At Brown & Brown Absence Services Group, we are committed to delivering innovative solutions and creating a positive impact for our customers, clients and teammates. To support this commitment, we have proudly assembled a leadership team rich in knowledge, experience and creativity to cast the vision for the future of our organization while also developing and executing our strategies for success.
This month, we’re pleased to introduce Stacy Williams, Vice President, Finance and Operations. Stacy recently celebrated 15 years with Brown & Brown. Throughout her tenure here, she has continually risen the ranks, starting as Controller before taking on the VP, Finance role and then expanding her responsibilities to include oversight of Operations. In addition, she has been a key driver in the success of our File Review business operations for the past two years.
Today, she is a recognized leader at Brown & Brown, serving as an instrumental business partner, helping guide business decisions and providing valuable strategic recommendations. When asked what she enjoys most about her current role, she shared:
“I enjoy collaborating with the business leaders at Brown & Brown and providing them with sound operational and financial analysis to help them drive strategic business decisions.”
We asked Stacy more questions about her career path leading up to Brown & Brown, what would surprise people most about the requirements of her role, and what she is most excited about for the organization’s future. Here is what she had to say.
“I am excited about our growth and profitability plan which will help diversify our revenue portfolio, expand into other markets, and collaborate with other Brown & Brown profit centers to provide service offerings to their clients.”
We asked Stacy more questions about her career path leading up to Brown & Brown, what would surprise people most about the requirements of her role, and what she is most excited about for the future of the organization. Here is what she had to say.
What is your work background?
I have been with B&B for 15 years. Started as Controller and then was promoted to VP, Finance, then VP Finance & Operations and now also assist in the oversight of our File Review business. I also had a hybrid role for a couple of years as the VP Finance for both BBA and Pacific Resources (now B&B Strategic Non-Medical Services, a Retail Employee Benefits Profit Center). Prior to that, I worked for five years at a venture backed software company as the accounting supervisor, left to go to grad school full time to get MBA at Babson, after that worked 6 years for a publicly traded medical device company as the Accounting Manager which filed for bankruptcy, then I came to BBA, when it was Crowe Paradis and Albren (prior to B&B acquisition).
What led you to working at Brown & Brown?
My previous company filed for bankruptcy (this was in the middle of the 2008 bust), so I had to find another job. It was time for another opportunity since I had been there for 6 years. I saw the ad for Crowe Paradis and Albren on how they advocate for people to get awarded Social Security which really resonated with me. My previous roles were with high-tech/medical devices, so I felt this opportunity had a more direct impact on helping people during difficult times.
What are some tasks or undertakings in your job that may surprise people?
Financial planning and analysis are a balance between art and science. When people think of finance, they think of everything as being exact and very formulaic. It is in a lot of ways, but you also have to balance that with the art of making assumptions for what will happen in the future. That’s where partnering with business leaders and putting your best thinking comes into play.
