by Chris Davies
We caught up with
Daniel Lazarz of
CRC Swett for a quick chat on his career to date and his thoughts on the insurance community.
Insurance Business: Tell the world about yourself! What’s your ultra-quick biography?
Daniel Lazarz: I have been in the insurance industry since graduating college from Marquette University. I’ve been lucky to have enjoyed roles in all of the phases of the insurance purchase chain: underwriter (The St. Paul), business development (Crum & Forster), retail broker (
Lockton) and wholesale broker (
CRC Swett). I have always been on the professional lines side, focusing on the consultation and placement of D&O, EPL, E&O, healthcare and cyber & data privacy coverage. It’s been fun!
IB: What have been the highs and lows of your journey through the industry?
DL: I can’t think of many lows on my journey through the industry, if any. There is always opportunity for growth and success, no matter what area of insurance one finds himself or herself in. There are a lot of great, supportive people in the industry. So, any time anyone finds themselves at a “low”, it really ought to be short lived. Indeed, a source for highs in this industry is to just look around at the people you work with. There’s a lot of great people in this industry, so that is a constant perk of working in insurance. Risks present problems for our insureds. Placing insurance and transferring the risk is, in essence, solving that problem. I like being a problem solver.
IB: What do you define as success – and how did you get it?
DL: Success is when you set out to accomplish an aim or purpose, and you achieve it. Whether it’s spending a few minutes in a meeting to discuss a nuance of D&O coverage and being told, “that makes sense now”; conducting one of my CE credit courses and receiving high marks on the evaluations for being easy to understand and interesting; or, convincing an agent or their client to purchase a line of coverage and then seeing a claim be covered later in the year that would not have been covered otherwise, it’s not hard to find success. Work hard on your craft, always try to learn something new every day and be a resource to others with that hard work and knowledge gained…that’s how I think you get to be successful.
IB: You’re a finalist in the upcoming Insurance Business America Awards. What does your IBA finalist status mean to you?
DL: It is most certainly an honor to be recognized as a finalist for the
IBA Wholesale Broker of the Year. Despite my shorter time on the wholesale broker side than the rest of my esteemed finalist colleagues, it certainly means that I must be doing something right. I’ve learned a lot from many wholesale broker partners through the years, and I’ve simply taken a little bit from each of them to make me the broker I am today. It’s also a testament to the great team that supports me. Without their excellent support and assistance, this status would not have been achieved. It’s a team award.
IB: How great does it feel to be part of the insurance community?
It’s great to be part of such a close-knit industry where people get along, and at the end of the day, you find yourself helping others to effectively protect their personal or corporate assets. New risks present themselves every single day. I find it quite interesting how this industry can work quickly to develop solutions to manage these risks and transfer the risk, so as to provide adequate protection for them.
IB: What are your celebration plans if you win big on the night?
DL: I’ll hug my parents and deliver a speech that could go a little long, so I’ll have to do my best to prevent the music from interrupting me. There are so many people to thank for helping me get where I am today!
Related stories:
Constantly chasing success: an award finalist’s story
“I’m a geek at heart!”
“Putting someone on a pedestal is deserving”
