Spencer Conway /’00 The trailblazer By Helen Jardine WHEN SPENCER CONWAY,27, graduatedfromSaltusin2000,his yearbookquoteread:“donotgowhere thepathmaylead;goinsteadwhere thereisnopathandleaveatrail.” Andthat’sexactlywhathedid. TheformerHeadBoynowworksat LancashireGroup,aninnovativespecialty insurancecompanywithofficesin Bermuda,Londonanddubai. “Thecompanymottois‘workhard, playhard,’whichisevidencedbyour emphasisonemployinghigh-performance individualswhoworkextremelyhard, andconversely,thefactthatwehavea nintendoWiiandapooltableinourboardroom!” laughsConway.“Ithinktheethicsandvalues showninourteachersatSaltusarethemainthings thatpreparedmeforwhatIamdoingtoday.All toooften,weunderestimatetheeffectthatrole modelsandteacherscanhaveonastudent’slife.” Conway’sdaygenerallystartsat5:30a.m.with arun,bikeorswimbeforeheheadstotheoffice. Onaday-to-daybasis,herunsthecatastrophe modelsatLancashire,whichcalculatethedollar lossthecompanywouldpotentiallyexpectto experienceontheiraccountsshouldawindstorm, earthquakeorothercatastrophiceventoccur. Conway,whosemotherCarolynwasaSaltus Primary7teacherfor18years,studiedEconomics atdalhousieuniversityinHalifax,novaScotia, beforebeginninghiscareeratLloyd’sofLondon. “Saltuspreparedmeforuniversitywithitsfocus ontheimportanceofqualitystudent-teacher relationships,”hesays.“IalsothinkSaltusdida greatjobwiththeamountofefforttheyputinto helpingusselectauniversity.” Ifhewasn’tinthecareerheistoday,Conway sayshewouldprobablybeatriathleteoramusician, ashehasalreadycompletedfiveIronmanevents andenjoysthetraining. HeisalsochairmanoftheBermudaunder 40s—anon-profitorganisationconsistingof 44 CHARLES ANDERSON registeredmembersintheinsuranceandreinsurance industries.Thecriteriaforcommitteemembers? Beingyoungerthan40. “Ouraimistopromoteandfosterinterestand knowledgeinallareasofinsuranceandreinsurance byprovidingaforumbetweenmembersfortopical comment,educationalandnetworkingopportunities,” hesays.“Ithinkourmostvaluablebenefittothe localcommunityisthatweofferatouroftheLondon anduSinsurancemarketseverytwoyearsthat youngBermudiansinvolvedintheinsuranceindustry areencouragedtoattendandparticipatein.” Thegroupalsooffersaseriesofevents,including knowledgeandnetworkingworkshops,quiznights, golfdays,paneldiscussionsandhappyhours. Whenhe’snotworkingororganisingeventsfor theunder40s,Conwayisspendingtimewithhis family—somethinghedescribesas“veryimportant” tohislife.ConwaymarriedSommer Fasulo (’00) inJulylastyearatSt.Michael’sChurch,Paget. ThecouplemetwhilebothstudentsintheSaltus GraduateYearprogramme.(WithherBAin ElementaryEducationandEnglishfromWilliam &Maryuniversity,VA,Sommertaughtsecond gradeinWashington,dC,andisnowaP2temp teacheratBHS. “Familyissoimportanttobothofus—Ithinkit isourfoundation,”hesays. ‘The ethics and values shown in our teachers prepared me for what I’m doing today’ S A LT U S M A G A Z I N E