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“My favorite saying is, ‘Faith it ‘til you make it. Don’t fake it; believe in yourself and give yourself enough grace to learn along the way.’ That one-word change has removed a lot of imposter syndrome for me”
Caitlin Rios
CoreLogic Insurance Solutions
Joining Arch Insurance in 2023 as senior vice president of contract surety, Dawn Nevill oversees the underwriting of contract surety accounts across the country.
With over 35 years of professional experience, before her current position at Arch, Nevill served as vice president of contract surety at IAT, where she saw a contract book of business for the firm’s Houston, Ohio, and Florida offices.
Graduating with a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Albany, Nevill’s start in insurance was one of chance and opportunity.
“While going to school in New York, I worked for a NYS Assemblyman for three-and-a-half years. Right before graduation, he told me that he was not going to be able to keep me on staff. I had worked on financial guarantee legislation with someone from Continental Insurance Company who told me that he liked my work ethic. I gave him a call and explained my situation. He was able to arrange an interview for the training program, they made me an offer, and the rest is history,” she says.
While Nevill did not initially foresee a career in insurance, the SVP has developed a true love for her work.
“When I started in the business, it was just a job. Over time, I have developed a passion for contract surety/underwriting and enjoy mentoring young professionals in the industry by sharing my enthusiasm and experience. Over the course of my career, I worked hard, always prioritized doing the right thing, and enjoyed the relationships that I fostered.”
As a leader, Nevill admits that it can often be difficult to strike a balance between fostering relationships with her team and investing in her professional responsibilities.
“I am now responsible for a dozen managers, seven home office team members, and a number of field underwriters and administrative support staff. I want to be able to build relationships with each of them, mentor our younger talent, and travel across the country to foster connections with our clients. Unfortunately, I don’t have the bandwidth to invest in all these goals, but I am currently working on finding a balance,” she explains.
While in college working for the NYS Assembly, Nevill learned that reputation is everything – an important lesson the SVP has carried throughout her professional career.
“This does not mean you have to be perfect; no one is. What this means is prioritizing the right thing for yourself, your team, your employer, and your clients.”
As leader of Arch’s contract surety team, Nevill hopes she will continue to see more women explore careers in insurance.
She says, “Certainly, 35 years ago we were a clear minority, but this is something that I’ve seen change. Just because the industry has a history of something doesn’t mean it has to be its future, and I want women of all ages to feel like surety can be home for them. Arch is truly leading by example in this regard, as we have multiple women leading our surety division. I am proud to be a part of a company that is leading the industry in the right direction.”
40 Pacifica Suite 900, Irvine, CA 92618
707 494 5454
dnevill@archinsurance.com
linkedin.com/in/dawn-nevill-225b8147
insurance.archgroup.com
Dawn Nevill
Senior Vice President, Contract Surety
Arch Insurance
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“Insurance is about people and restoring lives after a traumatic event. We need that human connection to help others rebuild. Those skills are positive and infectious energy”
Caitlin Rios
CoreLogic Insurance Solutions
1988
1992
2003
2012
2019–2023
Trainee at the Continental Insurance Company
1988
Senior Underwriter at St. Paul/Seaboard
1992
Assistant Branch Manager at Liberty Mutual Insurance
2003
Regional Vice President at the Guarantee Company of North America
2012
2019: Vice President at Underwriting at IAT
2023: Senior Vice President, CUO Contract Surety at Arch Insurance
2019–
2023
Assistant Vice President and Senior Broker at MJ Hall & Company since 2018
Present
Milestones
Aug 2022
Milestones
Sept 2021
Feb 2022
Apr 2022
Jul 2022
Aug
2022
Suncorp Bank introduces Solar Home Bonus offer for customers who are choosing renewable energy for their homes
Sept 2021
Month-on-month market share growth commences
Feb 2022
Suncorp Bank wins the Canstar award for most outstanding value in investment loans
Apr 2022
Suncorp Bank wins Money Magazine’s Bank of the Year and Business Bank of the Year awards for the fifth year in a row
Jul 2022
Suncorp Bank’s turnaround times are the lowest they have ever been. The lender becomes Australia’s first certified carbon neutral bank for both its operation and transaction services
Aug 2022
Milestones
• Gold award for Magazine or Newspaper Advertisement
• Silver award for Promotional Email
• Silver award for Most Out-of-the-Box Idea
As a product manager, Rios knows that success is all about prioritizing and making trade-offs. The VP continually strives to find a balance between upskilling her team and herself.
“The more capable my team is, the more they can take on and allow me to tackle difficult problems, of course, but there is always a balance between the longer-term training and needing to get some work done in the short term.”
While Rios admits she doesn’t always get it right, the VP takes every experience as an opportunity to grow and learn. “I find a lot of value and enjoyment in trying something new, and excitement in not knowing what problem needs solving on a given day.”
Chief underwriting officer of executive risk at Chubb
President of financial insurance solutions at Kemper
Chief underwriting officer at Axis Capital
CEO of global Insurance at Endurance
CEO of global Insurance at Sompo International
As an elite leader in insurance, Rios hopes to use her influence to inspire young women to be bold.
“As I have moved into more leadership roles, I think it’s imperative to support others in taking risks,” she says. “My favorite saying is, ‘Faith it ‘til you make it. Don’t fake it; believe in yourself and give yourself enough grace to learn along the way.’ That one-word change has removed a lot of imposter syndrome for me.”
Hoping to see more females enter the insurance sector, Rios says the soft skills that are often attributed to feminine energy are precisely what the industry needs.
“Insurance is about people and restoring lives after a traumatic event. We need that human connection to help others rebuild. Those skills are positive and infectious energy.”
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