Liliana Lapadatoni Huluta will next year celebrate two full decades at Marsh McLennan. The Romanian team had just 20 members when she first joined, while today she leads a team of 71 colleagues. Speaking in this interview, she explains what it’s like to be a leader in the region.
Your company’s tradition spans over 150 years and Marsh McLennan today operates in 130 countries, but how long have you been operating in Serbia?
― We have been operating in the region for over 20 years. Since 2019, our offices in Belgrade, Ljubljana and Zagreb have been grouped into a subregional structure, with a hub in Belgrade. We first launched our service for large industrial clients.
The client needs have evolved greatly, while the role of the broker is far more important today than ever before. Clients have come to understand that working through a broker grants them access to the entire local and international market, while working directly with an insurer limits the options to the products, services and capabilities of a single player. Moreover, the insurance market, like any other market, is prone to yearly changes, so a client that chooses a broker will always be on the lookout for the best value and won’t remain a captive of the same partner.
How would you describe your journey in this brokerage firm?
― It has been an amazing growth journey of continuous learning and development, from a young graduate to a regional CEO. Together with my diverse leadership team, we have positioned Marsh McLennan, through Marsh, as the number one risk advisor and insurance broker in the Adria Region, based on financial performance and client recognition. More than a thousand corporate clients across the region recognise Marsh as a trusted partner for people, risk and strategy, and see our team as a professional outfit that dedicates time and energy to ensuring we always deliver on our promises.
We have positioned Marsh as the number one risk advisor and insurance broker in the Adria Region, based on financial performance and client recognition
I stand for a leader who develops people, who transforms good teams into great ones, with a clear vision, excellent structure and execution. I am proud to be the sponsor of a regional graduate programme who brought on board 16 very talented young professionals.
How do you see the future of the industry?
― We can only be as big as the markets in which we operate. While we are proud of our over 400% growth across the Adria region, as well as the constant convergence of our performance with other, more mature, markets, we have to seek constant progress. Advancing the markets where we operate has to be our number one priority. That’s why insurance brokers in Serbia should be very proud to have created a professional brokers association. This is an important achievement that will lead to a positive shift on the market, as we will jointly invest in improving the image brokers have locally and will partner with insurers to improve the local products and services for the greater good of our clients.
We all believe our clients deserve better and it is our responsibility to improve insurance brokerage and make the insurance broker’s profession a sought-after career for the brightest young minds in Serbia. That is the future.
