ExtraMileIssue9

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