In this edition we chat with Brian Murphy, a long-standing supporter of IUMI and now Chair of the Legal & Liability Committee
Tell us about your connection with IUMI?
The first IUMI conference I attended was in Berlin in 2015. I was impressed by the overall quality of the conference, the number of senior leaders attending from around the world and the relevant topics that were discussed by leading authorities from both the insurance industry and the marine, energy and regulatory sectors.
Why do you feel it’s important to be associated with IUMI?
At the personal level, I think that IUMI is a means for insurance professionals to stay current on all the topics that impact marine insurance on a daily basis. With constant change on the technology, legal and geopolitical fronts, it’s critical to be tuned in to what’s going on so that we can consistently make informed decisions. On a macro level, IUMI serves as the voice of the marine insurance industry in the global transportation and regulatory arenas, ensuring that our interests are represented as new technologies are developed and international conventions are drafted.
You’ve recently taken on the Chair of the Legal & Liability Committee – what are you ambitions for that committee?
I’ve been fortunate to serve as Vice-Chair of the committee for the past several years. Working closely with Charles Fernandez, Chris Jones, and a very engaged committee, we’ve raised awareness on a number of important topics and brought valuable insight to the membership on current issues affecting marine and energy (re)insurance. Two examples are the “Brillante Virtuoso” panel discussion at the Edinburgh conference, and the discussion on sexual assault/harassment onboard vessels that was held at this year’s Singapore conference. My goals for the committee are to continue identifying issues that impact the IUMI membership and put together workshops that are interesting, insightful and, hopefully, impactful. We’ve got a great committee and I’m excited to see what we come up with over the next few years!
What is your day job and how did you get to that position?
I currently serve as head of ocean marine for Berkley Offshore (a W.R. Berkley company) in the U.S. and Canada. After graduating from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, I sailed briefly as third officer on two tankers before joining Starr Marine as a trainee underwriter. After working at Starr in various roles in New York and Chicago, I had the opportunity to join W.R. Berkley in 2013 where I co-founded the marine team.
What is the best advice you’ve received?
I love this question because I was fortunate to get some great advice from a mentor very early in my career. I had been in the business a few years and received an offer from a competitor for a decent amount more than I was currently making (which wasn’t much!). I explained the situation to my mentor and asked for his advice. He asked me one simple question: “Are you learning a lot right now in your current position?”. I told him that I was learning a ton. For my experience level, I had been given a significant amount of responsibility. I was learning continuously from both the technical underwriting and managerial perspectives, and I was gaining new skills and knowledge every day. He said to me, “Your job right now is to learn. Put yourself in the best position to do that and the rest will take care of itself in due time.” I stayed where I was and began to view that foregone salary increase as an investment in the future. Looking back on that, it was really great advice.
What do you like to do away from the office?
My top priority is spending time with my wife of thirty years and our three kids, especially at our lake house in the Adirondack mountains in upstate New York. Aside from that, I love reading, playing golf and any sort of fishing: saltwater, freshwater, fly-fishing – basically anything on the water!
Tell us something about yourself that no one else knows!
Although I’ve lived on Long Island for 25 years and consider myself a New Yorker these days, I grew up in a small town in rural Missouri and remain a die-hard St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan!
