AARON HILLEBRANDT

Aaron Hillebrandt joined the US Marine Corps at 17 years old and his service took him around the US and to two combat tours in Iraq. He attended Illinois State University, resulting in a BSc in mathematics. He worked in the actuarial profession for a large commercial insurer for several years and as a mathematics lecturer at Illinois State University.

Hillebrandt joined Pinnacle Actuarial Resources as a consulting actuary in 2013 and became a principal of the firm in 2021. He now advises and is the appointed actuary for several commercial and captive insurance companies and self-insured entities.

Described as a recognised industry leader in the captive insurance market Hillebrandt was said to have gone above and beyond for the captives community, not only dedicated to providing a positive experience for captives, but he has fully immersed himself within the community.

Here he shares why the captive insurance industry is so rewarding, what the challenges are and how he currently sees the market as being a dynamic one.

Do you feel that the captive insurance industry is a rewarding sector to work in?

It is rewarding on so many levels. I find the captive insurance industry has a broad and varied set of insurance programmes that keep me on my toes. I enjoy collaborating with clients, developing novel solutions to their business problems. Working in the captives sector allows me to apply actuarial principles to build frameworks for emerging practice areas—to create solutions with real value for clients.

Would you recommend the captive insurance industry to young people as a future career path?

Definitely. It is fun, creative, challenging, fast-paced and rapidly evolving. As new types of programmes emerge in the insurance industry you will often see it first in the captive insurance sandbox rather than the admitted market. The captive insurance space has enjoyed a long period of growth across market cycles, which has resulted in all kinds of opportunity to develop and grow. I believe that certainly would appeal to anyone starting in insurance, of course. But captive consulting, in particular, gives you unprecedented opportunity to meaningfully learn by collaborating with clients on new and exciting solutions.

How do you feel that the captive insurance industry will evolve?

I am regularly being engaged in conversations about the latest types of insurance programmes and current events affecting existing programmes in different ways. I have also had numerous discussions with startups considering forming a captive insurer as part of their risk mitigation strategy. Captives and technology have always gone hand in hand. I am doing a lot of work in cyber risk for example, and how captives can be a part of an effective cyber risk management strategy.

Do you think that your long-term future remains in the captive insurance industry?

Yes. There isn’t a sector in the insurance industry that is more dynamic or has the same capacity for innovation. The captive insurance industry has grown so much precisely because it is so dynamic, innovative and solutions-focused when faced with uncertainty in the broader insurance market. I feel fortunate to work in the captive industry and for Pinnacle Actuarial Resources in particular.

Client work, the dynamic nature of our industry and its foreseeable growth make it a really fun and rewarding place to be.