define the mission of the mutual insurance industry, Chuck Chamness, president and CEO of NAMIC tells attendees that the association will be launching a branding campaign in the coming months to “promote the mutual insurance brand.”

He emphasizes that, collectively, mutual insurers can be more effective getting their message across to consumers in one voice that is focused on telling the industry's story.

The session concluded with an address from former Gen. Stanley McChrystal, former commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan, who discussed leadership and the keys to promoting leadership in an organization.

Hawking back to his military experience, he says good leadership is about making others feel their knowledge is valued, even in this changing age of information fragmentation because of technology. Effective leadership, he says, brings together individuals to form a strong bond aimed at accomplishing a single purpose for success.

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NAMIC&rsquo;s Parrillo: Keep the Passion Alive

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