Nancy Cruz
Managing Director
Travelers
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
I started out after high school working as a secretary at the same high school I graduated from. Working for the Board of Education was considered a "steady" and "safe" job - but what to do next?
A friend told me they were looking for a secretary in Claim at the reinsurance company he worked for. Although I didn't really know what "reinsurance" was, I figured I would go interview anyway.
The company hired me and I quickly learned about what I was doing. A colleague saw my interest and recommended that I replace her when she left her post as a technical claim analyst. She trained me.
After that I continued learning through books and courses obtaining important designations in the business. Without a formal degree, I was promoted to the underwriting side and became a manager.
When I relocated, the reinsurance company recommended me for a position in an insurance company and since then I have been at Travelers, going from an Underwriter to Managing Director.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Norman Thomas High School
Norman Thomas High School
Career
Managing Director
I manage the Construction Services book of business in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Business
Numbers
Working with Others
Day to Day
During a typical day, I will wear different "hats". With my "accountant hat" I would be analyzing financial statements for a customer who has asked us to support a multi-million dollar construction project. I would put on a "lawyer hat" as I read through the proposed contract and highlight risks. I wear and "engineer hat" as I review the scope of construction work to be performed. In a typical day, I also collaborate with my staff, agents, brokers and customers on various topics.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for everyone
Research! Insurance has so many moving parts, it pays to look into all that's available. If you don't like marketing, then maybe insurance operations is the way to go. If you like analyzing data, then perhaps Catastrophe or Actuarial work is for you. Analyze your skillset (we all honestly know what we are good at and what we are not) then compare that to the research you do into the various aspects of the insurance industry.
Recommended Education
My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Teachers:
"Since I stumbled onto this career, many said that I needed a college education to succeed. Without it, they said, I would not move past being a secretary."
Challenges I Overcame
Family Life
