Midwest

Rob Balogh, Amwins Group Inc.

Alex Brown, Lathrop GPM LLP

Lexi Bueno, Axa XL, a unit of Axa SA

Neal Callahan, Lockton Cos. Inc.

Boriana Carr, Munich Re Facultative & Corporate

Dave Eyssen, Zurich North America

Dy-anna Kunkel, Insureon, a division of Specialty Program Group LLC

Jake Pearl, One80 Intermediaries

Sean Willett, Gallagher Bassett Services Inc.

Lydia Zaharia, Marsh McLennan Agency, a unit of Marsh LLC

Northeast

Alex Chen, USQRisk Insurance Services LLC

Riley Corcoran, Allianz Commercial, a unit of Allianz SE

Gina Coyer, Aon PLC

Meredith Elkins, Cohen Ziffer Frenchman & McKenna LLP

Thomas Gilmore, Hub International Ltd.

Christopher Kelly, Axa XL, a unit of Axa SA

Yannick Kwan, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Emmeline Kuo, Alliant Insurance Services Inc.

Michelle Quirk, USI Insurance Services LLC

Alexandra Stoughton, Westfield Specialty

 

South

Fela Abioye, The Hartford Insurance Group Inc.

Kelsey Cleary, NFP, a unit of Aon PLC

Connor Farquharson, Burns & Wilcox

Sam Friedman, Stout Risius Ross LLC

Cody Gambino, AmRisc Group

JulieAnne Lally, Brown & Riding Insurance Services Inc.

Rudy Leon, Zurich North America

Emmy Pan, Axa XL, a unit of Axa SA

Jonathan Perrillo, Lockton Cos. LLC

Colin Watson, Covington & Burling LLP

West

Rachael Dougherty, Munich Re Specialty - North America

Joe Ellis, Leavitt Group

Dennis Fox, Brown & Riding Insurance Services Inc.

Sam Haslam, IMA Financial Group Inc.

Margaret C. McDonald, Reed Smith LLP

Patrick Shelton, Burns & Wilcox

Matthew Skillen, RT Specialty, a unit of Ryan Specialty Holdings Inc.

Nicole Thompson, kWh Analytics Inc.

Derek Yee, Westfield Specialty

Tim Wei, Alliant Insurance Services Inc.

The Business Insurance Break Out Awards program honors top professionals on track to be the next leaders in the risk management and property/casualty insurance field. Break Out Awards honorees can be from any area of the commercial insurance sector in the United States – risk managers, brokers, insurers, reinsurers, MGAs, MGUs, wholesalers, captive managers, TPAs, lawyers and other service providers.
 
While there is no age limit, nominees must have worked in the industry for NO MORE THAN 15 years. Nominees will have already established themselves in their careers and will be on a leadership trajectory. 

SUBMISSIONS FOR 2025 ARE NOW CLOSED.
 
Nominations are accepted from four regions: 

• Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont 
• Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin 
• South: Alabama, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington D.C., West Virginia 
• West: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming 

Winners will be announced online in April and their profiles published in the June 2025 issue of Business Insurance. The program culminates with the Break Out Awards recognition event in Chicago in June.  
 
Eligibility:

To be considered for the 2025 Business Insurance Break Out Awards, nominees must have less than 15 years of experience in the risk management and property/casualty insurance field and must be working in the sector on June 1, 2025. Nominees must possess exceptional leadership skills and expertise. Evidence of such must be provided in the nomination form, which should also include three (3) recommendations from clients, managers and/or coworkers. 
 
Judging:

Honorees will be selected by a panel of senior editors at Business Insurance. Entries will be judged and assessed based on the criteria outlined below. The highest-evaluated entries, up to a maximum of 10 per region, will be selected for 2024 Break Out Awards. Please note that only one (1) nominee per company will be recognized per region. 
 
Criterion:

Criterion 1: Demonstrates excellence in providing service to internal or external clients. 
Criterion 2: Demonstrates expertise in their field of operations. 
Criterion 3: Demonstrates effectiveness in leadership. 
Criterion 4: Has not worked in the field of risk management or insurance for more than 15 years. 

What makes a good nomination? 

The most successful nominations are the ones that provide a good narrative combined with data to support the assertions in the narrative, for example, increased sales by xx%, conceived and launched a new product, reduced total cost of risk by xx% etc. Of the three references that we require, the strongest nominations have at least one reference from a person outside of their own company, for example, a client of a nominee. 

Why nominate for Break Out Awards?

Potential winner benefits include:

       ✅  Increased Visibility

       ✅  Increased Credibility

       ✅  Access to Valuable Networking Opportunities

       ✅  Potential Career Advancement

Questions?

If you have any questions about the process, please contact Gavin Souter, editor of Business Insurance, at gsouter@businessinsurance.com