Her Story
About Cheryl
I truthfully grew up in this business - my mother was in personal insurance and oversaw the personal lines division working with high net worth clients, so it's been in my blood since I was a little kid. I started as an intern when I was young, and I think that has been the best thing for my career because I started from the ground up and learned all aspects of the business, both the technical coverage and the operational side. You can't wrap your head around an entire program and risk until you know everything that's happening. I went to Pace University where I was a literature and cultural studies major, which was a lot of fun, though I was not in the arts directly. Growing up in this business and with a lot of the art dealers we worked with, the museums, and the galleries, it was kind of a hands-on learning experience that gave me really valuable insight. I really loved the art space - I think it's incredibly interesting and sometimes life-changing. Art is something that really unites people, creates community, and creates dialogue. It's such a different aspect for insurance, and I love it because it is so different and so personal. We're a big part of stewardship for the legacy of artwork, and that is such a necessity and such a specialty because there are very few people that do this specifically.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Cheryl
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to hard work and dedicating the time to learn what I'm doing. I've focused on educating myself and continuing to educate myself in this space. The learning never stops. Starting as an intern and learning from the ground up has been the best thing for my career because I learned all aspects of the business, both the technical coverage and the operational side. You can't wrap your head around an entire program and risk until you know everything that's happening, and that foundation has been invaluable to my success.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received has probably been to learn your craft inside and out, and everything will follow. Recognition will follow, clients will follow, appreciation will follow, but once you're very good at what you do and you're technically sound, everything else falls into place for you. When you know what you're talking about, you gain respect, more responsibility, and you get to flourish.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Be confident in yourself, but continue educating yourself so that you are never in a space where you don't know what you're doing. It's easy to do those two things separately, but to put them together - to have the knowledge and the confidence - it makes you unstoppable. Learn your craft inside and out, and everything will follow.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
100% kindness is most important to me. I genuinely believe what you put out in the world is what comes back to you. I believe in supporting other people. I know that there's perception about life being a competition - it's not. If everybody's winning and we're all succeeding, that's great. I think kindness is probably my number one thing, just helping people when you can. Sometimes it only takes 2 seconds and you could change someone's life. Life isn't a competition, and I find that exhausting when people treat it that way.
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