Less than a month into his job as a risk manager for Harrah's Entertainment, Hurricane Katrina caused billions of dollars to the company's casinos.
So it was a natural choice to name Lance J. Ewing the leader of Chartis' new Hospitality and Leisure Industry Practice Group (IPG).
Ewing, who was the vice president of national accounts at Chartis before taking on this new role, says he has the "battle scars" from handling multi-line, complex claims at Harrah's resorts and casinos and Chartis has assembled a group with the "wherewithal to know the needs of clients and provide them with innovative solutions."
The IPG will be charged with finding specialized insurance and risk management solutions for casinos, high-end restaurants, quick-casual restaurants, resorts, cruise lines, theme parks, zoos, circuses and professional sports—to name a few.
"Holding these industries together is the fact they each deal with the public in some tangible way," Ewing says. Chartis has always had the risk appetite to be known as a big player in this niche, but, Ewing says, "We think we can continue to grow in this area and create new products."
The hospitality and leisure industries are always "looking to identify and find resources—people who understand their risk. We want to be the resource for this industry and build long-term relationships," he adds.
Ewing says a number of brokers have similar IPGs. Chartis wants to align with these brokers, so when brokers are presented with a risk they immediately "know we understand the nuances."
Chartis is also starting a client-advisory board to find out, "What's working and what's not working," Ewing says.
Chartis has 11 IPGs, focusing on industries such as transportation, healthcare, public entities, financial institutions, higher education and real estate.
The approach goes beyond insurance and risk management, according to Marya Propis, Chartis' Industry Practice Group officer for the U.S. and Canada. Propis says Chartis leverages "expertise in engineering, safety, crisis and claims management, market strategies as well as market analytics to present optimal approaches to managing risk. Hospitality and Leisure is a critical addition to our existing IPG capabilities."
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