A Talk with Vince Tizzio

“Be a sponge, not a stone.” This is a tenet that Vince Tizzio, President of Navigators Management Company, has held onto for quite some time. His company caters to the maritime sector, and Navigators Management Company’s ability to provide insurance is unique in a field in which so few companies transfer risk on their own.

Going along with Business Today’s 44th International Conference’s theme of “The Future of Work,” Tizzio realizes how new talent is critical to the success of the insurance industry, which is heavily populated by older generations. This aging workforce must be replaced by entrepreneurs with a vision to disrupt the current industry with fresh, new ideas.

Vince also spoke to students about how crucial it was to be respectful and cognizant of different cultures. Examples include not offering to shake hands or realizing that deer antlers are a sign of infidelity in certain parts of South America (a bit of a problem when considering how Navigator Insurance’s parent company, Hartford, has a logo of a deer). As someone who has spent over 30 years dedicated to a career he loves to do, Tizzio “feels blessed by the privilege of leadership and the continuation of learning.”

One of the most inspirational parts of Tizzio’s talk involved how he chases his goals. As the president of the nationwide branch of a company involving underwriting operations, certain goals related to personal life and family are sometimes difficult to intersect with business goals. Tizzio exemplified how these family goals and business goals are not mutually exclusive, having spent his busy and free time together with family that Sunday.

Tizzio urged students to experience the world and learn from what they encounter, and to be open and porous like a sponge. Conversely, he thinks that there are certain principles that should be preserved, and people should not be allowed to compromise their most important values. In this regard, they must be steadfast, like a rock. That is why he advised the students to “be a sponge, not a stone,” as they enter university or the working world or whatever path they choose.