Insurance Awareness Day 2025: Insights from Sutton’s Leaders
June 28 is Insurance Awareness Day — a time to reflect on the vital role insurance plays in helping individuals, businesses, and communities face the future with confidence.
At Sutton, we see insurance as more than just a tool for managing risk. It's a way to solve problems, support people through challenges, and create meaningful change. To mark the occasion, we asked our department leaders to share what drives their work and how they find purpose in what they do every day.
Chris Carr, Senior Vice President, Special Risk
Q: When the world watches conflict zones from afar, we’re quietly insuring the people who go in. What does it mean to be part of that?
A: “Many industries continue to operate globally, even amid travel warnings and geopolitical conflict — and there certainly seems to be no shortage of conflict these days. Despite the risks, there are always individuals who need to be on the ground for critical reasons. Whether it's humanitarian aid workers, journalists, engineers restoring infrastructure, or corporate teams maintaining global operations, someone has to be there.
Our role is to make sure they’re protected, both physically and financially. There’s a deep sense of purpose in knowing that the coverage we provide allows these missions to move forward, often unseen but never unimportant. In a way, we offer a kind of stability in places where there is none — and that’s a responsibility we don’t take lightly.”
Christian Hanson, Vice President, Sports
Q: How has your experience as a professional hockey player influenced your approach to sports underwriting today?
A: “As a former professional athlete, I can speak from firsthand experience about the need for disability insurance. Disability insurance was something that I always had while I played, and while I was lucky enough to never have to use it, I saw the unfortunate reality of a player’s career unexpectedly ending.
Having been in the shoes of today’s players, I can speak to them as a teammate and stress the value and importance of protecting yourself, not because I am trying to make a sale but because at the core, I am one of their own and truly care about them.”
Susan Wallis, Senior Vice President, Strategy, Film & Entertainment
Q: You joined Sutton a year ago to lead our film & entertainment strategy, after a distinguished career as an entertainment broker. In that time, how have you used insurance creatively to help clients solve real business challenges?
A: “I’ve never viewed my role as simply selling a policy. My mindset is always: How can I help grow your business? That perspective pushes me to think creatively about how specialized insurance can serve as a strategic business tool.
Take, for example, ‘hole-in-one’ contests at charity golf tournaments. With Hole-in-One Insurance, organizers can offer attention-grabbing prizes without dipping into their fundraising — it’s a smart way to drive engagement while managing costs.
That same logic applies to other contingency coverages like Prize Indemnity. I once worked with a restaurant that struggled during losing seasons for the local professional sports team. We built an insured promotion tied to game outcomes, which kept customers engaged and spending — turning what used to be slow nights into real opportunities.
To me, it’s not just about managing risk. It’s about unlocking new ways to add value and drive results."
Doris Lai, Vice President, Sutton Reinsurance
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