Brokerslink is powered by incredible people, and we’re proud to have both an Executive and Advisory board populated by industry leaders who are well-renowned experts in the field of broking.
Over the coming months, we want to introduce you to some of these people and find out more about the skills, experience and passion they bring to the Brokerslink family.
This year, we were pleased to welcome Alexandra Littlejohn to our board. Alex is the Executive Vice President and Managing Director at Alliant Retail Property & Casualty and has had a successful 36-year career in insurance.
Here we find out more about how Alex’s love affair with insurance began, and why she’s proud to represent broking in the USA.
You've been in the insurance industry for forty years, what was your first job in insurance?
My 40-year insurance career was inspired by growing up in an insurance family. My first formal job was working as an insurance assistant with Jardine Insurance Company. I started in the industry before any technology, responsible certificates of insurance, policy checking, endorsement processing and invoicing. My exchanges with Lloyd’s of London at the time were by Telex, before fax or email.
What made you realise that insurance was the right career for you?
I’ve had a love affair with insurance since graduating from high school. The networking, social interaction and learning opportunities were right up my alley. The ability to travel the world early in my career was life-changing and left a lasting impression on my outlook. I realized there isn’t an idea too big to explore and I learned the possibilities of utilizing companies with capacity around the world. My time in Zurich spent building out global placement in Latin America and Asia changed how I view insurance as a career and how it has transformed the way we do business today. The ability to solve problems for our clients and bring forth innovation and encompassing tools to validate the work and help get the job done has come such a long way.
In 2023 you were an Insurance Business "Elite Women" nominee, what advice would you give other women beginning their career in broking?
It is always an honor to be a nominee within this industry, especially as a woman in insurance. It is fantastic to be part of the journey as women’s roles have evolved over the years with so much more room to grow. Earlier in my career, I won many awards, and it felt like we were setting the pace for the future. There were very few national awards just honoring women, so competing for some of the awards 20 years ago was a vastly different experience. For women today who are beginning their careers, it is mission-critical to get involved and join the incredible insurance network that exists for both
women and men. Your work brings you accolades; be sure to have a presence in the room, ask questions and do your homework.
You're a member of our executive board, what is it about the Brokerslink model that excites you?
For most of my career, I worked within the broker-owned network for global services and had little perspective on how an independent platform would operate. It has been three years since leaving the owned network and it has been incredible. Brokerslink around the world partners with the BEST brokers in a geography, brokers who have been around for many years and, in some cases, generations. They pride themselves on delivering the best service possible to their clients, which means our clients with global exposures benefit from receiving top-notch service and access to programs and tools for managing large portfolios across multiple countries. I am excited about joining the board of Brokerslink and working with the team to further advance excellence among the platform participants.
What makes you proud to represent broking in the USA?
Little excites me more than broking a great deal for a client, applying tools to make the best decisions possible and creating a program that is thoughtful and unrivalled. Each time we deliver solutions that save our clients money, allowing them to buy more insurance with the savings or allocate savings to reinvest in their businesses, is a proud day. We strive for that every day and do not settle until every rock is turned.
