Getting to know
Ron Morrison, Divisional Senior Vice President, Great American Insurance Group
Litigation Management Professional of the Year Award winner Morrison discusses his career leading up to his current role as divisional senior vice president at Great American Insurance Group, his favorite claims cases, his views on mentoring, his advice for young professionals, and what he enjoys outside of work.
Morrison with his son, Max
MAKING MOVES
In 1996, Morrison began his insurance career as a multiline field adjuster in North Carolina before moving back home to Ohio, where he found his niche in litigation management and casualty claims. He then moved to Great American Insurance Company in 2014 and worked his way up to his current role as the head of claims for all the company’s markets.
REPAIRING LIVES
Morrison’s most memorable claim experience was during the 2017 California wildfires. He was on site while the hills were still burning and recalls visiting a winery that had been reduced to ashes. Standing alongside the owner after the fire was surreal and deeply emotional. While the owner had lost everything, Morrison and his team offered hope by partnering with them to create a recovery plan. Remarkably, the winery was rebuilt within two years and continues to operate today.
“It was an incredible honor and very humbling to be recognized as a leader and difference maker in our industry. It was a team award. It wasn’t a ‘me’ award. I have an amazing team with me, and we all work together. It was validation that I have a team that is doing really good things in the industry, and it was humbling to win in an industry that I have so much respect and passion for.”
Morrison, on winning CLM’s Litigation Management Professional of the Year Award.
WHAT IS A MENTOR?
To Morrison, a mentor is “an experienced and trusted adviser who provides guidance, support, and advice to someone less experienced in their career.” He adds, “I enjoy offering insight from my own experiences and assisting others to navigate the claim world using critical thinking. I think a good mentor uses a combination of coaching, challenging, and providing encouragement.”
“Outside of work, I enjoy boating, training my dog, and bird hunting. I’m also passionate about my career and the impact I can make, which means I often find fulfillment in staying engaged with my work. Because I can take my work anywhere, I’m able to maintain a healthy balance—pursuing the activities I love while still keeping up with professional responsibilities when needed.”
Morrison, on balancing life and work.
TECHNOLOGY MEETS EMPATHY
Morrison’s top piece of advice for young professionals entering the industry is to “embrace technology and all the tools available for us—but to understand that this will always be a people industry and to develop personal skills and embrace talking to people. The whole secret, to me, is how you make people feel and to always put yourself in other people’s shoes—and never handle claims as though it’s just another number.”