“A Source of Inspiration”

Marianne Halvorsen, Senior Vice President of Aon, is passionate about making a lasting impact on people. At Aon, she is determined to provide superior products and foster and nurture client relationships that transcend typical business services. When sourcing clients, she aims to identify what is important to them to tailor her services to fit their needs best. When a client has an issue outside of Marianne’s area of expertise, she never hesitates to tap into her vast network to give her clients the resources to tackle any problem, hence taking the company towards enhanced ROI.

“Aon plc (NYSE:AON) is a leading global professional services firm providing a broad range of risk, retirement and health solutions. Our 50,000 colleagues in 120 countries empower results for clients by using proprietary data and analytics to deliver insights that reduce volatility and improve performance.”

Marianne has always stressed the importance of leadership and has ensured to impart her advice to the women of the business's future. She provides leadership and networking workshops on weekends through her nonprofit organization, Growthsource Academy; although Marianne speaks five languages, English sometimes poses a challenge. Yet, being a true innovator and a leader, she views this as an opportunity to connect with people intuitively. It has improved her ability to identify her client’s thoughts and feelings through tone, body language, and facial expressions. Her best advice for young female professionals is to identify ways to contribute to others' success to find their source of inspiration. These are the qualities that have assisted her in taking Aon to new heights.

Aon’s culture is predicated around an exceptionally talented group of individuals determined to support each other and service their clients’ needs. Connecting on a personal level with her coworkers is a fundamental way to improve working relationships. Marianne sees her coworkers and clients as partners, both on a journey together to deliver the best results for all. Furthermore, the collaborative environment at Aon cultivates a culture of growth and acceptance, which allows for better results.

According to Marianne, to empower clients' economic and human possibilities, one must think about the immediate impact of their work on their communities. “They should consider: Who is benefitting most from my actions? How can I improve my current process? Then, think about how their work can be replicated in other markets,” she explains. “It is important to scale up your aspirations and goals as you generate success. Step outside your comfort zone, set a daunting, but achievable goal, and do whatever it takes to achieve that goal.” She adds, “Be sure to make strong, personal connections with as many people as you can along the way because at some point either you or a client may need a specialized skill, and having a vast network is a priceless asset.”

Frequently, clients have complex claims and premium issues that jeopardize significant portions of their businesses. Marianne recalls a case when a newly signed client had their Directors’ & Officers’ program priced incorrectly by the previous insurance broker. The premium owed was double the price the client believed. In response, Marianne dedicated her week to set up meetings and presentations with many insurance brokers, carriers, and underwriters to determine a solution that would put her client’s concerns at ease. Her persistence paid off, and the client had a correctly priced premium that fits within their budget. “The first step in being successful in the insurance industry is working on the right team with quality experts that appreciate and listen to their clients’ needs,” she says. “The next critical component to building a stronger industry is to leverage partnerships in a variety of sectors that can help identify potential risk, reduce that risk and/or transfer that risk by being creative with solutions and services.” All clients have different needs, concerns, and issues, so being flexible and creative are two excellent ways to contribute to the industry.

Marianne thinks that the risk companies continue to evolve, and the insurance industry is working hard to keep pace with solutions that match these changing needs. “One area that is of interest for the days to come is the SPAC boom. Currently, I have double digit SPAC clients, and my experiences have given critical skills to provide exception D&O insurance services to various specialized clients,” she adds.IE