Diversity In Action

FM Global is diversifying its ranks

"We provide international opportunities for professional growth and advancement, including supportive engineering teammates," says a manager

Jim Markan, VP and North America HR manager: FM Global's 1,500 field engineers help companies prevent loss from natural and manmade hazards.

Fortune 1000 company FM Global is one of the world's largest commercial and industrial property insurance and risk management organizations. "For more than 170 years, FM Global has embraced the philosophy that the majority of loss is preventable," says Jim Markan, VP and North America HR manager.

More than a third of Fortune 1000 companies and many other leading international corporations benefit from the company's financial strength, policy coverage, risk management services and expertise in property loss prevention engineering and research, Markan notes.

As part of its loss prevention efforts, the company operates an $80 million research campus, "the largest of its kind in the world," according to Markan. The lab includes locations in West Gloucester, RI and Norwood, MA, where scientists and engineers work to advance loss prevention practices and establish new industry standards.

Nearly one third of FM Global's 4,700 employees are engineers, and 90 percent of them work in the field, Markan notes. "They represent specialties like EE, ME, ChE, CE, IE and fire protection, and help the world's largest organizations prevent losses from natural and man-made hazards. The object is for our clients to remain operational and competitive should the worst happen."

Manufacturing, healthcare, pharmaceutical, chemical, forest products, mining, education and power generation are major areas of focus.

"From an engineering standpoint, our challenge has been creating a good balance of diversity," Markan notes.

FM Global's internship program is one way the company is meeting the challenge. Engineering students from undergrad to PhD work in tandem with loss prevention scientists and researchers. In 2006, students represented Canada, China, the Dominican Republic, Iran, Mexico and the U.S.

"We also work with other global companies to share best practices, and last year we began a program to increase our participation in diversity-focused associations," Markan reports.

Last fall company reps attended their first SWE national conference, and came back with a newly hired female engineer. "That was a worthwhile initiative," Markan says.

Ellen Kerr, a former field engineer herself, is now group manager of field engineering with FM Global's Los Angeles, CA ops. She also sits on the company's diversity committee. "Attending SWE events, military career fairs and collegiate job fairs are all part of our effort to continue to build a diverse workforce," she declares.

When Kerr interviews job candidates she's looking for "hands-on field engineers with excellent presentation and written

Ellen Kerr.

skills." She needs talented people who are "high-energy, self-motivated and interested in interacting with people."

One day a field engineer might be working with a client to evaluate a structure's ability to withstand a hurricane. The next day the engineer might recommend steps to help a facility survive a major fire.

"FM Global's field engineers work independently from their home offices," Kerr explains. "The company provides the tools they need in the field: company cars, laptops with state-of-the art connectivity, video cameras and sophisticated electronic engineering tools."

As a multinational company, FM Global provides an international arena of opportunities for professional growth and career advancement backed by supportive engineering teammates, Kerr declares.

"In fact, many members of our senior management, including our CEO, have engineering backgrounds. They have spent their entire careers advancing and growing with the company," she reveals.

D/C