Name: Chris Cline
Title: National Agency Distribution Leader, Westfield Insurance
Base: Westfield Center, Ohio
How did you get involved with ID Federation? Out of my own intellectual curiosity and fascination, I started to engage in different aspects of the industry as I began to lead some of Westfield Insurance’s agency-facing operation activities. I learned what was going on out there in agencies — the way other carriers are handling things, all the tools and trends. I eventually found myself gravitating toward the industry’s forward-leaning folks and got sucked into insurtech by default.
I am passionate about SignOn Once because … At Westfield, we identified some real pain points and security issues with our own dated login protocol. We began a project to bring privacy, security, legal compliance and ease of use together. And along this journey to update our own login protocol, we found how much in alignment our work was with ID Federation’s. So we’re building infrastructure to support SignOn Once by ID Federation.
I’ve learned how agencies work and how carriers view security from the inside out, rather than from the outside in — building portals where everyone needs different sign-on credentials. But agencies want to log into one thing and do what they need to do. The concept and principles that SignOn Once represents is where my strong interest lies as somebody who’s a champion for our industry.
What is your favorite thing about the insurance industry? If you’re willing to put some effort into your own curiosity, there are people who are incredibly passionate about what we do in our industry. It’s cliché, but it is a profound and noble profession: We exist to help put people and businesses back together after something catastrophic happens. There is a grander cause that sits beneath all the daily things we can get bogged down with and that is really powerful to me.
At the core, we can compete in the trenches. But at the end of the day, everyone cares about taking care of the consumers — and that nobility is something I hope we never lose.
A great podcast? I have become a full-blown podcast junkie and really enjoy Joe Rogan, Stuff You Should Know, and Neil Degrasse Tyson. And I actually host an industry podcast called Closing the Gap. We just produced our 104th episode in a little over two years.
The idea is to share relationships, thought leaders, and insight we have gathered from our work in and around the industry. Much of the content is driven by our “Big 3+1” approach to content, but have expanded to topics that help all individuals and businesses think through challenges, opportunities, and entrepreneurial thought and more. It has been rewarding to see the reaction from the industry.
When the going gets tough? I like to unplug. My wife, son and I love to camp. When we’re around the campfire — just us and nature — it solves a lot. I’m also a competitive BMX and mountain bike racer. Those events are the one place where age, socioeconomics, gender—none of that matters. You’re all there with a single purpose, a simple cause, and it’s very pure what a common passion can do for people.
One thing you’d change about our industry? I don’t think our industry tells our story very well. If we told our story better, we might not be talking about perpetuating and attracting new talent or about diversity and inclusion. Our industry would feel more welcoming if we talked about our cause and purpose. I think that would also help shape technology.
What advice would you share with folks in the industry? Be a lifelong learner. It’s easy to get into the Groundhog Day rut without trying or without being intentional about what you’re doing on a daily basis. There are a lot of great things going on in and around our industry, but it does take intention to plug in, listen, learn and apply.
The folks who seem to have the most fun are those who are influencing the industry for the future. Those who appear to be set up best for the future are the ones who stop, pause and look up over the hood of the car. These folks are open to fresh ideas; they consume content. Life is too short to do the same thing over and over again. You can reinvent yourself if you’re open to learning and trying new things.
Any words for those looking to get involved with ID Federation? I would encourage anyone to spend 10 minutes at an ID Federation lunch to understand what it is. The philosophy and principles are really sound. There is a good group of folks who believe there is an easier and simpler way for all of us to work together. Begin by forming an opinion and if it resonates with you, then roll up your sleeves. Any of us on the board would entertain a phone call from a carrier or agency who wants to be more efficient or effective.
