Meet Michael P. Donovan, Vice President, U.S. Ocean Marine
Please tell us about your career journey and your path to Sompo.
After graduating Maritime College at Fort Schuyler, New York, I sailed as a civilian Third Officer on Cable Ships. While it was a great experience, I knew that I wanted a career shoreside. My first job in insurance was with CNA in their Marine Underwriting department. After a couple of years there, I left with a team to start the Marine department at RLI where I was for 15 years until landing at Sompo in 2020. Learning what I did as part of creating a new book at an existing insurance company was invaluable. When Sompo asked me to come aboard I felt I was in a great position to use my experience to promote and assist the strategic initiatives currently in place at Sompo.
What advice do you have for prospective Sompo candidates?
Do your research. These days we have an infinite number of ways to look up information about companies, the culture, the insurance environment, etc. I can tell you from my own research, and now experience here at Sompo, that there is an emphasis on commitment to employees and a clear vision what is expected of you.
Tell us about an initiative at Sompo that you are most excited for in 2022.
As a Marine Underwriter, I am most excited about our Global Capabilities initiative. We have clients that move and store goods all over the world and having direct communication with our worldwide offices will put us in a better position to tailor programs to fit our clients’ needs.
What is your idea of a perfect day outside of the office?
Having three children has slightly changed my perspective of “perfect” days out of the office. In the winter months, a perfect day would be on the slopes with the whole family. In the warmer months, the beach, surfing, or watching my children play their favorite sports. We try not to spend much time indoors.
About Sompo
Sompo Holdings Ltd. is a global specialty provider of property and casualty insurance and reinsurance, headquartered in Bermuda. Through its operating subsidiaries, Sompo writes agriculture, professional lines, property, marine, energy, casualty and other specialty lines of insurance and catastrophe, property, casualty, professional lines, weather risk and specialty lines of reinsurance. Sompo companies are wholly owned subsidiaries of Sompo Holdings, Inc., whose core business encompasses one of the largest property and casualty insurance groups in the Japanese domestic market. We maintain excellent financial strength as evidenced by the ratings of A+ (Superior) from A.M. Best (XV size category) and A+ (Strong) from Standard and Poor’s on our principal operating subsidiaries. Sompo’s headquarters are located at Waterloo House, 100 Pitts Bay Road, Pembroke HM 08, Bermuda and its mailing address is Sompo, Suite No. 784, No. 48 Par-la-Ville Road, Hamilton HM 11, Bermuda.
For more information about Sompo, please visit www.sompo-intl.com.