NBIS is pleased to welcome the newest member of our Business Development team, Carlos Garbiras. Carlos was added to the team at the end of April and joins a robust group of relationship-driven business development leaders at NBIS serving the United States.
Carlos is poised to add a unique perspective and approach to the NBIS Business Development team. He comes to the company with a wide variety of relevant experience, having recently worked for a diverse Managing General Underwriter, Tangram Insurance Services, and prior to that, spending over nine years in construction management.
Carlos’ career began in 2007 when he started in business development for a San Diego, CA-based construction company. Over the course of nine years in that role, Carlos developed comprehensive knowledge of construction from a business development perspective. He saw how important it was to understand the industry itself, and used knowledge of complex projects to drive his strategic partnerships and foster strong synergistic business relationships.
He used that strong foundation of knowledge to move into a business development role at TC Steel, where he spent a year interfacing with senior-level stakeholders to align project vision, priorities, workflows, and deadlines while simultaneously managing strategic planning and project pipelines.
“My time in construction management and then in the steel infrastructure sector was invaluable. I learned so much about how new projects and new business develop within the broader construction industry. And, while at TC Steel, I was exposed to crane operations, and that really ignited my interest in heavy construction and equipment,” he said.
Bringing Specialty Insurance Expertise to the Table
Carlos’ interest in cranes was the precursor to what he calls the bridge between his new role at NBIS and his start in construction management. That interest in cranes and heavy equipment eventually led, in part, to working for Tangram.
He was able to learn the insurance business from the program management side, which he says really fed his enthusiasm for the business.
“I really fell in love with insurance. People don’t realize that it’s such an integral part of development. Without solid coverages, people and companies would take far less risks. Protecting them the way they need allows for innovation, progress, and advancement. I feel privileged to be a part of it,” Carlos said.
When asked what element of NBIS’ approach appealed to him, he pointed first to the emphasis on expertise – the idea that NBIS’ leadership has spent time in the industry on the other side of the policy.
“You don’t have to work here to see that the people running the programs have been in the boots of the insured. They never left the industry—they just changed roles,” he said. He elaborated more on the operational approach of the company as well.
“NBIS has clearly put a lot of time and effort into fine-tuning their product,” he said. “They have done something that is very unique —they built out their operational department before building out their sales bench. It’s really unusual to put time into expertise-driven program management ahead of emphasizing sales. The result is folks running these insurance programs who know a ton about what they’re writing coverages for.”
The Insurance Business in the Time of COVID-19
Of course, the current economic landscape, impacted by COVID-19, poses interesting questions for business development.
“Who knows what the future holds? One thing I can say for sure is that even after the threat of this novel coronavirus subsides, cases and claims will remain. At NBIS, the level of responsiveness and extensive support serve as a huge value-add at a time when unprecedented claim types are bound to arise.”
He noted too that other longtime differentiators are sure to benefit policyholders even more in the current environment.
“NBIS has always been excellent at keeping its finger on the pulse and paying close, careful attention to what’s going on. That’s what will be immensely positive for NBIS policyholders – because any company in the insurance business will need to keep laser-focused on what’s going on.”
It seems that Carlos’ insight and experience are being added to the NBIS mix at a fortuitous time. We already know he will be an amazing benefit to the team.
Subscribe to the NBIS Blog to stay informed and catch more insights from Carlos and the rest of the team in the coming months.
