Meet Ben Tasse, SVP, Business Development, Wholesale Insurance
Please tell us about your career journey and your path to Sompo.
My insurance employment journey started in 2007 when I joined Axis Insurance’s Commercial Management Liability team as an intern in Alpharetta, Georgia. Fortunately, I accepted an offer to join Axis full-time in 2009 after graduating from Siena College. I spent nearly ten years at Axis (New York) in a variety of underwriting and managerial roles, most recently leading the Private Equity practice. I thoroughly enjoyed underwriting, but I aspired for more. I could have stayed at Axis underwriting financial lines, but I knew that if I wanted to achieve my career goals, I needed exposure to other P&C lines. While at Axis, Sompo (formerly Endurance) was becoming a formidable competitor and was hiring talent from across the industry, including many of my Axis colleagues. I respected Sompo and had them earmarked as a potential next employer if the right opportunity presented itself. I’ll spare readers the mundane details, but in January 2018 I joined Sompo as the Wholesale Business Development Lead. I was attracted to this opportunity because I get to help all the Sompo business units define, execute, and achieve their financial and strategic initiatives. Not to mention, I get to work in the wholesale channel, which is as dynamic and fun as the insurance industry can get!
What advice do you have for prospective Sompo candidates?
To candidates that are new to the workforce: every interaction you have internally and externally is an opportunity to build and refine your personal brand. Market cycles will change. Employers will change. Managers will change. Your reputation is forever. Your personal brand and reputation are something you control and will impact how you are perceived your entire career.
To experienced candidates: Sompo is determined to reach its goals. The firm, portfolio, breadth of products, geographic footprint, cross functional collaboration, ESG initiatives, D&I strategy – all create opportunities for people who want to further their careers. I am proud to work for a company that creates and fosters a work environment where anyone who is willing to work hard and achieve results can be successful. Sompo truly is a meritocracy and a company with significant opportunity for personal and professional development.
Tell us about an initiative at SI that you are most excited for in 2022.
This isn’t 2022 specific, but I’m most excited about the company’s vision. Sompo’s goal is to be a top 10 global P&C company. There are many hurdles that will make this goal challenging, but I believe it is achievable. Sompo has created a culture where employee voices are heard, and people feel valued; and the firm is willing to invest in its people and technology to get the job done. When you like who you work with, feel valued and align with the company’s vision, it’s exciting to work collectively toward a goal as ambitious as Sompo’s. Challenge accepted!
What is your idea of a perfect day outside of the office?
I love working at Sompo, but as I tell my children every day, my number one job is to be their dad. The “activity” outside the office is secondary; my happy place is anywhere with my wife and two young children. A close second is trying to better my golf game while enjoying a few adult beverages.