Keisha Burgher takes over top job at Marathon Insurance

She defies every preconception you may have of a woman, an insurance agent and a board member. She’s no stuffy, white-haired decision-maker; she doesn’t seem like the perennially nervous, badgering insurance type, and she’s certainly not willing to accept the role of the traditional woman.

In fact, Keisha Burgher might just make the average woman a tad uncomfortable, having achieved so much in such a short time. You have no choice but to be amazed. And long to be just like her.

Burgher, in a subtle, bubbly way, makes you wish that she was your mentor in high school, when you were choosing what you wanted to be; a big sister who would tell you how to be who you wanted to be, or the friend who would always point you in the right direction.

Just this April, her father, Richard, managing director of Marathon Insurance Company, saw it fit to pass the baton to his 32-year-old daughter, who is now CEO of the company – and the only female on the board, along with seven very prominent men.

It’s a position that her former bosses at Life of Jamaica, where she spent five years doing underwriting and getting risk management training, saw coming. Ravi Rambarran, who brought her into LOJ years ago, said that Burgher has already gone where he expected her to go – to take over her father’s business and grow it.

“She’s very energetic, very client-focused, very profit-focused,” Rambarran said. “I saw LOJ as the stepping stone to where she wanted to go.”

But for Burgher, the decision wasn’t an automatic one; in fact, negotiations have been taking place since last October. “I’m not here because it was a natural progression. I went through a rigorous interview process,” she said. There were three other contenders for the post, who were assessed, and Burgher’s appointment was announced at a corporate retreat in January.

After her speech, which elicited resounding applause from all who heard her mandate, whatever doubts anyone was harbouring were quashed. “My dad would have never handed over his company if he thought I couldn’t make it better,” she said. “I’m always forging a business deal, people close to me will know.

All the companies I started, I never asked my dad for money, I went through the same process (as everyone else). I think I’ve displayed the qualities which make me a candidate.”

Burgher has a varied background in business – from a hairdressing store to cellular phone dealerships.

“By nature I’m an entrepreneur. I’ve done everything – cellphone dealership, hotdog stand, hairdressing store, stock market.

I had two male business partners, three MiPhone dealerships, I’ve invested in the stock market.

“An entrepreneur is born, not made. You can’t just hand over your business to your child and say, Here’s the business. [The child] has to have the energy, the desire. You have to want to become rich. I love to make money. I love to close a deal.”

It’s a quality that another ex-LOJ boss, Willard Brown, can attest to. “She’s a solid, hard worker who gets bored easily, and so has to be constantly challenged,” Brown said. “The way to keep her motivated is to constantly throw new and harder challenges at her. We saw it [the appointment] coming – she was made for stuff like that.”

Burgher comes to the post of CEO with a wealth of experience in risk management, with an emphasis on feasibility analysis, profit retention and cost control. She holds an MSc in insurance and risk management from the City University Business School, London, and a degree in management and economics from UWI.

Launched in 1991 by a group of Jamaican entrepreneurs, Marathon Insurance Brokers, with branches in Kingston, Montego Bay, Portmore and Savanna-La-Mar, is today one of the largest insurance brokers in the country. The handover from Mr Burgher to Keisha will be transitional over the next two years, as he gets “into a better quality lifestyle”, (read relaxing after a lifetime building the company), but is available for consultation.

Burgher is centering on key areas of people management and maintaining customer satisfaction. “A CEO plays a dual role – to increase revenue and do people management,” she said. “This can be 80 per cent of the challenge. In the insurance world, people management – just managing the relationships and personalities – is so much more important [than anything else]. This is big time, you have to incentivise the staff and keep them happy.”

She says her days at the Jamaica Public Service Company, where she worked last in performance management, has prepared her for the long hours, people management and a full workday. “I have 10-12 hour days. I’m learning as well as making changes,” she said. “My door is always open. I’m full of energy – this is me all the time. I maintain a positive attitude because I enjoy what I do.”

One project she jumped on is the new tuition direct plan which helps parents finance their child’s education, should the parent become disabled. Burgher said that this has been getting great feedback.

“I wouldn’t invite someone to go into this unless you have the passion. It’s easy to get distracted. We’re human, so we have the odds stacked against us. So you have to work extra-hard, extra-hard behaviour equals extraordinary results.”

The Immaculate old girl said that the fear of women in top positions is created not because we’re females, but historically because these roles have been filled by men. “The overwhelming response to the new prime minister shows that the new generation is open to that sort of change,” she said. “You have to have passion.

Once you have passion and are willing to work, gender is not an issue. The world recognises passion, the world recognises extraordinary people. Being a woman doesn’t matter – the world recognises extraordinary talent.”

And for those who still have doubts: “70 per cent of university graduates are women. it must happen. We’re pushing on the boardroom door now. If gender is a qualifier for you, you must lose.”

Burgher grew up in a ‘business home’ so her aspirations were natural. She said her older brother who is also entrepreneurially driven, introduced her to the stock market. “You don’t understand money, cash flow, appreciate business until you lose a little money,” she said.

Now, as chairman of the finance committee of the Young Entrepreneur’s Association, a group of young Turks who came together to encourage business, Burgher said she wants to help pave the way for other young entrepreneurs. The association will help with mentorship as well as with access to the avenues for them to secure financial help.

The woman now heading Marathon loves sports and, true to form, has sponsored Champs and the Gibson Relays and goes to every single athletic event. And at least once a week she goes out to lunch with friends. She also goes out of town a lot, to her favourite place, Negril.

“I work hard and play hard. I love to cook. I’m addicted to the Food Network,” she said. “There’s nothing wrong with the traditional role of a woman, but everybody needs to fulfil their dream. Don’t just dream, make that next move.”