Crawford mpany : Leadership spotlight - Meredith Brogan

Meredith Brogan is an impactful leader as the president of WeGoLook, an on-demand workforce solution powered by Crawford & Company. She values creating solutions that push the industry forward. She never expected to be in a leadership role for an innovative organization, but admits it fits her ambitious personality and goals. She is also dedicated to coaching and mentoring the next generation of women in business.

Meredith received a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Florida and a master's degree in accountancy from the University of North Florida. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and worked at Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers early in her career. She worked in the areas of tax, accounting, risk management, compliance and corporate strategy. She started working with Crawford through a shared team and eventually became the Senior Vice President Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer.

Meredith found this role to be quite challenging as she tried to juggle different initiatives in over 70 countries that Crawford represents with different laws and requirements. Her goal was to not only create effective policies, but also a company culture that complied with the highest ethics. Meredith transitioned to her current role with WeGoLook in 2019. Throughout Meredith's time at Crawford, she has been committed to prioritizing her team and is constantly thinking of what more she can do for them.

'I want to provide the tools to help people do the right thing,' she said. 'I constantly think of my team and ask myself what can we do better, what can be easier and more attractive to the team?'

WeGoLook is a platform-based business that continues to expand networks to meet client needs. The work they are doing excites Meredith and motivates her to be a better leader. She enjoys interacting with clients and participating in thoughtful discussions. She loves working with the team and is grateful to be with them every day. She admires their willingness to take risks and think creatively about solutions.

'What attracts me to WeGoLook is the opportunity to make a difference in our industry,'

she said. 'It's a real pleasure to work with people who want to create positive change.'

Meredith's passion to develop meaningful relationships with her team and clients is inspired by Crawford's core values as a company. She observes how the company's history and the RESTORE mission encourage employees to not only exceed expectations but also transcend in their role.

'Our culture attracts people,' she said. 'It cannot be replicated.'

Meredith focuses her leadership style using two elements: empathy and resilience. She emphasized that in this industry an individual must be empathetic and able to identify other perspectives in order to understand what a client or policyholder is experiencing. Representing an innovative company can be challenging. People are not always open to change and it's important for Meredith to comprehend and act with insight. But as the head of WeGoLook, she must remain resilient to propel the company forward.

'In an organization focused on innovation, you get knocked down a lot,' she said. 'You have to pick yourself up, become inspired and move forward.'

As a female leader in a male-dominated industry, Meredith understands resiliency. She admitted that being a woman in business has presented its own kind of unique obstacles that she has had to overcome throughout her career. Meredith shared the story of when Madeleine Albright, the first female US Secretary of State, saw her nametag with her official title on it and could feel the weight of all the women she represented and how important it was that her voice would be heard. This story resonated with Meredith and has stuck with her over the years. When facing difficulties, she reminds herself of this story.

'I started my career in the early 90s,' she said. 'Sometimes I would be the only woman at the table, but I never let that stop me.'

Meredith has been in the business industry for three decades and still believes there's room to support women. She is fascinated by how women tend to have very similar experiences and stories within the workplace and believes it is powerful to continue to share these experiences. She is passionate about encouraging women to find and use their voice. She recently moderated a panel for the Women of Crawford Conference in celebration of Women's History Month. The focus was on women finding their voice in meetings. She cited that women tend to 'lose their voice' around their middle school years and start to speak up less. Even in her leadership role, she still finds herself hesitating in meetings and wants to help other women regain their voice and build confidence. She is dedicated to building a support system for women in the workplace.

'I'm at the point in my career where I'm ready to give back,' she said. 'But I still struggle at times, too. It's important for women in business to know they're not alone in their experiences and the challenges they face.'

Meredith's greatest accomplishment has been her three sons. She loves spending time with her family. Her eldest son is a freshman at Indiana University. The two younger sons are in middle school navigating hybrid learning. Her middle son has Down syndrome and has truly shifted her perspective of life. She has experienced a beautiful journey where she's able to experience random acts of kindness daily and has had a wonderful support system. Similar to her professional passions, Meredith wants to give back to a community that has greatly supported her. She volunteers frequently with her church and other organizations. Meredith is thankful for the opportunity to lead the team at WeGoLook and to be a part of the Crawford family. She sees how much potential growth is possible with the incredible team she works with and is excited to see where they go.

'I love what I do and want to stick with Crawford for the long haul,' she said.