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Digital EditionTackling Evolving Risk Management Challenges by Building Resilience
Risk & Insurance® caught up with Samar Patni, senior vice president, client executive, Risk Management Practice Group for Marsh, and a 2025 Power Broker winner who works with public sector and health care clients. She discusses the unique challenges that each sector faces, and how she leverages engineering expertise, data and industry relationships to help clients build targeted risk mitigation strategies.
Risk & Insurance: The health care sector is facing challenges in its business model. Labor is under stress and the costs of care keep rising. How can a commercial broker help their health care clients successfully manage risk in this environment?
Samar Patni: The health care sector is facing significant strain on its traditional business model, with escalating labor costs, workforce shortages, and rising costs of care delivery putting immense pressure on both operations and finances. The sector is increasingly struggling under government resource shortages and persistent funding constraints, limiting its ability to meet growing care demand.
In this environment, we have been helping our clients navigate uncertainty and strengthen resilience. By conducting in-depth risk assessments and leveraging industry benchmarking, we identify emerging exposures across areas such as medical professional liability, cyber security, and employee safety. We assist with optimal structures such as high-deductibles or group purchasing model that reflect our client’s risk appetite and financial capacity.
We collaborate with our specialized internal claims specialists and advisory to implement proactive loss control measures, support staff training on occupational health and safety, and advise on policy wording to ensure alignment with complex regulatory demands. Our strategy is to focus not just on the insurance requirements but to integrate long-term risk management strategies for health care organizations to better manage volatility, protect their people and assets, and remain focused on delivering safe, quality care.
R&I: The public sector is facing its own stressors. Civil unrest, at least here in the U.S., appears to be on the rise. Are there risk management solutions, even risk engineering solutions, that public sector risk managers might want to consider under these circumstances?
Patni: Public sector clients, especially in education, are under increasing stress both operationally and financially. In Canada, public sector education clients are grappling with aging infrastructure, constrained budgets, and escalating insurance premiums—driven in part by inflation and increased exposure to natural catastrophes such as wildfires and flooding. In the U.S., we are also seeing heightened exposures linked to civil unrest, campus security, and social liability issues. Such challenges expose schools and universities not only to physical security concerns but also to reputational risk, especially in the eyes of parents, regulators, and the broader community.
As an insurance broker and risk consultant, our role is to offer strategic, data-driven risk management solutions. For instance, to address these growing risks, our experienced risk engineers conduct in-person inspections focused on property and liability exposures. Their assessments lead to practical, tailored recommendations that help prevent incidents and minimize the potential for catastrophic claims, ultimately strengthening our client’s risk profile and insurer confidence.
We help clients implement layered protection strategies including fencing, surveillance, emergency response planning and lockdown protocols. We also advise on crisis communication plans, active threat drills, and community engagement strategies.
From an insurance perspective, we advocate for niche policies that include civil commotion, active assailants and malicious attack coverage, as well as appropriate limits for general liability and property. As we work with large education reciprocals, we advocate large self-Insured retentions or deductible buy-down options to ease financial strain during large-scale events.
R&I: As a broker, what have been some of your most important lessons learned in trying to obtain and retain the business of your health care and public sector clients?
Patni: I strongly believe that trust and communication are the key foundations for obtaining and retaining business. Health care and education have been facing unique and evolving risks, so building strong relationships through consistent, transparent communication helps us understand their specific challenges and tailor solutions accordingly. Adaptability is key. By working closely with underwriters and involving clients directly during marketing meetings, we ensure full transparency and tailor insurance solutions to meet our clients’ evolving needs, thereby strengthening long-term partnerships.
I have learned that clients value insurance partners who go beyond just placing policies. They want partners who proactively identify risks, offer data-driven insights, and support effective risk management through on-site assessments and loss prevention strategies. Ultimately, establishing enduring relationships with clients requires consistent commitment and perseverance.
R&I: Do you see a role for artificial intelligence in growing your business, making it run effectively and getting your clients the results they need?
Patni: Yes, I definitely see artificial intelligence playing a crucial role in growing the business and improving efficiency. AI-driven data analytics allow us to process vast amounts of risk information quickly, helping identify emerging trends and predict exposures with greater accuracy. For example, we have used AI to analyze past claims trends and leverage those insights to strategically structure insurance programs including setting appropriate limits and client retentions to help lower excess premium costs.
In recent times, by leveraging AI to analyze historical claims data and risk patterns, we have been able to provide enhanced underwriting submissions for renewals that accurately reflect our client’s risk profile. This has not only facilitated more precise pricing but has also strengthened our negotiating position with insurers. Additionally, we have witnessed that AI tools support improved incident and claims management throughout the policy term by enabling faster detection of emerging issues and more effective coordination, thus helping to reduce loss costs and improve client outcomes. &
