WHO WE ARE
My Travelers Journey – Andrew Palmer
From the Canadian Armed Forces to a Technology Career at Travelers
The Latin “dūcimus,” which means “we lead, we guide,” is Andrew Palmer’s mantra.
“Dūcimus” became part of Andrew’s life when he served in the Canadian Armed Forces – it was his infantry company’s slogan. Over his eight years in the “Forces armées canadiennes,” he worked on developing his leadership skills.
Now, at Travelers, he is free to let his “dūcimus” spirit shine at work – leading, networking and building people up every day. The ability to put his military experience into practice at work (he’s a member of the Military/Veterans & Allies Diversity Network), and Travelers’ strong focus on attracting and retaining veterans, brought Andrew to Travelers nearly two years ago.
As he considered the next step in his career back then, Andrew had a wide range of options, given his military experience and 20 years in the financial, insurance, technology and government sectors.
“What really made me choose Travelers was finding a great opportunity at a world-class organization that has a really strong military experience background. Knowing about the strong military community here, I felt that Travelers aligned with my ethics and experience. Military people stick together.”
As Business Information Security Officer/Technology Risk Director, Andrew says, “My role is to monitor, guide and protect Travelers Canada’s cybersecurity posture. New technology-focused regulations come through me as well. It’s a big role – I manage impacts in Canada from a cybersecurity side, a technology risk side and a technology business continuity side.” Andrew addresses both external and internal risks, assessing vendors and ensuring that employees are adhering to the right controls and processes.
“This role is always evolving. There’s no such thing as a quiet day, as there’s always something new happening within the cybersecurity industry.”
One of Andrew’s favorite moments at Travelers was participating in a diversity and inclusion talk at the Canadian Leadership Conference. He also cherishes the ongoing opportunity to serve as a cybersecurity subject matter expert for the Canada Senior Leadership Team.
“There’s a lot of camaraderie surrounding my role – not just within Travelers, but externally, working with cybersecurity centers of excellence and industry experts, working out what’s happening and creating valuable extensive networks.”
Outside of the office, Andrew is into animation, video games, indulging his “foodie” side at new restaurants, experiencing different cultures through travel (he recently vacationed in Greece) and comedy. He volunteers with non-profits, including an organization focused on ethical IT guidelines, and credits the military for instilling in him the desire to give back to the community.
Another way Andrew gives back is by inspiring and coaching colleagues to become the best version of themselves. “On my team, we work together to accomplish greatness together. I always want to improve and support others. Seeing my team members being successful? That’s what makes me happy.”
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WHO WE ARE.
Transitioning Into Your New Role
By Lynn Simon-Thomas
Manager, Diversity Engagement
Talent Acquisition
So, you’ve done everything right. You built relationships through networking, you interviewed, and you were offered the position. That’s great!
It’s real. You did it! Now what?
As you begin your new role, it’s extremely important that you take time to truly understand your responsibilities and determine how you’ll add value to your new team. Below are four tips that can help you navigate your new role and help you be successful.
- Build strong relationships
You may have heard the phrase, “No man is an island,” or “There’s no ‘i’ in ‘team’.” As cliché as they may sound, they’re both relevant to a new role, as well as your career.
While you will be responsible for completing your assignments in your new role, you will undoubtedly need assistance from others – your manager, co-workers, mentors – to be successful. Strong relationships in your professional life, or any other aspect of life, are built on mutual respect and clear communication. Never be afraid to put in the work necessary to build new relationships and strengthen existing ones.
- Secure a mentor (or two)
Having a mentor, or mentors, can significantly improve your ability to be successful, not just in a new role, but in your career. A mentor should be someone with whom you would feel comfortable sharing your thoughts, concerns, dreams, and goals. Candid conversations about what is and isn’t going well can be extremely beneficial, especially when you receive honest feedback and guidance from someone you trust.
- Update your LinkedIn profile
Building strong relationships involves sharing information, which includes positive career updates. When you land a new role, be sure to make your LinkedIn network aware of your recent career advancement.
In a brief post, use language such as “I’m excited to announce…”, or “I’m thrilled to share…”, or even, “Big news…” to grab their attention. You’ll receive several supportive responses that can enhance your confidence, and you may also reconnect with colleagues from the past who may prove to be helpful in your current role.
- Utilize resources to prepare for your new role.
Your success is greatly dependent on how you manage your transition, especially within the first three months. There are many books, blog posts, articles and people in your circle that can assist you as you learn your new role, company and work environment.
New beginnings can be both exciting and intimidating, but with a little preparation, a few strong relationships, and some determined confidence, you’ll be successful in no time.
Trust me. You got this!
Lynn Simon-Thomas is Manager, Diversity Engagement within Talent Acquisition. Lynn has over 15 years of experience in recruiting and diversity engagement. She serves as the diversity and inclusion subject matter expert focused on the execution of targeted diverse talent sourcing strategies.
Connect with Lynn Simon-Thomas and other Travelers leaders on LinkedIn.
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WHO WE ARE.
One-Stop Shop for Digital Developers at Travelers
Across Travelers, more than a thousand technology engineers write code and develop tools that deliver innovative solutions for our business. Now, a new Engineering Portal helps to simplify and accelerate this critical work.
Kevin De Sa, SVP and CIO of Digital Enablement, explains, “By sharing common templates, the Engineering Portal reduces the time it takes to deploy new solutions from weeks to minutes while ensuring that we are creating best-in-class tools and enabling innovation within a test-and-learn environment.”
The Portal was designed by engineers, for engineers. It’s self-service configuration features common templates and patterns so engineers can build new applications more efficiently and securely while increasing the quality of Travelers’ business capabilities.
“The Engineering Portal is essential to our cloud-first approach and modern architecture principles,” says Andrzej Kobus, SVP for Enterprise Architecture and Emerging Technology. “It facilitates deployment of applications straight to the cloud, positioning us for the future.”
Members of the Tech & Ops Senior Leadership Team recently participated in a hands-on demonstration of the portal. Tracey Cournoyer, CIO for Bond & Specialty Insurance, who participated in the event, says, “This is a significant advancement for our businesses and accelerates the development of solutions for our partners and customers.”
The Travelers Engineering Portal is only one of the technology tools offered to our employees to drive performance for today and transform for tomorrow.
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WHO WE ARE.
Pedaling Faster as ‘Silver’ Bike Friendly Business
The League of American Bicyclists has recognized Travelers’ Hartford campus with its Silver Bicycle Friendly Business designation for 2023-27. In a press release, the league noted that Travelers moved up from bronze to silver and that “cycling to work is part of the company’s sustainability and wellness initiatives, and a point of pride.”
The elevated designation is in large part because of the efforts of the Travelers Employee Cycling Network (TECN), with more than 150 members in Hartford, St. Paul and other locations including Massachusetts and Nevada.
“We are a small but passionate group,” says TECN member Shannon Grant. That passion is evident in the many activities that both enable and motivate members to commute to work by bike, including:
- Email blasts and “Lunch and Learns” on topics such as road safety and bicycle maintenance.
- A website where members can log both miles and number of days commuting by bike to add a bit of friendly competition. (Travelers employees have ridden over 17,000 miles on commutes to work this year through August.)
- Team participation in events including the Greater Hartford Bike to Work Day in May.
- An emerging partnership with BiCi Co., a nonprofit that takes in bicycles, fixes them and sells them at low prices to those who need them.
Travelers’ bronze designation expired during COVID, but current TECN chair Dan Carr made it one of his pillars to reapply.
“We are thrilled that the league recognized Travelers’ commitment to environmental stewardship, employee health and different options for commuting to work,” says Dan. Travelers is the only company in Hartford and one of only 20 Connecticut companies to be named a Bicycle Friendly Business.
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WHO WE ARE.
Travelers Earns Top Score on Disability Equality Index®
Company named a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion for the sixth consecutive year
The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRV) recently announced that it has earned a top score on the Disability Equality Index® for the sixth consecutive year, upholding its distinction as a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion. Administered by Disablity:IN and the American Association of People with Disabilities, the Disability Equality Index is the world’s most comprehensive benchmarking tool to measure a company’s policies and practices related to disability workplace inclusion.
“Through employee resource groups, specialized programming and partnerships with community organizations, we’re fostering an environment where everyone has the opportunity to succeed,” said Lauren Young, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at Travelers. “Diversity and inclusion is a business imperative for us, and achieving a top score on the Disability Equality Index is a testament to those efforts.”
As part of the company’s commitment to providing an inclusive culture, Travelers maintains eight Diversity Networks, which aim to increase inclusion, engagement and retention for employees from traditionally underrepresented groups and their allies. Its Disability & Allies Diversity Network has grown to include more than 2,600 members and focuses on building disability awareness, appreciation and connectedness at work and in the community.
Travelers also has a centralized team dedicated to addressing accommodation requests and ensuring that employees with differing needs have the resources to be successful in their roles. In addition to its initiatives for current employees, the company partners with state agencies and universities to provide internships, placement programs and shadowing events for neurodiverse students. Since 2018, Travelers has been a member of the Neurodiversity @ Work Employer Roundtable, an interdisciplinary group of employers working to establish more neurodiverse-friendly hiring practices. The company is also a founding partner of the University of Connecticut’s Center for Neurodiversity & Employment Innovation.
Over the years, Travelers has been recognized by a number of organizations for its neurodiverse-inclusive culture. Accolades include the Employer of the Year award from Lifeworks, a Minnesota-based nonprofit that promotes employment and advancement for people with disabilities; the Employer of the Year award from the Connecticut chapter of Disability:IN; and the Award of Excellence from Autism Services and Resources of Connecticut.
For more information about the Disability Equality Index, visit disabilityequalityindex.org.
Photo: Susan Combs, Director, Claim Field & Financial Services, left, and Tara DiBilio, Claim Account Executive, Construction, leads of the Travelers Disability & Allies Diversity Network, accept the Travelers award for earning the top score on the Disability Equality Index® at the 2023 Annual Disability:IN Conference in Orlando, Fla. on July 11.
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WHO WE ARE.
Christian Beisel: From the U.S. Navy to Travelers Risk Control
Travelers is home to more than 1,000 veterans and former service members in various roles directly related to the skills and knowledge gained during their military careers.
Veterans like Christian Beisel, whose experience in the U.S. Navy Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program eventually led him to a civilian career as a Forensic Specialist and Boiler Liaison in Travelers Risk Control.
Read on to hear how the skills Christian acquired in the Navy have helped him in his roles at Travelers and how his military experience and values align with our workplace culture.
Describe your current role at Travelers and your career journey at Travelers.
“I am a Forensic Specialist and Boiler Liaison at the Risk Control Lab. I shifted to this role in March 2023 from my previous role as the Northeast Field Manager for Boiler and Machinery Risk Control.”
Describe some of your team’s roles and work in Forensics in the Risk Control Lab.
“Forensic Engineering helps bring science to claims. We bring investigative support to better understand the facts of a claim and determine the “why.” The collaborative nature of working with claims and subrogation as an internal expert is appealing to me because it offers a new set of challenges and the ability to continue to learn and grow.
I am still amazed by the lab’s capabilities to provide large loss, investigative support to the Claim organization on behalf of our customers.”
What is your military and career background?
“I enlisted in the Navy as an Electronics Technician in the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program in 1995 during my third semester at Virginia Tech. I went through the nuclear training pipeline and served as a Reactor Operator on USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) until I was selected for a commissioning program in 2000. I returned to Virginia Tech and was commissioned in 2003. I went back through the nuclear training pipeline and became a Submarine Warfare Officer, serving on USS Nevada (SSBN-733), USS Providence (SSN-719), and PCU Vermont (SSN-792). I also served on several shore tours, including as the Submarine Group 2 Engineer, the Naval Submarine School Navigator and Director of Pipeline Technical Training, Submarine Development Squadron Twelve Tactical Analysis Group, and the Executive Officer of Naval Submarine Base New London. I joined Travelers upon retiring from the Navy in 2019.”
Can you describe your transition into the civilian workforce? What ultimately led you to apply at Travelers?
“As I approached my retirement from the Navy, I decided to focus my search for a new career outside the defense industry. Headhunters were focused on opportunities outside of my geographic area, but my kids were in the same town and school for most of their childhood, and my wife and I had no desire to relocate. One of my friends I mountain bike with also worked for Travelers and suggested I look into Risk Control based on my background. I contacted the Director of Military Sourcing at Travelers, who connected me with Boiler and Machinery Risk Control, where I ultimately started my Travelers journey.”
What are some of the military skills that translate into your current role and the roles you have held?
“Some skills that translate from the military into my roles at Travelers include communication, collaboration and teamwork, critical thinking, decision-making, adaptability, resiliency, and the ability to learn. There are certainly technical and specific skills that translate as well. Still, my Navy career offered broad experience and developed me into a lifelong learner, which best translates into my current role.”
What is the overall workplace culture at Travelers?
“The overall workplace culture at Travelers is collaborative and focused on the customer and the team. It was a smooth transition because of the similarities between the Navy’s core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment to our Travelers’ core values of Honesty, Integrity, and Accountability.
It was also important to me that Travelers demonstrated that in addition to claims, our customers, communities, and employees are also key stakeholders. Support towards charitable giving and volunteerism were also important aspects that paralleled the commitment to service that became a part of me in the Navy.
How does Travelers support the greater military community?
“Travelers supports partnerships and programs that provide a variety of outreach to veterans, transitioning service members and their families. Mentoring through American Corporate Partners (ACP) is one of the ways that I have been able to give back. I didn’t know about ACP when I was transitioning from the Navy. After more than a year of involvement with the program, I’ve found that mentoring servicemembers transitioning from the military to the private sector not only provides my mentees with support and advice through a pivotal part of their life but it allows me to better self-reflect on my own transition and what I value about my career at Travelers.”
What advice would you give transitioning or serving military members looking for civilian careers?
“Be confident in how your military experience translates to applicable skills. Be open to what opportunities are out there. Determine what’s most important to you and your family in a post-military career.”
What is your favorite part about working at Travelers?
“My favorite part about working at Travelers is the collaborative environment and working with a group of intelligent and dedicated professionals. Including our customers, communities, and employees as stakeholders bring a sense of pride in being a part of the organization. This was important to me as I transitioned from a career in the Navy.”
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WHO WE ARE.
From Girls Who Code to Travelers – Meet Kay Edwards
Kay Edwards always knew she wanted to work in a collaborative and evolving field like technology, which led her to the Girls Who Code Hiring Summit last fall, where she connected with members of the Travelers Technology Team. The summit welcomed Girls Who Code alums and other women technologists seeking internships or their first professional role in tech.
“What drew me to technology is the collaboration – it’s a field that’s always changing, and you learn more and understand it better by collaborating with others,” Kay said.
“I became interested in tech careers after participating in bootcamps and training courses to expand my experience in software engineering.”
Armed with courses and coding experience, she was ready to bring her dream of a career in tech to life. “As soon as I connected with the team running the Travelers booth, I wanted to apply right away. I immediately felt that the Technology Leadership Development Program (TLDP) would offer a great learning experience with the opportunity for growth.”
Kay joined the TLDP in January 2023 and entered her first technical role in Personal Insurance Technology Compelling Offerings. “I’ve felt a lot of support through the onboarding process. My learning continues through the technical bootcamp I’m in along with other members of the TLDP. I am thankful to the TLDP for their support and investment in me as an employee.”
Kay is one of five women technologists who attended the Girls Who Code Hiring Summit and identified Travelers as a place they saw themselves starting their careers in tech. The four additional hires are slated to start their Travelers careers in June 2023.
Girls Who Code is an organization with the goal of closing the gender gap in technology. Through immersion programs, leadership development and career exploration, Girls Who Code brings technology education to students and early career professionals.
Travelers has teamed up with Girls Who Code since 2020, each year hosting two-week Summer Immersion Programs for high school-aged, aspiring women technologists students to gain hands-on experience and mentoring.
Travelers will host its next Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program in the summer of 2023. Read more about Travelers Technology and Girls Who Code.
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WHO WE ARE.
Travelers EDGE® Graduate Series – Belma Pehratović
In 2022, we marked the 15-year anniversary of Travelers EDGE® (Empowering Dreams for Graduation and Employment). Since 2007, Travelers EDGE has provided a unique, sustainable school-to-career pipeline for hundreds of students. As we mark this milestone anniversary, we look back on the extraordinary achievements our alumni have accomplished and the legacy they have left behind. We reached out to Travelers EDGE graduates to hear their stories and learn about the success they forged for themselves and their families.
“Strength in Diversity” – Belma Pehratović (2020 graduate)
“How you do one thing is how you do everything.”
That’s Belma Pehratović’s piece of advice for future Travelers EDGE scholars. Belma says Travelers EDGE instilled a sense of pride in her that she now carries with her everywhere.
“Travelers takes diversity and inclusion seriously,” Belma said. “And I take that seriously. They don’t just put their name on things and provide financial support – they foster their programs to be inclusive, impactful and helpful to those they affect.”
Belma is a first-generation refugee. She came to the U.S. in 2000 from Bosnia and Herzegovina and has lived in Hartford ever since. She learned about the Travelers EDGE program in her junior year of high school and made it her mission to be selected as a scholar.
The next summer she succeeded and started her first internship with Travelers.
After being selected as a Travelers EDGE scholar, Belma decided to attend the University of Connecticut (UConn), a Travelers EDGE partner school. Not only was she able to choose a school that was the right fit for her, but the program also helped her to choose without immense financial pressure.
“If it wasn’t for [Travelers] EDGE, I wouldn’t have been able to choose UConn,” she said. “The financial burden was lifted.”
Belma emphasizes that Travelers EDGE opened many doors for her but acknowledges that being a Travelers EDGE scholar is also a lot of work.
“We had to start college classes before everyone else through summer bridge programs,” she said. “We had monthly meetings and we constantly had to revise our resumes to ensure we stayed ready and prepared for the job we wanted.”
The program’s mentoring resources also helped sharpen her professional skills. This guidance helped her navigate her way through the corporate world, not just as an employee, but also as a woman working in technology.
“The mentorship that Travelers EDGE provides is great because it teaches you everything,” Belma said. “When I was in college, I struggled with finding mentors from similar backgrounds, that understood the challenges that come with being from a minority group. Travelers EDGE helped me see that the differences in my background can be my strength. I am happy to be here, and I am grateful to work in a company that celebrates and leverages my diversity.”
Belma now works at Travelers in PI as a Data Engineer on the Machine Learning Operations team within Data and Analytics and says she loves it. She reiterates how low the odds are for first-generation refugees to make it as far as she did. She often thinks about how different her life would have been if she had stayed in Bosnia, or if she had not been introduced to Travelers EDGE. This realization has shaped what success looks like to her.
“I didn’t have professional role models to look up to – now I have little cousins, ages five and eight, who follow everything I do,” she said. “Now, I measure my success in and outside of work by how good of an example I can set for them. You have to believe in yourself, trust your abilities, and set the tone for generations to come.”
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WHO WE ARE.
Travelers Recognized for Military-Friendly Culture
The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRV) recently announced it has once again been named a Best for Vets Employer by Military Times, as well as a Military Friendly® Employer and Military Friendly® Spouse Employer by VIQTORY.
“These recognitions demonstrate our steadfast commitment to creating a welcoming environment for the military community,” said Diane Kurtzman, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Travelers. “Service members and their families add incredible value to our workforce, and we’re proud to support them.”
Travelers offers a robust suite of military-friendly programs and benefits, including:
- An employee resource group focused on building awareness of veterans’ skills and experiences. Since its launch in 2013, the Military and Veterans & Allies Diversity Network has grown to more than 3,100 members.
- A recruiting initiative designed specifically to help military spouses. Since 2020, the company has hired more than 200 military spouses and recently created a forum where they can come together to share tips, exchange resources and offer support to one another.
- A partnership with American Corporate Partners, a national nonprofit that helps veterans discover their next careers. Since 2010, Travelers employees have mentored hundreds of post-9/11 veterans.
- Comprehensive benefits for employees deployed on active duty, which include full benefits that are in addition to supplementing employees’ military pay for up to five years of their deployment.
The company has also signed the Statement of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve at both state and national levels and is part of the Department of Defense Military Spouse Employment Partnership. In addition, Travelers was named a 2021 Employer for Outstanding Support by the U.S. Navy Reserve.
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WHO WE ARE.
Not all disabilities are visible. One employee’s journey of living with a hidden disability
Erin, an Auto Liability Unit Manager in our Corporate Claim department, leads her team with the goal of achieving excellent customer service. Through their management of auto accident injury claims, Erin says they strive to handle all claimant communications with compassion, respect and empathy.
It’s the same culture of compassion, respect and empathy that Erin also finds herself in as an employee at Travelers.
Erin is quietly affected by mental illness, something she only recently realized is considered a hidden disability.
“I suffer from general anxiety, panic attacks, and have faced depression in the past,” Erin said.
She became aware of her anxiety nearly 20 years ago while experiencing her first panic attack in college. At the time, family struggles, schoolwork, multiple jobs, and the general pressure of being a student were all piling on.
“I was spreading myself too thin. Exaggerated worries, doubt, and negativity consumed my every thought,” Erin said.
Since then, her journey into understanding and living with her mental health has been one of self-discovery. Through counseling, the support of her family, making self-care a priority and working in a caring environment, Erin has found life and career success.
“Even with struggles, you can achieve your goals and become successful if you learn healthy ways to overcome them,” Erin said.
Today at Travelers, she faces challenges using learned coping tools and the support from her mentors, leaders, and friends at work. She says they offer encouragement through public speaking responsibilities, interviews, and taking career risks – all areas where she may have otherwise struggled.
“The collaborative culture at Travelers helps you get to know your peers. Building those interpersonal relationships makes me feel trust, and with that trust, I am more willing to put myself out there,” she said.
Erin’s involvement in Travelers’ Diversity Networks (DN), including the Disability & Allies, Women & Allies and the Black and African American & Allies DNs, has also helped her connect with peers who share the same goals of promoting empowerment, inclusion and allyship.
“The Travelers DNs are a great way to meet professionals you may not have met otherwise,” she said, “It offers a great way to connect with a group of individuals who care about a common mission.”
Benefits and wellness offerings at Travelers have also helped Erin access support when needed. Travelers provides wellness resources, referral services, and confidential counseling services to all employees and their dependents.
“Travelers does a great job offering a safe place to seek support,” Erin said, “There are so many resources available for employees.”
Erin says her whole team may not be aware of the depth of her challenges. Still, she does share openly when she feels anxious and, in her experience, feels her honesty encourages others to feel more comfortable being open at work.
“I want to show how far we have come with the mental health stigma. A lot more people struggle with mental health than we probably realize and I am here to say that I can relate firsthand to those struggles.”
After losing a family member to mental illness and hearing more mental health-related stories shared by colleagues and leaders at Travelers, Erin felt compelled to share her story.
“I wanted to share to help someone, anyone,” she said, “Anxiety is part of my story, but it is not the whole story. If I help one person, then I am grateful.”
Resources
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Call 988 or Chat with Lifeline
- Crisis Text Line Text TALK to 741741
- CDC Suicide Prevention
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