Profile
“No matter how many clients I have, I make sure to call each one personally every quarter. It’s a chance to not only update them on their portfolio, but also check on how they’re doing personally”
Kelvin Rampersad,
Carte Wealth Management
Kristen Handel is senior vice president at Alliant Insurance Services and is based in New York City. Before joining the firm, she had spells at Brown & Brown and Liberty Mutual.
Always focused on furthering her career in the insurance industry, she credits her success to hard work, dedication, and grit. This can-do attitude has enabled her to obtain senior roles and progress professionally.
She says, “When something becomes available, if I want it, I throw my hat in the ring. When the opportunity opens up and if I’m interested, I definitely let people know. My strongest quality is my intuition and dedication to doing the right thing.”
Confidence has been something Handel has developed throughout her career. It enables her to deal competently with issues and problems that may arise.
“Market challenges always present challenges that are out of your control. I navigate it by keeping an open dialogue with my clients, colleagues, and market partners,” she says. “Phone calls and meetings go a long way in a virtual world.”
This connectivity is the bedrock of Handel’s accomplishments. She enjoys and makes time to build a network.
“I believe a lot in the relationships that I build with people. Reputation, especially in this business, is everything. With everyone from co-workers to market partners to clients, I’ve always tried to be my authentic self and that’s helped me get to where I am,” she says.
That’s not to minimize the hard times that she has encountered over the course of her 20-year career. However, Handel has used them to make herself a stronger, well-rounded professional.
She comments, “It’s never easy, and there have been a lot of challenging times throughout my career that have made me think, ‘I should just give up and do something else.’ And I’m so glad I didn’t, as you just have to stick with it because those tough times make you so much stronger.”
In addition to being driven and confident in her abilities, Handel routinely mentors junior members of staff and shares her experiences to enable others to grow.
“Being able to successfully balance being a present and loving mother along with growing a book of business while helping my colleagues and mentoring young professionals is my proudest achievement,” she explains. “I would like to see more young professional women understand that they can achieve tremendous success in this industry while succeeding personally as well.”
Still ambitious, Handel is committed to maintaining her development and growth, as well as grasping opportunities when they arise. This forward-thinking mindset is tempered by her definitive idea of the impression she would like to leave when the time comes to exit the industry.
“I would like to leave behind a legacy of a well-respected reputation and to be remembered as someone who is always willing to help others succeed,” she says.
101 Park Ave, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10178
(347) 653 0801
kristen.handel@alliant.com
linkedin.com/in/kristenhandel
alliant.com
Kristen Handel
Senior Vice President
Alliant Insurance Services
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Bio
Milestones
“I strongly believe in working smarter, not harder. I think it’s one of the keys to living a great life, and I want to share that with as many people as possible”
Kelvin Rampersad,
Carte Wealth Management
2004–2009
2009–2012
2012–2016
2016–present
2021–present
Senior Account Executive at Liberty Mutual Insurance
2004–
2009
Vice President at Brown & Brown
2009–
2012
Executive Vice President at Brown & Brown
2012–
2016
Vice President at Alliant Insurance Services
2016–
present
2021–present: First Vice President at Alliant Insurance Services
2023–present: Senior Vice President at Alliant Insurance Services
2021–
present
Milestones
Milestones
ELITE WOMEN 2024 JUDGE
• hard work
• dedication
• grit
This can-do attitude has enabled her to obtain senior roles and progress professionally, including starting one of the pest control industry’s largest and most robust insurance and risk management programs from the ground up.
“In the past when something became available, if I wanted it, I would throw my hat in the ring. When the opportunity opens up and if I’m interested, I definitely let people know. My strongest quality is my intuition and dedication to doing the right thing.”
Confidence has been something Handel has developed throughout her career. It enables her to deal competently with issues and problems that may arise.
“Market challenges always present challenges that are out of your control. I deal with it by keeping an open dialogue with my clients, colleagues, and market partners,” she says. “Phone calls and meetings go a long way in a virtual world.”
This connectivity is the bedrock of Handel’s accomplishments. She enjoys and makes time to build a network.
“I believe a lot in the relationships that I build with people. Reputation, especially in this business, is everything. With everyone from co-workers to market partners to clients, I’ve always tried to be my authentic self and that’s helped me get to where I am,” she says.
That’s not to minimize the hard times that she has encountered over the course of her 20-year career.
However, Handel has used them to make herself a stronger, well-rounded professional.
She comments, “It’s never easy, and there have been a lot of challenging times throughout my career that have made me think, ‘Oh, my gosh. I should just give up and do something else.’ And I’m so glad I didn’t, as you just have to stick with it because those tough times make you so much stronger.”
In addition to being driven and confident in her abilities, Handel routinely mentors junior members of staff and shares her experiences to enable others to grow.
“Being able to successfully balance being a present and loving mother along with growing a book of business while helping my colleagues and mentoring young professionals is my proudest achievement,” she explains. “I would like to see more young professional women understand that they can achieve tremendous success in this industry while succeeding personally as well.”
Still ambitious, Handel is committed to maintaining her development and growth, as well as grasping opportunities when they arise. This forward-thinking mindset is tempered by her definitive idea of the impression she would like to leave when the time comes to exit the industry.
“I would like to leave behind a legacy of a well-respected reputation and to be remembered as someone who is always willing to help others succeed,” she says.
Andrea Larkin is senior vice president, head of financial lines at Westchester, a Chubb Company.
While her rapid rise to such an influential leadership position is impressive, it has not been the linear path that Larkin envisioned. Her plan was to hone her craft as an underwriter and move upward from there.
“I was in the industry only about six months when I experienced my first pivot; I was an A&E underwriter during the real estate crash,” Larkin says. “This obstacle turned opportunity allowed me to diversify, as I was tasked to shift my training and focus to other professional liability product lines. Over time, not only did I become knowledgeable on a myriad of E&O products, but my network – both internally and externally – had expanded materially.”
This was the first of a series of pivots over her two-decade career, some by chance and others intentionally sought.
Larkin says, “Instead of chasing a title, I’ve chased experience. I want to always be a student of the business, continually learning and delivering impact to our clients, trading partners, and the organization. Our industry is dynamic, and I feel that my career has been able to mirror that same spirit.”
As a woman under 40 and part of Westchester’s executive leadership team, Larkin bucks the trend in a traditionally male-dominated industry.
“The opportunity was one I earned over time; however, I received my first executive appointment nine months after delivering twin girls. I’ve always loved my work and I love being a mom. Being entrusted with the responsibility of leading a business while juggling those early days of motherhood is something I am pretty proud of, both personally and professionally,” she says.
Underlining her commitment to being a role model and championing women in the industry, Larkin comments, “Representation matters.”
The fundamental qualities that she relies on daily are:
Andrea Larkin is senior vice president, head of financial lines at Westchester, a Chubb Company.
While her rapid rise to such an influential leadership position is impressive, it has not been the linear path that Larkin envisioned. Her plan was to hone her craft as an underwriter and move upward from there.
“I was in the industry only about six months when I experienced my first pivot; I was an A&E underwriter during the real estate crash,” Larkin says. “This obstacle turned opportunity allowed me to diversify, as I was tasked to shift my training and focus to other professional liability product lines. Over time, not only did I become knowledgeable on a myriad of E&O products, but my network – both internally and externally – had expanded materially.”
This was the first of a series of pivots over her two-decade career, some by chance and others intentionally sought.
Larkin says, “Instead of chasing a title, I’ve chased experience. I want to always be a student of the business, continually learning and delivering impact to our clients, trading partners, and the organization. Our industry is dynamic, and I feel that my career has been able to mirror that same spirit.”
As a woman under 40 and part of Westchester’s executive leadership team, Larkin bucks the trend in a traditionally male-dominated industry.
“The opportunity was one I earned over time; however, I received my first executive appointment nine months after delivering twin girls. I’ve always loved my work and I love being a mom. Being entrusted with the responsibility of leading a business while juggling those early days of motherhood is something I am pretty proud of, both personally and professionally,” she says.
Underlining her commitment to being a role model and championing women in the industry, Larkin comments, “Representation matters.”
The fundamental qualities that she relies on daily are: