Innovation and Leadership Awards
As the name of this honor suggests, Innovation Awards are awarded to organizations, agencies, individuals and young leaders who possess the qualities of innovation and excellence within the insurance industry. Criteria for these awards must include:
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Social Responsibility
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Significant Industry Contribution
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Outstanding Performance
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Innovation and Leadership
Criteria List
Awards Nomination
To nominate an individual or an organization, please email Jim Jones.
Individual Award
This award goes to an individual in the risk management and insurance field, who has made significant industry contributions, has exceptional lifetime accomplishments, innovation, and whose work has contributed to helping develop the next generation of risk management and insurance professionals. The overarching criteria for selecting this individual are:
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Character
Individuals who are well-respected for ethics, and character. We especially consider activities involving actions enhancing social responsibility including humanitarian efforts, community service, civic engagement, and promotion of ethics.
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Contribution to Industry
Individuals who have contributed to industry through education (including presentations and articles written), mentoring, promoting diversity, and leadership in professional organizations and trade associations.
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Professional Accomplishments
Has performed well in his/her risk management and insurance career. Has been a life-long learner as demonstrated through continued professional education and certifications, and college degree programs.
Submissions demonstrated examples of innovation appealing to the next generation are especially welcomed. .Stories illustrating perseverance and leadership in the face of adversity are also viewed favorably. An activity that an individual performed, was involved with, or had a particularly important and positive effect on the risk management and insurance industry would be given additional credit.
This award would go to an individual whose activities inspire the next generation and bring honor and dignity to risk management and insurance professionals working in the risk management and insurance industry.
Please send email to james.jones@ilstu.edu with the following:
- Award Nominee’s name, contact information, and job title, and organizational affiliation.
- Individual making submission name, contact information, and job title.
- How award nominee meets the following criteria:
- Work is inspiring and helps to enhance favorable reputation towards insurance industry
- Work is encouraging to next generation in considering a career in insurance
- Demonstrated professional accomplishment
- Demonstrated social responsibility
- Demonstrated contribution to industry (beyond professional accomplishment)
- Demonstrated innovation and leadership
Past Innovation and Leadership Award Winner Winners
Insurance Agency Award
This award goes to an insurance agency or brokerage. The agency's size and resources are taken into consideration during the selection process. The award will be based on five overarching criteria:
Social Responsibility
This must be met satisfactorily before the other criteria can be considered.
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Community Support
- Organizational resources are allocated to support involvement in community activities outside the organization
- Senior leaders and employees at various levels are involved in community activities, civic organizations, and associations that support the community.
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Ethics
- Has a formal system to train ALL employees about ethical business practices
- Has effective system in place to meet or exceed legal and regulatory requirements
- Senior leadership and other employees make and/or support presentations, publications and research that help promote ethical behavior
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Sustainability and Public Responsibility
- The organization's business activities include systems to analyze, anticipate, and minimize risk and hazards to public indicators for risk are identified and monitored
- The organization considers the impact that its operations, products, and services might have on society and implements strategies to make improvements. (i.e. "greening" the organization's operations or promoting green products and initiatives)
- Organization supports research on how insurance organizations can help protect the public (i.e. testing for safer products and home materials, encouraging safer workplace practices, assessing benefits of health and wellness programs, using discounts to promote loss reduction)
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Organizational Performance
(with respect to recruiting and developing the next generation of talent)
- Organization has well-implemented and innovative recruiting and developing of next generation talent
- Organization has demonstrated innovation (i.e. new products or services, use of technology, progressive ERM practices)
- Organization has had good operating results over past 5 years
- Organization appears to have financial viability for future
- Organization provides high level of support for employees seeking professional education (i.e. professional programs like CPCU, CLU) and college degrees
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Industry Contribution
- Resource allocation for industry professional associations
- Leadership in industry professional associations
- Support for organizations that help promote a better understanding of insurance (i.e. educational programs, trade associations, financial literacy, and risk management.)
- Providing activities to encourage NEXT generation talent to consider the insurance industry (providing scholarships to study risk and insurance, mentorships, internships, job-shadowing experiences, diversity programs)
- Education of industry- Senior management and employees teaching public classes, do industry presentations, or publish material that improves knowledge
- Support research on insurance and risk management topics
- Support for educational conferences, symposia, and other events in the Midwest that help educate professionals in the industry
Activities which demonstrate unique innovation will be given additional credit.
Insurance Organization Awards
This award goes to a company or other insurance industry organization that has made significant contributions to the industry and/or society. This award is designed to help support all the strategic goals and especially those of enhancing the reputation of the industry. An organization selected for this award will highlight accomplishments with respect to civic and community involvement, innovation, education, and industry leadership. The award will be based on four overarching criteria:
Social responsibility
(This must be met satisfactorily before the other criteria can be considered):
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Community Support
- Organizational resources are allocated to support involvement in community activities outside the organization
- Senior leaders and employees at various levels are involved in community activities, civic organizations, and associations that support the community.
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Ethics
- Has a formal system to train ALL employees about ethical business practices
- Has effective system in place to meet or exceed legal and regulatory requirements
- Senior leadership and other employees make and/or support presentations, publications and research that help promote ethical behavior
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Sustainability and Public Responsibility
- The organization's business activities include systems to analyze, anticipate, and minimize risk and hazards to public indicators for risk are identified and monitored
- The organization considers the impact that its operations, products, and services might have on society and implements strategies to make improvements. (i.e. "greening" the organization's operations or promoting green products and initiatives)
- Organization supports research on how insurance organizations can help protect the public (i.e. testing for safer products and home materials, encouraging safer workplace practices, assessing benefits of health and wellness programs, using discounts to promote loss reduction)
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Organizational Performance
(especially with respect to recruiting, and developing the next generation of talent)
- Organization has well-implemented and innovative recruiting and developing of next generation talent
- Organization has demonstrated innovation (i.e. new products or services, use of technology, progressive ERM practices)
- Organization has had good operating results over past 5 years
- Organization appears to have financial viability for future
- Organization provides high level of support for employees seeking professional education (i.e. professional programs like CPCU, CLU) and college degrees
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Industry Contribution
- Resource allocation for industry professional associations
- Leadership in industry professional associations
- Support for organizations that help promote a better understanding of insurance (i.e. educational programs, trade associations, financial literacy, and risk management.)
- Providing activities to encourage NEXT generation talent to consider the Midwest industry (providing scholarships to study risk and insurance, mentorships, internships, job-shadowing experiences, diversity programs)
- Education of industry- Senior management and employees teaching public classes, do industry presentations, or publish material that improves knowledge
- Support research on insurance and risk management topics
- Support for educational conferences, symposia, and other events in the Midwest that help educate professionals in the industry
Activities which demonstrate unique innovation will be given additional credit
2022 Risk Management/Insurance Organization Award Winner
StrongArm Technologies
Past Insurance Organization Award Winners
Young Leader Awards
This award would go to an individual whose activities bring honor and dignity to professionals working in the insurance industry who is under the age of 35. The young leader must have worked in the industry for at least 2 years.The overarching criteria for selecting this individual are:
- Under 35 years of age.
- Social Responsibility: Engagement in humanitarian efforts, community service, civic engagement, and promotion of ethics.
- Contribution to Industry: Contribution to industry through education, mentoring, promoting diversity, and leadership in professional organizations and trade associations.
- Professional Accomplishments: Has performed well in his/her insurance career. Has been a life-long learner as demonstrated through continued professional education such as CPCU, CLU, and college degree programs.
- Demonstrates association with the Katie School of Insurance and Financial Services.
Examples of innovation in any of these areas will be given extra credit. Stories illustrating perseverance and leadership in the face of adversity are also given additional credit. An activity that an individual performed, was involved with, or had a particularly important and positive effect on the U.S. Insurance industry would be given additional credit.