Vermont Business Magazine Union Mutual Insurance Company is proud to announce that its Employee Development Program has received National Honors from the National Association of Mutual Insurance Carriers (NAMIC). The program won Best in Category – Adaptability at the 9e Annual Innovation Award Presentation at the 2022 NAMIC Management Conference. President and CEO Lisa L. Keysar accepted the award on behalf of the company from Jay Woods of Guy Carpenter, who sponsored the award.
The company implemented the program to accelerate professional development and give employees a greater sense of connectedness, belonging and purpose within the workplace. The program also provides the company with flexibility in hiring and serves as a mechanism to “find the right person for the right seat”. Union Mutual invests in its employees and seeks to develop its internal resources to create the workforce of tomorrow.
“We are always looking for ways to innovate and support our business,” said Lisa Keysar, President and CEO. “We are also focused on connecting and empowering our employees to improve company culture and drive innovation. This program has been a very important part of our efforts.
The Innovation Award criteria include: impact on the sustainability of the mutual insurance industry; idea creativity; numbers and/or dollar impact versus size of insurer; the potential for the idea to be adapted and used by other NAMIC members; and alignment with NAMIC’s priority areas of strategy, innovation, leadership, industry trends and economics.
“I am very proud that our small regional mutual has received national recognition for its employee development program,” said David Bussman, Assistant Vice President, Analytics and Innovation for Union Mutual. “The program is made possible thanks to the enthusiastic support of the management team and the continued commitment of Union Mutual’s talented employees. This has helped foster an agile, collaborative and innovative corporate culture and has great potential for others within our industry.
Union Mutual of Vermont Companies, founded in 1874, is a property and casualty insurance group comprised of Union Mutual Fire Insurance and New England Guaranty Insurance Company Inc., both based in Montpelier, Vermont.; and Community Mutual Insurance Company, based in Latham, New York. The three companies write a total of $193 million in direct premiums annually through independent agents throughout New England and New York, and are all rated A (Excellent) with a stable outlook by AM Best. .