As Richard Perrott of Watch Tower Benefits sees it, Jamie Sachtjen is the engine that makes the Chicago office of AHT Insurance go. The Watch Tower executive says the AHT account manager “accomplishes eight hours of work in four, and then spends the rest of her time helping others.”
Perrott nominated Sachtjen as one of Employee Benefit Adviser’s Top 30 Most Influential Women in Benefit Advising for her ability to service her clients, find new technology that benefits both her firm as well as employers, climb the corporate ladder and still manages to raise a family all at once.
To select this year’s honorees, EBA editors asked readers to submit the names of thought leaders who are making their mark on the benefit business through their unique approaches to client relations, benefits technology and/or mentoring other women. From the dozens of submissions received, the editors chose 30 benefit advisers to recognize for their outstanding achievements.
Being the first account executive — as well as recently moving into a producer position — and the only female team member of AHT Insurance’s Chicago office, Sachtjen has managed to double the year-over-year revenue growth and cliental for the company within the past two years.
“It’s panned out to be the modern day parallel to the Red Sox famous 1920 trade of Babe Ruth to the Yankees,” Perrott says. “The numbers just keep going up and to the right.”
Motivated by a desire to both excel and differentiate herself in her field and create efficiencies, Sachtjen reengineered the way the firm strategizes and presents to their clients in the mid-to-large group segment.
“By taking the time to create new strategy meeting templates, enhance the current reporting package and streamline marketing initiatives, Jamie has created a digestible consulting package that has now been adopted by her firm and is very well received by her clients,” Perrott says.
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Steve Uno, principal and executive vice president at AHT Insurance, says Sachtjen has brought a great deal of subject matter expertise to the firm and has assisted with growing powerful relationships and deep technical skillsets that ideally suit the customer base in the Chicago market.
30 leaders whose unique client management strategies, innovative data manipulation and other industry-leading skills are transforming the field
“We are fortunate to have Jamie as part of the AHT team,” Uno says. “Her innovative approach to employee benefits combined with her entrepreneurial spirit will allow her to reap the rewards of her success quickly which will translate to a greater leadership role within the firm.”
Sachtjen is responsible for all consulting and strategy duties as well as financial projections and budgeting for self-funded clients. She also has oversight of day-to-day client issues and carrier relationships, which has allowed her to spot gaps in reporting deliverables and vet analytic tools she thinks would be useful to both the firm and her clients.
“She presented this third-party relationship to the Director of Benefits who agreed with her assessment,” Perrott says. “The firm is now in partnership with this value add tool and uses it to make informed medical plan decisions and save clients’ money.”
While managing all of these responsibilities for AHT Insurance, Sachtjen still finds time to return home and be a full-time mother as well. Sachtjen recently gave birth to her first daughter and within four months, she was back at work full-time for her firm.
“She didn’t just return, she transitioned up from account management position to a producer role at the same time,” Perrott says. “She’s helping earn new business, servicing the existing and serving as an example for other women that you really can do it all.”
Perrott adds that work-life harmony is possible for the smart, capable and hardworking women of the benefits industry, and Sachtjen is the perfect role model to prove it.
