Meet Christos Charitos, CPCU, ARe – VP, Casualty Facultative Reinsurance
How did you get into Re(in)surance and what led you to Sompo International?
Like most, I fell into the Reinsurance business. I was working in public accounting in Allentown, PA and wanted to move back to my hometown of Philadelphia, so I took a position referred by a friend at the then Towers Perrin in Center City. Many great experiences after that led me to Maiden Re which was going through a transition. Luckily, the transition led me to the forward-thinking company, Sompo International, which acquired Maiden Re’s Casualty Facultative and Specialty Underwriting Team and our platform.
How long have you been with SI? What has your journey been while at SI?
I’ve been with Sompo International for a little over 2 years and it has been a great journey and experience. Sompo International is a collaborative underwriting shop and keeps us all students of the business and on top of our portfolio. The Global Reinsurance Management Team has strong underwriting backgrounds and understands the day-to-day of a reinsurance underwriter. Over the last two years as we transitioned our legacy business and built a new portfolio, our management has been with us every step of the way to ensure any need was met with the resources to accomplish our goals.
What is something about your role / BU that people may not know?
Our Business Unit is three pronged: Individual Risk Facultative, Alternative Risk, and our SompoReConnect Platform. This three-pronged model gives our group a wide exposure to the Reinsurance business — we see Facultative, Auto – Fac, and Treaty-like business. The team is unique in that, unlike many other reinsurance underwriters, we have the opportunity to experience several reinsurance disciplines.
What do you think makes Sompo International unique?
I read an article not that long ago that said there are two kinds of reinsurers —the first are numbers driven and the second are relationship driven. Sompo International is the right mix of both. We are an underwriting company that takes relationships seriously. We look deeply into the numbers to ensure long-term partnerships with our clients.
Any advice to your younger self or others considering this industry?
Start finding solutions sooner and be more creative. It is easy to point out a hurdle or issue, but ultimately it’s the solutions that matter.
Last words – anything else you’d like us to know?
There is magic in face-to-face interaction. I look forward to seeing all my colleagues, friends, and clients in person once the world allows it!