Editors’ Note

Peter Arkley is responsible for development and implementation of the specialty business and financial strategy. Alliant Specialty includes Aviation, Agribusiness, Construction, Environmental, Financial Institutions, Healthcare, Management Liability, Marine and Energy, Mergers and Acquisitions/Transactional Liability, Public Entity, and Real Estate operations. Arkley joined Alliant in 2011 and brought together the premier construction risk management talent in the United States. Prior to joining Alliant, Arkley served as Chief Executive Officer of the construction operations at Aon, an international insurance brokerage firm. Prior to joining Aon in 1994, Arkley held senior executive positions with Marsh and McLennan and Johnson and Higgins in New York and Los Angeles. He began his career in 1977 with American International Group where his central focus was financial services products such as directors and officers and fiduciary liability insurance.

Will you provide an overview of your role and areas of focus?

I am President of Alliant Retail Property and Casualty (P&C) operations which currently consists of 135 offices and over 3,000 insurance professionals and specialists throughout the U.S. Alliant Retail Property and Casualty includes our middle market geographical strategy and our national Specialty platform. Five geographical leaders collaborate with the 14 industry-focused Specialty verticals – Agriculture and Forestry Products, Alliant Consulting, Aviation, Construction and Surety, Cyber Solutions, Energy and Marine, Financial Institutions, Healthcare and Life Sciences, Management and Professional Liability, Mergers and Acquisitions/Tax, Public Entity, Real Estate and Hospitality, Transportation and Trade Credit – to bring specialty expertise and differentiation to clients and prospects.

What have been the keys to Alliant Retail Property and Casualty’s industry leadership?

Talent is the key. Our P&C leadership has promoted an entrepreneurial spirit that is supported by technical experts in 14 specialty verticals. The commitment to specialization and the depth of talent geographically significantly differentiates Alliant in the market. At Alliant, we invest in Specialty platforms that simply do not exist elsewhere. Others have tried to replicate our model and specialization strategy. The attempts have not succeeded.

Our geographical strategy provides local insurance professionals overlaid by industry experts who work tirelessly to benefit our clients. Day in and day out, our P&C teams mitigate our clients’ risk and create opportunities for our clients to realize greater profitability. The teams’ diligence and efforts keep our client retention rates above 98 percent. Our P&C professionals are the greatest pool of technical talent I have seen in my 42 years in the insurance business.

Where do you see the most significant opportunities for growth for Alliant Retail Property and Casualty, and what are your priorities as you look to the future?

We will increase our presence in local markets and build sophisticated operations in those areas while we continue to invest in our existing specialty verticals. We have recently created two new verticals – Transportation and Cyber. I envision launching several additional verticals in 2023.

We will remain focused on recruiting “A+” talent on our sales and client services teams.

In 2023, we will continue to prioritize our investment in data and analytics and helping our clients not merely understand their true cost of risk, but how working with Alliant is a better way to manage their risks. Over the last decade, several of the world’s largest firms have engaged Alliant as their broker. We, in turn, have made significant investments in complex risk and alternative risk strategies, insurance platforms and specialists.

Will you discuss the strengths of Alliant Retail Property and Casualty?

Our main strength is our talented employee base. It’s all about talent. We truly value our employees.

Another strength is maintaining our entrepreneurial spirit and making every effort to keep a flat management platform. Alliant’s geographical and industry vertical leaders take pride in knowing our employees and their strengths. Everyone contributes to the success. Our teams are very engaged in the sales and brokering process and providing excellent client service.

We are in the global insurance market every day, so we are on top of market conditions and understand where the best opportunities for our clients exist. This is evidenced by the fact that our corporate executives, including our Chairman and CEO, Tom Corbett, are brokers and are involved in the market. This involvement means corporate management understands the issues the field – the front-line producers and account managers – are up against and are engaged to support the field in finding solutions. Ivory towers don’t exist at Alliant. Our executive team supports our employees in the client service process every day.

Will you discuss Alliant’s investment in technology?

Alliant has invested heavily in data and analytics and in new technology platforms that did not exist five years ago. Our IT team works hand in hand with our insurance professionals to deliver cutting-edge analytics that enables our clients to make thoughtful buying decisions based on real time data. Our data collection platform provides our brokers and clients with detailed information on specific industries that cannot be found with any other broker. Being nimble and entrepreneurial allows Alliant to act quickly and effectively and to stay in step with technology as it emerges.

You have spent your career in the insurance industry. What has made the industry so special for you?

The relationships I have been so fortunate to establish and keep over the last four decades are why this industry is so special to me. My closest friends are also my colleagues and my clients. The financial rewards are great, but building a successful business that employs thousands of people with defined career paths and roads to advancement, along with forging deep and lasting friendships, means so much.

From a business perspective, the ability to build a specialty business means a lot to me. I have spent 30 of the 42 years of my career in the construction risk management field, and I have experienced great joy in being a part of the success of my fellow teammates and seeing the clients we serve thrive, grow and succeed. Many of the wonderful people I have had the great fortune to work with for 20 or 30 years are still working together. Our desire is to create opportunities for the next generation of insurance professionals. It is a privilege and truly life-affirming to be a part of the Alliant organization. I am amazed at what we have done together.

It all goes back to the talent as it takes a great team to create something this special.