From the Shoulders of Giants

After eleven years, I’ve just walked out the door at Verisk HQ for the last time, at least as an employee! My work here is done. Alex Mican, MBA, ARe, AINS and Teddie Gregory are just getting started, and I can’t wait to see what they accomplish in the coming months and years. I thank Ted and Alex first and most. They’ve been amazing colleagues and incredible friends. That second part doesn’t end today – or ever. After more than a decade, I have a lot of people to thank both in Verisk and out in the market. You guys know who you are, and you’re fully aware of the depth of my gratitude. Again, my job may be changing, but our friendship doesn’t.

I’ll never forget a brief chat I had with Scott Stephenson back in 2016, when I’d just taken my new role with PCS. Within five years, I told him, PCS would be virtually unrecognizable. It didn’t take five years, and we didn’t stop. The PCS team broke new ground almost every day, from multibillion dollar wildfires to political violence events in Latin America and Russian aviation leasing. The pace has been incredible, and the results consistent. That is truly a testament to the team. And after my departure, you’ll see this continue. They are strong, savvy, and equipped for the future. There is nothing like PCS. The organization is unique, and the people in it a rare breed. I’ll think of them daily, as I have for quite some time.

I don’t just thank the current crew at PCS. The folks who came before us got us to our starting point. More than seventy years of service, commitment, discipline, and innovation have led Ted and Alex to their new starting point. I’ve truly learned what it means to stand on the shoulders of giants, and although I may not be one myself, I offer Alex and Ted my shoulders as their next perch, and someday they’ll do the same for their successors.

I am happy that Ted and Alex will carry PCS forward from here. They’re exceptional leaders and just generally fantastic people. We’ve spent a lot of time together over the past seven years. A lot. In the office, on the road … downstairs at Dorrian’s, as the folks in Jersey City will doubtless recognize. Late nights, early mornings, and more crazy stories than any one person should experience in a lifetime. I look back fondly on all of it. Alex and Ted – you certainly haven’t seen the last of me, but I’ll still miss working with you every day.

Take the time to get to know Ted and Alex. First and foremost, you’ll see why we’ve become such good friends. You’ll be happier having gotten to know them; I know from experience. And beyond personal fulfillment, the belief that you can separate the institution from the folks who lead it is flawed. To lead PCS is to serve. That’s been our ethos under me, Ted, and Alex, and I have no doubt it’ll persist. It’s in our DNA. You’ll get a better sense of that when you spend some time with them, and I strongly encourage you to do so.

Leading PCS for the past seven years has been both a privilege and the greatest joy of my professional life. I’m going to miss the crew most, the work next, and of course the unique canvas for innovation that PCS and our deep relationships have afforded.

I’m excited for what comes next, but I’ll miss you guys.

To everyone, I thank you for the incredible opportunity you’ve given me – to lead PCS as it was when I joined and what it has become since. Our clients and partners deserve the credit for what PCS has accomplished, and for what it will achieve in the new chapter that opens now.

I’ll borrow my final thoughts from Daria Morgendorffer – these remarks have been a surprisingly resilient beacon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdG9pBtP9D4.