“I learned how meaningful it is to help people and businesses” – Definity exec

Fabian Richenberger (pictured) jumpstarted his decades-long career in insurance as a young man with wanderlust. Born and raised in Switzerland, Richenberger knew he wanted to follow his ambitions of travelling the world and needed to find a career to make this dream a reality.

“Having worked at a bank, I was looking in the newspaper and saw an opening for a position in assessment,” he said. “The company was seeking underwriters with 60% international travel required – I immediately knew this was my golden ticket.”

With his ambitions of becoming professionally nomadic now realized, Richenberger also discovered he was attracted to the empathetic attributes of a life in insurance. “I learned how meaningful it is to have an opportunity to take care of people and businesses,” he said. “It has become a rewarding opportunity to help people recover from traumatic events and make it out on the other end.”

Richenberger, executive vice-president, commercial insurance and insurance operations at Definity, spoke with Insurance Business about his excitement towards being part of an IPO-process, why the company’s Canadian-owned roots serve its communities well and what makes a career in insurance worthwhile.