Founded in 2017, Rising Insurance Star Executives (RISE) was created with a mission to identify and support emerging talent within the insurance sector. In today’s challenging talent recruitment and retention landscape, RISE offers a pipeline for future leaders, serving as a hub for professional development, mentorship, and community.
Having recently celebrated its fourth year, the RISE Leadership Summit & Awards Gala has now become a flagship event—a three-day gathering that celebrates innovation, fosters connections, and cultivates career growth.
We caught up with Amy Cooper, Founder of RISE and VP — Carrier Practice Sales, to hear about this year’s highlights.
What were some of your highlights from the 2025 RISE Leadership Summit & Awards Gala?
A definite highlight for the Gallagher Bassett (GB) team was seeing Caryn Siebert, VP — National Director, Carrier Engagement, receive the 2025 LEAD Award. This is an award that recognizes four industry leaders for creating change by championing inclusivity and opportunity. This year’s finalists were Pete Kidd, MSM, CPCU, Pedro Jermaine, Megan Bell, and Caryn, selected for their meaningful contributions to inclusivity and belonging in both their words and actions.
However, it was Caryn’s leadership and powerful advocacy through mentorship, sponsorship, and promotion that led her to win this award. She’s also been instrumental in raising awareness and support for Insurance Cares raising over $15,000 for the DEI on the RISE scholarship at this year’s gala.
Additionally, congratulations to Sandra Nikodimos, GB Specialty Consultative Analytics Lead, for being listed among RISE’s 35 Under 35 Award winners, which recognizes young talent who are making an impact in their organizations and shaping the future of the industry.
Another highlight was how well received our new programs were, including an interactive AI workshop, a LinkedIn masterclass, and sessions addressing mental health, sharing strategies for avoiding burnout, and discussing how to recover from professional missteps.
What were some of the key takeaways from this year’s most popular sessions?
This year’s lineup of speakers was fantastic. We were so grateful to all the speakers who agreed to join us. Each of them helped deliver a slate of fresh perspectives for our RISE attendees. One of the most popular sessions was the Leadership Summit’s keynote speaker, Matt Dunsmoor from Simon Sinek’s The Optimism Company, who spoke about “The Infinite Game,” teaching attendees how to embrace an infinite mindset to build stronger, more innovative, and more inspiring organizations. He shared skills for building resilience to thrive in an ever-changing world, providing invaluable lessons for emerging leaders and seasoned professionals alike.
Another session drawing a huge crowd was our “Future Leaders Panel,” which featured past RISE 35 Under 35 winners. This year’s panelists shared stories from their careers in the insurance industry: their successes, lessons learned, and advice to young professionals.
Speed mentoring was a highlight for many at the RISE 2025 Leadership Summit. Why do you think this is such a valuable format and opportunity for attendees at RISE?
Year after year, the speed mentoring at RISE proves to be such a valuable format for rising leaders to meet senior executives. Through our speed mentoring program, attendees can hear firsthand about the experiences that shape executives and the crucial lessons they can learn to elevate their own careers. Similarly, senior executives love meeting so many rising stars in just one hour.
However, speed mentoring at RISE wouldn’t be what it is if it weren’t for the attendees. You can feel the energy, enthusiasm, and excitement emanating from attendees. It’s truly inspiring to see the immense potential among our young professionals who hold the future of our industry in their hands, and it’s important that we provide them with the right support systems to help them grow.
Any advice to students interested in a career in insurance who are contemplating attending next year’s event?
If there’s one industry event you attend next year, it should be the 2026 RISE Leadership Summit. It’s three days of excitement and opportunity that will have you energized about the future of our industry. Many past students have left with internships and full-time roles; it’s the perfect way to get your foot in the door.
As the founder of RISE, how do four successful years of the RISE Leadership Summit feel?
I am energized by the growth and support that RISE has had over the last four years. It is exciting to know that our industry supports and actively contributes to our future leaders, and the growing popularity of RISE is proof of that. As someone who enjoys my career in insurance at GB, it matters that we are supporting and sustaining the insurance industry’s success, which in turn fuels our society.
Find out more and become a part of the RISE community today.
