Rising Star: Melvin Nusum
Melvin Nusum began his postgraduate career at New York Life as a life insurance sales agent in the Greater Philadelphia area. Over three years, his role evolved into insurance and investment planning as he expanded his technical knowledge of financial markets and the broader needs of clients. This experience provided a strong foundation in self-motivation, emotional intelligence, resilience and client relationship management.
He then moved to Wells Fargo, where he gained valuable insight into retail banking structures and processes. This role set the stage for a move to Bermuda, where he joined HSBC. There he embraced opportunities, starting as a premier relationship manager and progressing to product management.
Five of his eight years at HSBC were spent in asset management, where he advanced to vice president. Nusum built strong relationships with key leaders across the reinsurance industry, including treasurers, CFOs and CIOs. He worked with a diverse client base – captives, P&C and life reinsurers, ILS managers and related service providers.
Nusum then spent three years at Argus as head of client management, focusing on the growth and retention of commercial employee benefits and P&C.
He currently leads Aon’s Inpoint platform in Bermuda, partnering with insurance carriers to support their strategic initiatives through data analytics and structured engagement. His role ensures Aon’s partners leverage key data points to make informed business decisions – whether that involves growing a product line, launching something new or optimising organisational structure. Nusum also helps to facilitate strategic discussions between client leadership and Aon to drive these initiatives forward.
Can you start by telling us what inspired your career?
For me, it comes down to people. I’ve always been drawn to engaging, collaborating and building relationships – whether with colleagues or clients. I genuinely enjoy the process of understanding what motivates individuals in a professional setting. I’m often reminded of the saying, “No one wants to be sold, but everyone loves to buy.” This speaks to the importance of understanding each person’s unique perspective and finding the right way to connect with them, which is a challenge I embrace in my work.
What elements of your career do you enjoy most and why?
It’s the constant learning that excites me most. My role involves working across all aspects of a carrier’s business, from products to claims functions and distribution channels, and the same applies internally at Aon. This exposure ensures I’m always discovering something new – whether it’s product differentiation, operational processes, emerging market trends, organisational strategies or company structures. The opportunity continuously to expand my knowledge across such a wide range of areas is both motivating and rewarding.
Can you share an example of a challenge you overcame that significantly shaped your career trajectory?
When I first moved from business development to product management at HSBC, my initial progress update with senior leadership was challenging. My delivery didn’t align with executive expectations, even though there hadn’t been clear guidance beforehand. This was a pivotal moment, highlighting the need to not only communicate effectively, but also to understand how leaders want information presented and the level of detail they require. I learned that expectations aren’t always explicitly stated – it’s up to me to uncover and adapt to them. Since then, I’ve made it a priority to adjust my approach quickly and avoid repeating the same mistakes, which has significantly influenced how I approach new roles and challenges.
What are your career ambitions? And how will you work to achieve them?
I’m eager to continue learning, developing my skills and grow both in this role and within Aon. I see significant opportunities for Aon in Bermuda, and want to contribute to turning those into tangible successes. By deepening my understanding of both Bermuda carriers and Aon’s suite of solutions, I believe I can add even greater value – helping to bring more of Aon’s strengths to the Bermuda market and creating more win-win outcomes for our clients and the firm.
How do you stay motivated and continue to learn in such a dynamic sector?
I remain highly motivated and committed to learning because breaking into this industry was a real challenge. Early in my career, I was often labelled as a banker and struggled to demonstrate my transferable skills to decision-makers. Today, I’m driven to prove both I and others from different backgrounds have valuable perspectives and skills to offer. I believe bringing diverse experiences and viewpoints into the industry can only help drive it forward.
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