This Women in Subro blog series highlights powerhouse women in the industry while discussing leadership, management, and success in subrogation.
We interviewed Gail Cortright, Subrogation Claims Supervisor with Church Mutual. We appreciate Gail’s decades of experience and unique perspective from leading the team at Church Mutual with 3 lines of business- property, auto, and worker’s compensation. She says that she was drawn in by the medical piece of worker’s compensation and then her passion for subrogation on all lines grew. With her desire to help others, maybe a nursing role would have been her path. But she says now that she is in subro, she can’t imagine doing anything else.
Q: How do you describe subrogation to friends and family?
A: Depends who I am talking to and for what line of business. For worker’s compensation, I use either the example of a delivery driver bitten by dog, and we pursue the responsible homeowner, or the factory worker who gets an arm stuck in a machine. For property, I explain how we go after an at-fault contractor for doing work that caused a fire. For auto, I describe pursing the at-fault driver who drove into a church with their car; this happens more often than you would think.
Q: Do you have an exciting subro story to share?
A: There are so many stories and work comp claims can be absolutely terrifying. One story was an explosion on an oil rig. This case actually became a movie. Due to the explosion, many people died. Our insured worker was blown off and slammed into a wall. The injured worker was an office worker just visiting the rig that day to celebrate, of all things… safety.
Another story involved a fatal car accident with a van full of insured employees. One survivor was identified incorrectly, and this error was only discovered once the patient was able to speak a couple months later. Someone had switched her identification with one of the casualties. Both families were distraught all over again, and it was a mess to clean up on the work comp payment side. The survivor was eventually interviewed by Oprah.
Q: What is it about subro that catches your attention and keeps you interested?
A: The variety of the claims. No claim is alike; every claim has its own story. And in the subro world, I love the opportunity for learning something new every day from continued education classes and webinars from the industry, and from my team as well.
Q: What is the hardest part of your job?
A: The good case we just can’t collect. For example, the evidence was not preserved. These are difficult because the subro team member works so hard on the case, but as a prior leader once told me, “You have to know when to stop beating the dead horse.” These are also difficult because we are not just trying to collect money for the company, but in addition we are serving the interests of the insured, and it can be heartbreaking telling the insured that there is no recovery.
Q: What is the most rewarding part of your job?
A: The rush of an excellent negotiation and resolution; closing a claim successfully after a hard-fought battle. On top of that, mentorship, and leadership, sharing knowledge and helping the team grow. I can’t do what I do every day alone; it is all about the team and their accomplishments and growth. And that is very rewarding.
Q: How have you excelled in the industry?
A: Working very hard – nose to the grindstone, good work ethic. Being a sponge – learning from others, listening, collaborating on ideas and constant learning. Having the desire to be the best leader I can be. I also just have a love for subro!
Q: What is one of your greatest professional accomplishments?
A: It was an honor to be approached to speak at the NASP annual conference in 2023. I joined a panel of speakers to discuss litigating and pursuing subrogation in the virtual world. This topic touches on one of my love languages- how to keep employees engaged.
Q: How important is mentorship to your career?
A: It is important both ways- being a mentor is very fulfilling, but I love to learn from the mentee as well. A good mentor leads by example, treats each person as an individual, letting the team learn what they want to learn and not just what you think they need to learn. Looking back, you always remember the good mentors in your career- they stick with you. One of mine told me to
hire people smarter than you, because it keeps you growing and learning.
Q: What makes a good leader?
A: Being an active mentor, leading by example, treating each team member as an individual (they all have their own way of learning, working, and being successful), tailoring your communication, being open to ideas from the team, and owning up to mistakes.
Q: How do you define success?
A: Working towards and meeting your goals, which we have done every year since joining Church Mutual. But it is not always just the end result, it is also the action you take that shows success. It is not just the money coming in the door, even though every important, it is what you do along the way. Hard work will pay off in the end.
We thank Gail Cortright for this interview. She has a drive to help others and it has shown in her success as a leader in the industry.
Stay tuned for the next post highlighting another prominent subro leader.
