Dennis Brewer is VP of actuarial and product as well as data management and analytics for group life, disability and voluntary for Symetra’s Benefits division. Brewer’s career spans over 28 years in the insurance industry, with various positions in pricing, valuation, metrics and data management.
Get to know Dennis:
What do you like most about working for Symetra?
I feel like I make a difference and my team makes an even bigger difference.
What do you like most about working in Benefits?
Our products provide income at a time when our customers and their families need it most.
What's been the biggest change in the industry you've seen in your career?
Competitor changes due to acquisitions. Most recently Hartford bought Aetna and Lincoln bought Liberty.
What's the most important quality in an insurer?
Integrity: treating customers and employees fairly.
What inspires you?
Learning, success, having fun and being involved in all three.
What’s the most important thing you've learned in your career?
The value of a skilled and knowledgeable team.
Any last thoughts to share?
I posted the following quote from Mahatma Gandhi on my wall as a daily reminder: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
Fun Facts:
- First job: Harold’s Drug Store (1986), but I also worked at the pool at the Farmington, Connecticut, Marriott and a local amusement park called Lake Compounds before graduating college and joining the insurance industry.
- Favorite vacation spot: Any place close to water, mountains and a pool table.
- Favorite music genre: Anything on my daughter’s iPod, which I claimed when she started using her iPhone. I like to listen to Pink, Adele, KT Tunstall or Alanis Morissette while going on a trail run.
- Hidden talents: It’s not so hidden. I play pool twice a week in the CT APA Master’s Division. In 2014, I competed in the US Amateurs in Tampa.
- Favorite dessert: Peanut butter cup ice cream (in a dish, with no toppings).
