2017 Hot List Recipient
2020 Hot List Recipient
2021 CEO of the Year
Accolades
Media
Paying opportunities forward at Crawford
The phrase “pay it forward” only entered popular parlance after Haley Joel Osment starred in a movie of the same name in 1999, but the concept itself is much older.
It is sometimes associated with the premise that parents pay forward the love they received as children to their own offspring – part of an unspoken intergenerational bargain that most don’t fully appreciate until they themselves become parents.
Perhaps careers are similar. At least it seems that way when one listens to Paul Kottler, president of global technical services (GTS) at Crawford & Company.
Looking back over nearly three decades in the insurance industry, Kottler is keenly aware that he has increasingly played a sort of corporate parenting role to the people he is responsible for as his own career has progressed.
With the benefit of hindsight, he also realizes that many did the same for him when he was a younger man.
“I had a lot of senior people who worked with me in my career. I've had a lot of mentors, and I didn't see it,” says Kottler.
“Your litmus test is the people who grow around you and whether you see them succeed and move on to bigger and better things.”
His style is to lead by example.
“I'm really one who leads from the front, but I stay out of the way of people. And I think that in the claims business, that's what you have to do [to be successful].”
Not that he doesn’t have his own words of advice for young people. Kottler has a career that includes experience at more than half a dozen firms, including an earlier stint at Crawford. In his executive roles, he has managed in excess of $125bn in claims across all lines of insurance – including third-party administrator, complex loss, mass tort, mass catastrophe, Lloyds, and global corporate programs.
While this wide range of practical experience has served his skill base well, he now realizes there might have been a few paths not taken when he missed training opportunities available early in his career.
“The farther you get in your career, you run out of time to really dig in and dive into those programs. I really wish I had dug deeper and quicker when I first started.”
He looks at staff under his management now who are making the most of the challenging environment at Crawford.
“It's an MBA every day. Some of the new young individuals who joined us this year, in one year they've gotten their CPCU [Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter’s designation] and they are so much more advanced than I was at their age – I see their trajectory going a lot faster.”
Ever the mentor, he sees this proactiveness as a recipe for success that more early-career employees would do well to replicate.
“Jump on it early, because when you get busy, there's a lot less time.”
He sees insurance adjustment as an industry where all types can thrive and contribute to a key part of the economy, given the opportunity.
“People forget that it is a massive area for the economy, [with] billions in economic benefit from insurance – that’s one of the reasons that it’s licensed,” he says.
It’s an industry that often attracts people from other professions, normally after they’ve gained a few years of experience.
“Just recently we’ve had engineers who joined us, we have finance people, attorneys on staff – really not your typical folks who would join an insurance claims company, but a real rounded group of people.”
One demographic in which it is sometimes more difficult to find keen recruits is new graduates, but Kottler sees this as a marketing issue rather than anything to do with the job. He attends a lot of events at college and universities across the US where he finds that young people thinking about getting into insurance are simply unaware of the options.
“Everyone wants to be a broker, underwriter, or actuary, but when you really sit down and start talking to the young people about the opportunities that that exist on the claims side – which really touches all aspects of insurance, not only the actuarial side, but the underwriting side, the contractual side, and the finance side – it really opens their eyes.”
The claims business has a reputation for being the poor cousin among insurance career paths, but this is an outdated view.
“Over the last two decades, claims has evolved from the lower end of the totem pole from a pay-scale standpoint. The talent evaporation has created inflation in the salaries and the compensation,” says Kottler.
Salaries for adjusters with more experience have also increased.
“I think the industry has learned that professional insurance adjusters are as important as any other profession in the insurance and risk space. It's well compensated, there are a lot of challenges, it touches every aspect of business, and it's not going away.”
One reason why Kottler decided to rejoin Crawford in 2020 was because it is, at its core, still a family business – which is perhaps an important backdrop for his inherent tendency to nurture the careers of those he manages.
“Jesse Crawford was one of the reasons that I came back – because he is involved, the family is involved, and they really have a long-term business mindset.”
As any dedicated parent knows, taking a long-term view and having good support are essential to helping people develop and grow, and lifting them to achieve bigger and better things.
Spotlight
Being a mentor and seeing employees not only grow into roles but master them and take on new challenges is the thing that Kottler values most in his work.
“It's really the talent that I've seen come up or that I've worked with over the years – a lot of them are running companies, some in the business, some outside of the business,” he says.
It seems to be the ones who may have lacked confidence at first who provide the most reward.
“People who never thought they could lead 300 employees, divisions, businesses – really challenging them and seeing them step out of their comfort zone. That's really been the biggest highlight of my career.”
Kottler says mentoring a new generation of insurance leaders is paying forward the ability to give opportunities. The implication is that those he took under his wing will, in turn, repay the favor by giving their own advice and raising a new cohort.
Crawford has nearly a century of experience in the global loss adjusting space, with over 10,000 employees in over 70 countries. We are the largest publicly listed independent provider of claims management and outsourcing solutions globally. The world's top insurers, brokers, and industry-leading companies trust Crawford's specialized division, global technical services (GTS), to adjust their most complex commercial accounts and claims. Wherever and whenever losses occur, GTS taps Crawford's vast network of employees and colleagues to form a customized, rapid-response team with the elite level of experience needed for the most challenging scenarios.
Company Profile
45%
Board representation of minorities and women
56%
Proportion of women across the company
10,000+
Employees across the globe
17%
Black & African American US employee representation
$18bn+
Value of claims managed annually
Bio
Spotlight
Milestones
Media
Accolades
Company Profile
Years of Experience
Nearly three decades
favourite quote
“No free lunch”
fun fact
Father of five
Paul Kottler
US President - Global Technical Services, Crawford & Company
In a career that contains a constellation of experience and achievements, one industry leader has his eye firmly not on his own milestones, but on those he has influenced
Read on
“People who never thought they could lead 300 employees, divisions, businesses – really challenging them and seeing them step out of their comfort zone. That's really been the biggest highlight of my career”
Paul Kottler,
Crawford & Company
Share
2017 Hot List Recipient
2020 Hot List Recipient
2021 CEO of the Year
Accolades
Media
Fundserv is the indispensable connectivity hub for the Canadian investment industry. Headquartered in Toronto, we electronically connect Manufacturers, Distributors, and Intermediaries, enabling them to buy, sell, and transfer investment funds. With more than 100 employees, Fundserv serves hundreds of members—executing up to 63 million yearly network transactions—and provides online access to more than 70,000 investment fund products.
Established in 1993, Fundserv is a private corporation that is owned by the industry we serve. Our 10 shareholders are a cross-section of Manufacturers, Distributors, and Service Providers who represent our members.
We operate using a cost-recovery model, meaning any unused profit may be rebated back to our members. In addition to our network and applications, we lead and facilitate industry committees and working groups that promote automation initiatives and establish the industry’s electronic standards.
By ensuring every trade is processed timely, accurately, and securely, Fundserv has rightfully earned a reputation for service excellence—a hallmark of more than 25 years in the investment industry.
Company Profile
Years of Experience
Nearly three decades
favourite quote
“No free lunch”
fun fact
Father of five
Karen Adams
President and CEO at Fundserv
Before becoming CEO of Fundserv, Karen Adams held a variety of leadership roles around the world – and she learned that listening and understanding are key to both providing service and developing talent
Read on
Share
Share
Media
Fundserv is the indispensable connectivity hub for the Canadian investment industry. Headquartered in Toronto, we electronically connect Manufacturers, Distributors, and Intermediaries, enabling them to buy, sell, and transfer investment funds. With more than 100 employees, Fundserv serves hundreds of members—executing up to 63 million yearly network transactions—and provides online access to more than 70,000 investment fund products.
Established in 1993, Fundserv is a private corporation that is owned by the industry we serve. Our 10 shareholders are a cross-section of Manufacturers, Distributors, and Service Providers who represent our members.
We operate using a cost-recovery model, meaning any unused profit may be rebated back to our members. In addition to our network and applications, we lead and facilitate industry committees and working groups that promote automation initiatives and establish the industry’s electronic standards.
By ensuring every trade is processed timely, accurately, and securely, Fundserv has rightfully earned a reputation for service excellence—a hallmark of more than 25 years in the investment industry.
Company Profile
Karen Adams
President and CEO at Fundserv
Career highlight
Before becoming CEO of Fundserv, Karen Adams held a variety of leadership roles around the world – and she learned that listening and understanding are key to both providing service and developing talent
Read on
IN Partnership with
In Partnership with
In Partnership with
Kottler’s legacy
Published 09 Oct 2023
Find out more
Find out more
Find out more
Find out more
Contact Us
Specialty
Best in Insurance
Resources
Risk Management
TV
News
US
Copyright © 2023 KM Business Information US, Inc
RSS
Sitemap
Contact us
About us
Conditions of Use
Privacy policy
Terms & conditions
People
Contact Us
Specialty
Best in Insurance
Resources
Risk Management
TV
News
US
Copyright © 2023 KM Business Information US, Inc
RSS
Sitemap
Contact us
About us
Conditions of Use
Privacy policy
Terms & conditions
People
Contact Us
Specialty
Best in Insurance
Resources
Risk Management
TV
News
US
Copyright © 2023 KM Business Information US, Inc
RSS
Sitemap
Contact us
About us
Conditions of Use
Privacy policy
Terms & conditions
People
“I'm really one who leads from the front, but I stay out of the way of people. And I think that in the claims business, that's what you have to do [to be successful]”
Paul Kottler,
Crawford & Company
Developing a wide range of talents
The number of expert personnel at the US branch of Crawford GTS has grown around 250 percent in the three years since Kottler took his current post.
– Milton Friedman
2004–2010
2010 – 2011
2012 – 2014
2014 – 2020
2020
2020–present
RVP, US property & casualty, Crawford & Company
2004–2010
president & CEO, IAS Services Group LLC
January 2010–June 2011
national director, business development, and director, sales specialty loss group, Engle Martin & Associates
February 2012–August 2014
SVP, McLarens
August 2014–April 2020
EVP, North America, McLarens
April 2020–July 2020
US president, global technical services, Crawford & Company
July 2020–present
Milestones
2004 –
2010
2010 - a2011
2012 - 2014
2014 - 2020
2020
2020 -
Present
RVP, US property & casualty, Crawford & Company
2004–2010
President & CEO, IAS Services Group LLC
January 2010–June 2011
National director, business development, and director, sales specialty loss group, Engle Martin & Associates
February 2012–August 2014
SVP, McLarens
August 2014–April 2020
EVP, North America, McLarens
April 2020–July 2020
US president, global technical services, Crawford & Company
July 2020–present
Milestones
2004 –
2010
2010 - a2011
2012 - 2014
2014 - 2020
2020
2020 -
Present
RVP, US property & casualty, Crawford & Company
2004–2010
President & CEO, IAS Services Group LLC
January 2010–June 2011
National director, business development, and director, sales specialty loss group, Engle Martin & Associates
February 2012–August 2014
SVP, McLarens
August 2014–April 2020
EVP, North America, McLarens
April 2020–July 2020
US president, global technical services, Crawford & Company
July 2020–present
Milestones
2017 Hot List Recipient
2020 Hot List Recipient
2021 CEO of the Year
Accolades
– Milton Friedman
The number of expert personnel at the US branch of Crawford GTS has grown around 250 percent in the three years since Kottler took his current post.
He looks at staff under his management now who are making the most of the challenging environment at Crawford.
“It's an MBA every day. Some of the new young individuals who joined us this year, in one year they've gotten their CPCU [Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter’s designation] and they are so much more advanced than I was at their age – I see their trajectory going a lot faster.”
Ever the mentor, he sees this proactiveness as a recipe for success that more early-career employees would do well to replicate.
“Jump on it early, because when you get busy, there's a lot less time.”
While this wide range of practical experience has served his skill base well, he now realizes there might have been a few paths not taken when he missed training opportunities available early in his career.
“The farther you get in your career, you run out of time to really dig in and dive into those programs. I really wish I had dug deeper and quicker when I first started.”
“Your litmus test is the people who grow around you and whether you see them succeed and move on to bigger and better things.”
His style is to lead by example.
“I'm really one who leads from the front, but I stay out of the way of people. And I think that in the claims business, that's what you have to do [to be successful].”
Not that he doesn’t have his own words of advice for young people. Kottler has a career that includes experience at more than half a dozen firms, including an earlier stint at Crawford. In his executive roles, he has managed in excess of $125bn in claims across all lines of insurance – including third-party administrator, complex loss, mass tort, mass catastrophe, Lloyds, and global corporate programs.
Being a mentor and seeing employees not only grow into roles but master them and take on new challenges is the thing that Kottler values most in his work.
“It's really the talent that I've seen come up or that I've worked with over the years – a lot of them are running companies, some in the business, some outside of the business,” he says.
It seems to be the ones who may have lacked confidence at first who provide the most reward.
“People who never thought they could lead 300 employees, divisions, businesses – really challenging them and seeing them step out of their comfort zone. That's really been the biggest highlight of my career.”
Kottler says mentoring a new generation of insurance leaders is paying forward the ability to give opportunities. The implication is that those he took under his wing will, in turn, repay the favor by giving their own advice and raising a new cohort.
Kottler’s legacy
Developing a wide range of talents
With the benefit of hindsight, he also realizes that many did the same for him when he was a younger man.
“I had a lot of senior people who worked with me in my career. I've had a lot of mentors, and I didn't see it,” says Kottler.
The phrase “pay it forward” only entered popular parlance after Haley Joel Osment starred in a movie of the same name in 1999, but the concept itself is much older.
It is sometimes associated with the premise that parents pay forward the love they received as children to their own offspring – part of an unspoken intergenerational bargain that most don’t fully appreciate until they themselves become parents.
Perhaps careers are similar. At least it seems that way when one listens to Paul Kottler, president of global technical services (GTS) at Crawford & Company.
Looking back over nearly three decades in the insurance industry, Kottler is keenly aware that he has increasingly played a sort of corporate parenting role to the people he is responsible for as his own career has progressed.
Paying opportunities forward at Crawford