ExtraMileIssue9
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
An insurance company’s risk management team is only as strong<br />
as the talent on the team. Top talent is necessary to serve as a<br />
resource for the safety, health and well-being of all National Interstate<br />
customers. Our team, including this quarter’s Extra Miler, Sydney<br />
Alvarez, provides value-added consultative services to our customers,<br />
assisting them in ensuring regulatory guidelines are met, safety best<br />
practices are embraced, severity is reduced and losses are minimized.<br />
Sydney, a Risk Management Specialist, breaks perception and truly<br />
goes the extra mile to provide value-added, safety-centered solutions<br />
to our customers.<br />
That being said, developing creative ways to minimize exposure and<br />
obtain buy-in support from our customers can be one of the most<br />
challenging aspects of her role, but this is an area Sydney excels in.<br />
With an ability to analyze losses and current-state safety programs,<br />
Sydney is quick on her feet when thinking of creative ways to address<br />
and communicate concerns to customers.<br />
Sydney’s supervisor believes that there is a difference between a risk<br />
management consultant and an excellent risk management consultant.<br />
A risk management consultant simply identifies opportunities for<br />
improvement, while an excellent risk management consultant<br />
identifies opportunities, creates solutions and sells the solution to their<br />
customer. An excellent consultant, Sydney’s belief is that open and<br />
transparent communication with our customers will lead to positive<br />
and collaborative relationships.<br />
Many would consider Sydney a road warrior – traveling most days of<br />
each month to prospective and current customers for safety and loss<br />
control visits. It can be a tough job living out of a suitcase more often<br />
than not, but above all, Sydney is a National Interstate ambassador.<br />
An ideal team member, she is always willing to do whatever it takes<br />
to get the job done to ensure a positive impact to National Interstate’s<br />
overall business.<br />
Sydney<br />
Alvarez<br />
More about Sydney<br />
AN EASY-TO-IMPLEMENT SAFETY TIP THAT I ALWAYS<br />
RECOMMEND ON LOSS CONTROL VISITS IS:<br />
This is a difficult question, because every company I work with is so<br />
unique. I wouldn’t say there’s a one-size-fits-all safety tip, but one thing that<br />
is universally important is a company’s commitment to its safety culture.<br />
It is crucial that your safety department has the autonomy, tools and<br />
resources that it needs to be successful. It is also crucial for any company<br />
seeking a positive safety culture to take a top-down, bottom-up approach<br />
and have the appropriate support from senior management in order to be<br />
successful. One simple tip I can give is to always remember that our Risk<br />
Management team is here to support your efforts.<br />
MY FAVORITE THING TO DO OUTSIDE OF THE OFFICE IS:<br />
Go hiking with my dog and fiancé. We have a 6-year old lab rescue, and<br />
she gets so excited when we put her leash on. She loves to chase squirrels<br />
and thinks that every person she sees wants to be her best friend.<br />
I was a Spanish minor in college and would love the chance to practice the<br />
language and experience unique cultures.<br />
THE BEST PART OF MY JOB IS:<br />
Engaging with our customers both on a professional and personal level.<br />
I love working with them on a daily basis and improving their safety<br />
programs collaboratively. I also don’t think that I could sit at a desk all day,<br />
every day, so having the opportunity to travel and meet our customers faceto-face<br />
has been an amazing experience for me.<br />
PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO KNOW I:<br />
Am getting married in Ireland this year. My fiancé, Derek, and I have been<br />
together for nearly 9 years and are high school sweethearts. We didn’t<br />
want a traditional wedding and sought out a destination that was close to<br />
both of our hearts. We are very excited to tie the knot in such a beautiful<br />
place with our close family.<br />
MY FAVORITE TV SHOW IS:<br />
Criminal Minds - I love the suspense and problem-solving in the show. I like<br />
to see if I can guess the outcome before they do. Although, sometimes the<br />
show does keep me up at night!<br />
WHAT IS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ:<br />
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty. It is about a 30-year old woman that<br />
loses 10 years of her memory and has to figure out how her life ended up<br />
the way it did.<br />
IF I WON THE LOTTERY, I WOULD:<br />
Spend some time traveling the world - there is so much to see! I’d love to<br />
travel to different areas in South America, like Argentina and Chile.<br />
IF I WASN’T WORKING IN RISK M ANAGEMENT, I WOULD:<br />
Open a pet rescue. I love animals and there are so many to save. All of my<br />
pets, (including a cat, rabbit and dog) are rescues, and they are the best.<br />
MY DAY CAN’T START UNTIL:<br />
Preferably around noon… But if before then, then I’ll need my cup of coffee<br />
before I start anything else.<br />
IF YOU COULD BE A SUPERHERO, WHAT WOULD YOU<br />
WANT YOUR SUPERPOWER TO BE?<br />
I would want to have the power of invisibility. I think this would give me a<br />
lot of options when trying to save somebody.<br />
4 5