“We’ve got serious problems, and we need serious people.” This quote is from one of my favorite movies, The American President. Our industry has many opportunities; they are serious and complicated. We need serious people with serious resources to address them in a serious way. That is the charge of the Sedgwick Institute. I am excited about providing a forum where people like Chris Mandel and Rick Victor can be joined by other serious thought leaders in our industry to tackle the problems whose solutions will benefit us all.”
--Dave North, Sedgwick president and CEO
What makes me proud to serve in this role is just when I think Sedgwick may relax for a minute, our president and CEO, Dave North articulates his vision to go the next level. The tip of the spear for bringing that vision to fruition is the brand new Sedgwick Institute. The institute extends Sedgwick’s commitment to developing and delivering innovative solutions by leveraging the deep and wide subject matter expertise and thought leadership which pervades Sedgwick, allowing us to elevate the dialogue around important issues that affect the risk and benefits industry and its many stakeholders.
While much is to be determined as to the exact issues the institute will tackle and when, the approach we will use will draw on both the expertise of Sedgwick’s in-house thought leaders as well as others with thought-leading, cutting-edge, innovative ideas to offer that would further interests in the industry, advance legislative opportunities and improve inefficiencies in our industry practices. We aim to further these interests by:
- Conducting and publishing research
- Developing forums for information-sharing and assessment
- Forging partnerships with organizations whose missions align with our strategic interests, both in the short and long term
- Advocating for and shaping state and federal legislation affecting industry stakeholders
- Driving innovation that improves outcomes for the various industry segments
The institute’s work is intended to benefit Sedgwick clients, business partners and colleagues, as well as the recipients of services administered by Sedgwick, regulators and the general public. Deepening our understanding of the mechanisms and process components of the risk and benefits space will enable us to better serve our clients and take care of injured and ill workers and other consumers the way they want to be treated.
The appointment of Rick Victor—the esteemed founder of the Worker’s Compensation Research Institute who recently retired from his extended term as president—as the Sedgwick Institute’s first senior fellow is evidence of the caliber of contributors who will be working to elevate the dialogue around industry issues. Dr. Victor’s background and experience with WCRI gives the Sedgwick Institute a full-throttle start toward its ambitious objectives. He previously worked as an economist for the Rand Corporation, earned a law degree and a doctorate in economics from the University of Michigan, and guided WCRI to become the leading institute for public policy research in workers’ compensation. His initial focus at the Sedgwick Institute will be on the challenges facing U.S. employers, injured workers, lawmakers and practitioners of occupational medicine.
I am humbled and proud to lead the Sedgwick Institute as we formally launch our pursuit of excellence, innovation and great solutions and ideas that will effect meaningful change in the industry that has supplied me with personal growth opportunities for more than 35 years. My work in segments of the industry that include carrier claims, brokerage, risk consulting, large global risk management and, most recently, the strategic priorities of Sedgwick, have prepared me for the exciting challenges that lie ahead.
Finally, we want to hear from you. The evolution of the Sedgwick Institute agenda will be successful only with the regular and substantive contributions from the various stakeholders whose interests are most important to us: employers, injured and ill members of the workforce, insurance carriers, property owners, brokers and consultants, lawmakers, medical providers and all students of the risk and benefits industry. To that end, please send us your thoughts and feedback at sedgwickinstitute@sedgwick.com to get the conversation started.
What topics and issues would you like to see atop the agenda of the Sedgwick Institute?
Chris Mandel, Sedgwick SVP of strategic solutions and director, Sedgwick Institute