For AAIS Associate Partner Work At Home Vintage Experts (WAHVE), filling the insurance talent gap is not just a goal…it’s a personal mission.

“Sharon Emek, Founder and CEO, and I both spent the major part of our careers in the insurance industry. We observed the decline in available talent as young people were not attracted to the insurance industry and recognized the quickly approaching baby-boomer retirement,” said WAHVE’s President and Chief Revenue Officer Bill Hunt. “We knew first-hand that attracting and retaining talent in the insurance industry, where specialized knowledge and experience is so important, was a problem and that the industry was facing a huge brain-drain with the imminent boomer retirement.”

The two formed WAHVE in 2010 with the goal of placing seasoned talent with companies seeking experienced insurance professionals. The ‘matching’ process is extensive, for the job applicants and the companies searching for the right candidate. Companies hoping to hire wahves must clearly outline the roles they want to fill and the talent they need. Job seekers complete an extensive application with granular skills tables, a series of rigorous interviews, and assessments on general insurance knowledge and job-specific skills before being accepted into the program. Afterwards, they can be placed with companies searching for their specific skillset.

Wahves are experienced insurance experts who want to extend their careers working from home as they phase into retirement. “Most of our WAHVEs want to work 10-15 more years in the industry they love,” Bill said. “They’re bringing a strong background in insurance and the knowledge that comes with it… a deep understanding of the insurance market and specific nuances of working with the industry. This rich knowledge enables them to skip the insurance learning curve and make an immediate impact as soon as they’re placed.”

Bill said insurance companies are looking for experienced talent in nearly every aspect of the insurance lifecycle, including underwriters, customer service professionals, actuarial experts and product managers. There’s a need for experienced project leaders as insurance companies update their operational technologies and move to cloud-based
data systems…difficult for someone unfamiliar with insurance to understand, but easy
for an experience insurance professional to manage. “So many companies are updating their legacy systems to keep up with the insurtech trends,” Bill said. “When companies hire a wahve, they’ll often get a person who has already lived through that transition at another company.”

Promoting a remote workforce also strengthens the talent pool for insurers, Bill said. Because all wahves work remotely, there aren’t talent constraints for work location. “Placing remote workers means we can pair the best skills with the companies who
need them most, without worrying about location, commutes, or other factors impacting on-site professionals.”

Bill encourages AAIS Members to get to know WAHVE and explore the talent-placement options available to them. “AAIS’s strong Membership spans the spectrum of P&C insurance, and we believe our wahves can help to strengthen them,” he said. “We’re
glad to be an AAIS Associate Partner and look forward to building relationships with
AAIS Members.”

Please visit www.wahve.com for more information.