Constant change keeps adviser on top throughout steady career

At 29 years old, all Meghan Brady knows about the employee benefit world is that it changes on a daily basis. Embracing that uncertainty has made her a leader in the space and an EBA 2017 Rising Star in Advising.

Brady, senior account executive, employee benefits at HUB International Northeast on Long Island, N.Y., is constantly adapting to meet her clients’ needs. “I am used to [employee benefits] being different today than yesterday,” she says. “For those who have been in the industry a long time, it may be harder to adapt. I have the advantage where I’ve had to adjust every day.”

She also acknowledges that the national spotlight on healthcare and employee benefits — including current debates in Washington, D.C. — about the tax-favored status of employer-sponsored insurance, is producing a big challenge for advisers to meet.

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“The landscape of our industry is changing dramatically and frequently,” she says. “As trusted advisers, we are challenged with learning — and often re-learning — on a regular basis. Overcoming this requires a large amount of separating fact from fiction, but most importantly an acceptance and understanding that when we get to work tomorrow, it could be very different than it was today.”

From intern to senior account executive
Brady started as an intern at HUB while earning her undergraduate degree in business from St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue, N.Y. Since then, she has worked her way up to now servicing an employee benefit book of business consisting of more than $700,000 in total revenue. She works with a wide variety of industries, including not-for-profit, legal, retail and real estate clients. Given her experience and dedication, she is often called on by the company’s senior managers to assist some of HUB’s largest accounts.

She has rapidly worked her way through the ranks, promoted from intern to assistant account executive in 2007, account executive in 2009 and most recently senior account executive in 2014.

In an effort to reach a broader audience with HUB’s employee benefits messaging, Brady partnered with the regional marketing communications team to assist in the launch of a monthly corporate wellness email campaign, as she identified it to be something HUB clients could greatly benefit from.

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That combination of a can-do attitude and client-first mentality has led Brady to win multiple awards during her 11 years working at HUB International. In 2006, she was the first recipient of the now annual HUB Northeast Frances Jimenez Memorial Scholarship, which was created to celebrate the hard work and perseverance of a HUB employee who unexpectedly passed away in 2005. Brady was chosen from a large pool of applicants based on numerous factors, including academic performance, extracurricular activities and community service.

In 2016, Brady received a service award for her 10-plus years of dedication to HUB International, making her one of the few employees in the history of the company to achieve the goal at such a young age.

And that work ethic is a trait her clients have recognized. Brady “is incredibly smart, personable and customer-service oriented,” says Laura Lovelock, assistant executive director of support services at Life’s WORC, a Mineola, N.Y.-based non-profit organization that offers support to people with developmental disabilities and autism. “As our account executive, Meghan has gone above and beyond to help us and support our non-profit mission.

“Specifically, she has attended health fairs, participated in trainings for other non-profits and has greatly assisted us with our in-house benefits communication,” Lovelock adds. “She is always prompt, responsive and somehow always sounds happy to hear from us.”

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