In the insurance industry, knowledge is crucial. Crawford & Company CEO Rohit Verma understands that his customers rely on specialists to deliver quality outcomes at the most urgent times in their lives. Continual investment in the development of his staff, therefore, remains the company’s key differentiation in the marketplace.
For 80 years, putting people first to deliver the highest-quality service to restore lives, businesses and communities has been embedded in Crawford’s culture. Verma joined the company in 2017 as its global chief officer, becoming CEO in the wake of pandemic disruptions in 2020. He found the established employee-first approach helped to focus the team and help them adapt, collaborate and succeed during the uncertainty.
“Like many leaders,” Verma says, “the past two years highlighted even more the importance of looking after our people.” Witnessing an unprecedented openness and resourcefulness in people helped the company’s leadership understand what kinds of support they needed. Most significantly, it brought to the forefront the idea that the team’s mental health is extremely important for them to perform at their best. “No matter what position they are in,” says Verma, “everyone needs to have the right support, feel included in all that we do and have a holistic focus on well-being.”
In addition to a thoughtful back-to-the-office policy that offers flexibility but maintains visibility, connection and a focus on professional development, Crawford significantly enhanced its digital presence. “The accelerated work we were already doing to increase our visibility with the clients in the new virtual world has now cemented us as leaders in the claims technology space,” Verma explains.
The insurance industry as a whole is often viewed as slow to adapt to a digital landscape. Verma is working hard to change that mindset. “Combining our industry-leading expertise and forward-thinking people with innovative technologies that help to make processes more efficient and deliver better, quality outcomes for our customers.”
Verma and his team remain deeply committed to helping the new generation of leaders succeed by continuously seeking out diverse, individual talent and expertise to help the company keep evolving to meet new challenges. To help him accomplish this, he believes in having a wide variety of mentors inside and outside of work as well as mentoring others and making introductions to connect others. He believes this helps to create an environment where ideas and intentions can truly flourish.
In the end, it’s all about building deep relationships. “We learned a lot through the past few years about what our customers really need from us,” says Verma. “In response, we are focused on deepening our relationships with clients and our partners to enable us to adapt to their needs and the ever-changing landscape.”
