2017
| NOTABLE WOMEN IN REINSURANCE
SUSAN ZDROIK
Vice President Transatlantic Reinsurance Company
Three years out of law school, Susan Zdroik, like many young attorneys, had found herself thrust into a world where you were not working enough unless you were spending nights at the office and where her clients’ demands took precedence over all else – personal matters included.
She was an asbestos coverage defense litigator, an area of law she did not so much choose as fall into. Realizing a desire to find a career that invigorated her while also allowing her more time to invest in her personal life and other outside interests, she decided to pursue a new path.
Susan was familiar with reinsurance as a result of her time as an attorney, and she found her first real“ home” in the industry as a regional claims consultant with Munich Re. Over the next 20 years, she followed her curiosity and took on a number of challenges, as she tried out various roles within the company, ultimately advancing to the ranks of senior vice president, where she was responsible for directing the company’ s reinsurance sales efforts in direct and brokered distribution channels. Today, Susan is a vice president with Transatlantic Reinsurance Company, a position that allows her to use the industry insights and management skills she has cultivated over the course of her career, provides the flexibility required to maintain a healthy worklife balance, and enables her to help other women achieve their goals in the reinsurance industry.
While Susan enjoys her professional role of problem-solving with regional property and casualty insurance companies, she has found her passion in serving as a resource for others. She credits this largely to the mentorship she received while navigating her early years in the industry. This includes the mentorship of a female member of the board of managers at Munich Re in Germany, who gave Susan two pieces of advice that she now shares with young women seeking to advance in the everchanging world of reinsurance.
“ She told me,‘ It’ s a long career, so don’ t get hung up on temporary setbacks,’” Susan said.“ She also told me that I had something to add to the conversation, and that it was important for me to say what I had to say. Don’ t be afraid to speak up.”
Susan’ s new perspective has led her to take an active role in the Association of Professional Insurance Women( APIW), an organization that provides networking opportunities for women in the industry and offers educational programs focused on helping women establish themselves as leaders in the insurance industry, where she currently serves as president. In 2016, she helped the organization launch a partnership with St. John’ s University that offers mentorship opportunities to female students who are considering careers in insurance and related fields. In addition to helping manage the program, Susan also serves as a mentor, and she is excitedly looking forward to meeting her new mentee for the fall 2017 semester.
Asked where she sees herself in five years, Susan exudes the same resolve and open-mindedness that led her both into and out of the world of high-stakes litigation. But, she says,“ I don’ t need to be CEO. Make no mistake – I’ m still ambitious and want to continue to forge my way up the leadership ranks. But I am enjoying making my mark from where I’ m currently at in the organization. I have a flexibility and clear-mindedness now that I didn’ t have in my twenties and thirties which I’ ve really come to appreciate. I’ m not interested in living someone else’ s career path.” She values the work-from-home lifestyle afforded by her current role, as well as the camaraderie she shares with her amazing work colleagues at TransRe, and what she likes most is being able to connect people in a solution-providing capacity, both within and outside of the industry.
“ In five years, I see myself continuing to expand my network as I love meeting new people and being challenged by new ideas,” she said.“ I would like to be seen as a resource for perspectives on the industry, and to have a broader impact in terms of encouraging others to achieve their career goals. I can’ t think of a better legacy than that.”
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