FEATURES
COVER STORY: ELITE WOMEN 2017 ASHLEY DE PAOLA Assistant vice president, account executive –lead Alliant Insurance Services
A dynamic young leader and hands-on problem-solver at Alliant Americas, the national middle-market platform of Alliant Insurance Services, Ashley De Paola is based in Alliant’s New York office, where she is responsible for a large portfolio of middlemarket clients throughout the Northeastern US. De Paola is highly regarded by her clients and colleagues for her in-depth policy analysis and tenacity in securing optimum coverage and cost savings, even in the face of highly complex risks and exposures. Her primary focus is on the real estate industry, and her experience spans a broad range of projects and product types. Outside of insurance, De Paola is a dedicated member of her Westchester community, where she supports various local charities.
ALISON OLIPHANT
SUZANNE O’KEEFE Executive vice president Wells Fargo Insurance
Chief underwriting officer Velocity Risk Underwriters
In late 2015, Alison Oliphant started a commercial division from scratch at Velocity Risk Underwriters [VRU], an MGA that operates as the direct insurance underwriting arm of Nephila Capital. Oliphant has built and is still growing the commercial operations, having worked simultaneously on a multitude of processes, from hiring a full underwriting team and designing underwriting criteria and rating methodology to working on modeling capabilities and directing the development of proprietary technology. Under Oliphant’s leadership, VRU closed 2016 with $28.6 million in written premium and is currently building on a year-to-date total that far exceeds all of 2016 as a result of its growing team. Before joining VRU, Oliphant was with AmWINS Group, where she received an award for her work as a mentor, given by the company to leaders who invest knowledge, skills, experience and time to develop young talent. In addition to her day job, Oliphant served as the 2016 chairperson of the Birmingham, Alabama, March of Dimes fundraising campaign and is also involved with other local charities.
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Suzanne O’Keefe’s work ethic, leadership style and outlook can be summed up by the motto “attitude determines altitude.” Starting out as a customer service representative and working in various sales and business development roles, O’Keefe eventually joined Wells Fargo Insurance in 2002. She was recently promoted to lead the newly formed insurance bank partnership division of the firm, where she is responsible for overseeing cross-sell activities between Wells Fargo’s insurance brokerage and consulting business and its corporate and commercial banking partners. Prior to her new role, O’Keefe led the small business insurance team and served as a managing director for the Mid-Atlantic and Carolinas regions. Outside of Wells Fargo, O’Keefe participates in various career advisory boards and mentors other women in the industry. She also volunteers regularly with the National Youth Football Organization.