Kirsten Faria / ’93 Learning success By Helen Jardine WHEN SALTUS alum Kirsten (Butterworth) Faria gave the graduation speech at the SGY 2010 graduation ceremony, she endowed students with several “words of wisdom” for entering the next stage of their life. She told them to enjoy the fresh start that comes with graduation; never to be afraid to ask for help; to turn mistakes into knowledge; and never to stop being curious. At only 34, Kirsten—who serves as senior vicepresident for Bermuda and international healthcare at Allied World Assurance Company—has quickly learned what it takes to become successful. On a daily basis, she directs and manages all strategic and operational initiatives for the local and international healthcare “book of business,” with a specific focus on US healthcare entities in all 50 states, Europe and Asia. As part of her job, Kirsten must keep abreast of developing healthcare reform, medical advances, varying tort environments and emerging risks. “In layman’s terms, I sell insurance to major hospital systems to provide coverage in the event a hospital is being sued for a botched surgery, for example,” she says. “I am certainly not sitting in my office crunching numbers into a model all day, which can be a misconception about the industry sometimes. I enjoy communicating and interacting with people, which is exactly what I do at Allied World—I’m just doing it in a way that promotes our products and capabilities. There’s nothing boring about my job because there’s nothing boring about people!” Kirsten graduated from Saltus in 1993, which she credits as a “huge help” in preparing her for university. “The SGY Year really laid the foundation for my university years at McGill [Montreal],” she explains. “It meant having a lot more freedom, while yet still working within a framework. It was a good transition year.” She received a Bachelor of Arts in History at McGill, then became a broker at Marsh Global Broking (Bermuda) from 1999 to 2002, before joining Allied World as an underwriter in 2002. “There was an opportunity in healthcare after the dislocation of the healthcare market in the US post 9/11,” she explains. “It’s a hairy line of business S A LT U S M A G A Z I N E in terms of the severity and frequency of loss, but that means it is never dull.” Although she describes the change from broking to underwriting as a “huge learning curve,” she says underwriting turned out to be a “better fit” for her. “In my job, I get to really peel back the layers, which appeals to my meticulous nature,” she says. “In terms of what’s next for me, I’m looking forward to moving with the company as it continues to branch out into the Asian and European markets.” Among her many accolades, Kirsten was named the Bermuda Insurance Institute 2009 “Insurance Person of the Year.” She is also a board member of the Bermuda Society for Healthcare Risk Management; a member of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society; and a member of the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management. On top of her career, she is also a mother, whose six-year-old son attends Saltus Lower Primary. “Every once in a while, I think I could have been a teacher, but I’m not sure if I have the patience,” she laughs. “In the end, what you get out of your job comes from the effort you put into it. My best advice to students at Saltus today would be to approach whatever you do with interest and passion.” ‘Approach whatever you do with interest and passion’ 35 CHARLES ANDERSON