Rising Star Christopher Maro Started His Journey as a Maritime Officer. Now He’s an Expert Broker on Marine Risk

Come see the Stars! As part of our ongoing coverage of the best brokers in the commercial insurance space, Risk & Insurance®, with the sponsorship of Philadelphia Insurance, is expanding its coverage of the Rising Stars, those brokers who represent the next wave of insurance brokering talent.

Look for these expanded profiles on the Risk & Insurance website and in your social media feeds now and continuing into 2022.

Here’s a look at Christopher Maro, senior vice president, Marsh, and a 2021 Marine Power Broker and Rising Star.

Risk & Insurance: Can you describe your career journey? How did you become a broker working in the marine sector?

Christopher Maro: I graduated from the State University of New York Maritime College with not only a Bachelor of Science degree but also a merchant mariners license to sail as an officer on merchant ships (coupled with a commission as an officer in the United States Navy).

I sailed as an officer for about three years post-graduation and realized that I wanted to pivot to the shore side aspect of the maritime business.

After my last hitch in the summer of 2005, I inquired with fellow alumni and peers in the industry and landed at a brokerage firm looking to train and develop young talent specifically on the hull and liabilities side. The rest is history.

R&I: What are some of the current marine risk trends you and your clients are keeping top of mind?

CM: Cyber remains an ever-evolving and continuous area of discussion as more technological advances are introduced.

R&I: What would you say has been one of your greatest accomplishments as a broker so far? Why?

CM: We started on a journey at Marsh within the marine practice about 18 months ago to drill down into data and analytics being a key component to our engagement process with our internal colleagues, carriers and, most importantly, our valued clients.

While data and benchmarking was always something we recognized as valuable, the true essence of what was to be delivered was challenged.

Today we have expanded our benchmarking capabilities, offering peer comparisons in the context of rating, retentions and limits associated to specific class of our clients operations. This has allowed for more meaningful and engaging discussions with clients and insurers that have taken our role into an exciting space.

The value proposition is something that cannot be understated, and recognizing the need to pivot has been a great accomplishment for me.

R&I: Can you describe your approach to service and brokering? How do you engage your clients and partners?

CM: The simple answer is understanding my clients’ business and being a true partner to them.

Staying engaged to clients enables me to be a better partner. I take a similar approach with carriers.

Transparency and honesty can never be understated. I have built my whole career around these principles and keep them as my core values and principles.

R&I: What advice would you give to young professionals looking to enter into the risk and insurance industry?

CM: The little things matter! Attention to detail matters. Staying disciplined matters. Listening matters. Staying humble matters. Relationships matter.

Expand your knowledge by allowing yourself to absorb every aspect of what our business offers you — contract wording, analytical studies, benchmarking metrics and digital capabilities.

Our industry is evolving and moving at a pace that will bring incredible opportunities to younger professionals, and I would say not to miss one opportunity to capitalize on any of these. &