Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co., founded in 1863, has evolved over the years as a property/casualty insurer for wealthy individuals and niche businesses within major industries. Example: In March, the Novato-based company was labeled by The New York Times as the “go-to insurer for the American entertainment industry” highlighting its recent risk management work on the set of The Hunger Games. Part of German insurance giant Allianz since 1991, the company’s initial mission provided 10 percent of its profits to widows and orphans of firefighters. That’s no longer done, but the company awards grants for fire department equipment and training.
THE QUICK BIO
Sally Narey has built a legal career that’s spanned official Washington, major law firms and top companies in the insurance industry. She joined Fireman’s Fund in 2008 as the company’s senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, reporting to the CEO, Lori Fouche. Born in Spirit Lake, Iowa, to a family of attorneys, Narey is a 1973 political science graduate of the University of Iowa and earned her law degree from the University of Minnesota in 1977. She began her career as an associate at Minneapolis-based Arthur, Chapman & Michaelson doing dram shop litigation. “You haven’t lived until you’ve driven all over small-town Minnesota in February doing depositions with bartenders,” she laughs. By 1981, she was ready for a change and “after a half-baked job search” moved to Washington for the first time in her career to work for Representative Jim Leach, R-Iowa, as a legislative assistant; in 1983, she moved to a similar position in Minnesota GOP Senator Dave Durenberger’s office. “Back then, we were working on a number of important legislative initiatives including The Economic Equity Act,” she said. “We had a lot of success.” In 1984, Narey moved on to her first agency post in the office of special projects at the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs before moving back to Minneapolis in 1985 to join St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Co., now part of Travelers. She began as senior government affairs manager at St. Paul and in 1986 moved up to head up their federal government relations operations.
