New IIAA Leader: Agents Must EmbraceYounger Generation

Honolulu

While noting that the involvement of women and young people is growing within insurance, the newly-installed president of the Insurance Agents of America said the system must change to reflect the new reality.

Thomas Ahart of Phillipsburg, N.J., made his observation during his inaugural address at the closing general session of the Alexandria, Va.sbased annual meeting, the “IIAA Hawaii InfoXchange. Mr. Ahart became IIAAs 97th president.

In his travels, Mr. Ahart said, there remain those who continue to do business as it has been done for the last 20 years. He told the membership that it is time to change the old ways of doing business, both in marketing and within agencies.

Agencies need to do more selling and marketing to women–and they need to get away from selling insurance the way it has always been sold, he said.

“Agents are afraid to give responsibility to young agents,” Mr. Ahart added, suggesting that within agencies, older principals need to give more responsibility to the younger generation.

Agencies also need to develop strategies for selling to “Generation X,” he said. Taking a step toward that goal, he said the IIAAs Young Agents Association would develop a white paper on how to sell insurance services to that generation.

Elected to IIAAs executive committee in Oct. 1996, a principal of an independent agency, Mr. Ahart has held many leadership positions within the Independent Insurance Agents of New Jersey, including president.

Outside of the Association, Mr. Ahart has been a member of the board of the New Jersey Joint Underwriting Authority and was president of the Eastern Agents Association. He has also served as both grader and advisor to the American Institute for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters and the Insurance Institute of America, in New York City.

Mr. Ahart assumed the one-year term from William Hofmann III, who is now immediate-past president.

The new president-elect is W. Cloyce Anders, from Raleigh, N.C.

Louise Bebe Canter of Falls Church, Va., assumes the position of vice president.

Reproduced from National Underwriter Property & Casualty/Risk & Benefits Management Edition, November 12, 2001. Copyright 2001 by The National Underwriter Company in the serial publication. All rights reserved.Copyright in this article as an independent work may be held by the author.

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