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Insurance leaders emphasize delegation, empathy and resilient teams
Panelists at InsuranceFest 2026 described how leadership priorities are shifting from workload management to developing people and anticipating burnout.
Insurance leadership is increasingly focused on people development, managing change, and building resilient teams rather than simply overseeing workloads, panelists said at InsuranceFest 2026 in Santa Monica on 16 July, according to Insurance Business. During a discussion titled Insurance Leadership Insights, moderator Suzanna Bittner, senior director of operations at C3 Risk & Insurance Services, was joined by Brooke Liu, senior vice president at MarshBerry, Jennifer Kessel, chief operating officer at USG Insurance Services, and Diauntae Morrow, owner of The Morrow Group and president of the NAAIA Cleveland chapter. The panel, while centered on the US market, also highlighted themes resonating in the UK as insurers compete to attract, develop, and retain talent, including strengthening early-career pipelines alongside efforts to hire experienced professionals. Liu said a breast cancer diagnosis led to an extended leave of absence and, upon returning, she found her team had maintained performance and improved processes she previously managed herself, changing her view of delegation from a necessity to a leadership responsibility. Kessel also discussed encouraging younger workers to spend less time proving capability and more time demonstrating value, and the panelists challenged traditional views of productivity by focusing on recognizing burnout and setting expectations, with Liu describing burnout as a temporary period she learns to anticipate.