Alum of the Month

March 2014

March 2014
Brian Flood

Q & A:

  • What was your favorite class, who was your favorite professor, or what is your fondest memory of Hofstra?
    The marketing classes at Hofstra were always very interesting to me.  I enjoyed learning the strategies companies use to communicate their message and position themselves in the marketplace.
  • What was your first job after graduating from Hofstra, and what was the most valuable thing you learned there?
    While a student at Hofstra I worked in commercial underwriting for Michigan Mutual Insurance.  After graduating I went to work for AIG Risk Management in downtown NYC.  The most valuable things I learned were the need to ask the right questions and to think of creative solutions that provided value to the client as a way to win their business.
  • What is your field of specialty, and how did you come to work in the industry?
    Assisting clients with the design and implementation of personal and commercial risk management and insurance programs is my field of specialty.  Insurance and risk management has been a family business since 1955.  Insurance is an industry I grew up with and find exciting.
  • What advice would you give current Hofstra students?
    Today’s students have incredible opportunity before them, enabled by technology that wasn’t available when I graduated 25 years ago.  Students should set their goals high and follow their passions as they choose a career.  Fellow alumni are willing to help.  Build a network of alumni who share your passions and career path.
  • In one word, how would you describe Hofstra?
    Opportunities – Hofstra offers so many opportunities to grow while a student and as an alumnus. 
  • What motivated you to write your book?
    My book, Wealth Exposed, is the book that I searched for to share with my clients but could never find.  High net worth clients have unique personal risk management and insurance planning needs.  After 20+ years of helping clients and their advisors properly structure their insurance, I saw there was a strong demand for more information.  Based on that, I started writing using anecdotes from my client files and experience as a way to facilitate learning and keep the book interesting.
  • What is the biggest challenge and what is the biggest reward of being part of a family business?
    Working in a family business is both rewarding and challenging.  Pride and carrying on family tradition is a great reward.  Talking to family members about something other than business is the challenge.  The business becomes a very large part of defining you and your family.
Brian Flood

Brian Flood, CPCU®, ARM™ (BBA, 1990), has spent more than 20 years in commercial risk management and risk transfer, working with mid-sized organizations, family offices, successful entrepreneurs, executives, athletes, and other high-profile individuals to implement risk reduction strategies.  Utilizing a personalized approach to personal risk management, Brian is highly regarded for developing creative risk management solutions and concepts unique to each individual or organization.

As vice president of The Flood Group, based in New York, Brian leads a team of both personal and commercial lines specialists to provide a complete suite of risk management services and products to a clientele that spans the country.  A major thrust of the Flood Group’s outreach to their clients is education because they have found that effective personal risk management begins with knowledge.

To that end, Brian, an avid reader himself, decided to write the book he has long been looking for but could never find as recommended reading for his clients – one that presents personal risk management concepts with clarity and appeal for busy, high net worth individuals and their advisors.

When he’s not working with clients to protect their lifestyles and businesses, Brian enjoys spending time with his true passion – his wife, Regina, and three children, Francesca, Andrew, and Peter John (PJ). A sports enthusiast, he splits his free time between coaching his kids’ sports teams, golfing and skiing. Brian is also actively involved with Rotary Club and Knights of Columbus.

Brian earned a BBA in management from Hofstra University and has earned industry designations as a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Associate in Risk Management (ARM). He holds licenses for Property & Casualty and Life, Accident & Disability.