With company assets and reputations under constant siege by cyber threats—which are outpacing the world’s best defenses—the ability to stay vigilant of new threats, keep a pulse on the latest in cybersecurity and prepared with the best risk protection plan is imperative when it comes to protecting balance sheets. Elissa Doroff and Akhil Chopra who recently joined Lockton Financial Services (LFS) to help lead its Pacific region's cyber practice will be a tremendous asset to companies looking for strategic guidance and expert solutions to manage their cyber risks and improve their cyber resiliency.
“While our cyber practice has enjoyed an excellent reputation and strong presence on the West Coast for a number of years, the addition of Elissa and Akhil will continue to raise the bar in terms of expertise, resources and service excellence,” says Reid Eanes, Managing Director, Co-Practice Leader of LFS. “Their technical acumen, industry expertise and thought leadership, which spans more than 35 years collectively, will bring immeasurable value to our clients as they lead our cyber team.”
Elissa Doroff joins Lockton after holding executive positions at a number of national and global insurance brokerages and carriers over the past 15 years. Doroff most recently served as Managing Director and Cyber Technical Leader for NFP’s management and professional lines, where she was responsible for thought leadership, claims advocacy and consultation services. She also advised clients on their risks and insurance solutions around technology, privacy and cyber. Prior to that, she headed AXA XL’s risk management services as Underwriting and Product Manager to minimize the frequency and severity of data breaches for clients, and was a broker at Marsh and McLennan’s network security and privacy practice. She started in the industry as claims counsel at AIG focusing on data security and privacy, media and technology liability.
In her new role as Managing Director—Cyber Product Leader, Doroff is focused on driving product innovation and thought leadership for cyber, tech E&O, and media liability. She will serve as the lead technical consultant and advise clients and colleagues on best practices
in risk mitigation, vendor management and claims navigation.
“The cyber insurance market is constantly changing and evolving in response to the latest threats, making the procurement of insurance more challenging,” explains Doroff. “We understand the market and will bring thoughtful, creative solutions and comprehensive cyber products that will help clients navigate these challenging times.”
Recognized for her thought leadership, Doroff has authored various articles in industry trades, regularly serves on panel discussions and presents seminars for clients and industry associations. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York and a JD from Suffolk University Law School.
Also joining Lockton’s cyber leadership team is Akhil Chopra, an industry veteran with more than 20 years in the cyber industry, all of which have been focused on insurance advisory, brokerage and placement. In his new role as Managing Director—Cyber Growth Leader, he will be responsible for cyber product growth, innovative technology solutions and group purchasing strategies for the private equity industry, as well as broader initiatives to bring operational efficiency to purchasing cyber insurance.
“Companies rely on our close collaboration, deep technical understanding and insight on managing and mitigating their cyber exposure,” adds Chopra. “That’s why Lockton is a good fit. Lockton’s deep bench of talented professionals, commitment to cyber and our entrepreneurial platform gives us the autonomy to grow and create new offerings that will bring the best value to clients.”
Chopra was Managing Director, Head of Cyber Brokerage for NFP prior to joining Lockton. He developed NFP’s overall cyber strategy and brokerage operations. While at Marsh as Corporate Cyber Practice Leader, he successfully built out and managed multiple teams across the country to help sell cyber offerings to new and existing clients. He also developed key trading relationships in the marketplace to provide unique risk transfer solutions and services. Earlier in his career, he managed a book of technology business at AON and was a professional liability advisor at Integro Insurance Brokers.
Chopra holds a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Sciences from Michigan State University.
With these new additions, Lockton has promoted Brian Pfund to Senior Vice President—Cyber Placement Leader to oversee its cyber operations and talent development. Pfund will partner closely with Doroff and Chopra to drive a cohesive cyber strategy across Lockton’s Pacific region.
“Cyber is an evolving landscape that requires bespoke risk management strategies and third party vendor engagements to provide clients the data security infrastructure they need,” explains Harpreet Ubhi, Managing Director, Co-Practice Leader of LFS. “This new leadership team represents our organizational commitment to and investment in the best-in-class cyber expertise, technology and capabilities. We look forward to them leading the charge in scaling our cyber operations and positioning us as the world’s preeminent cyber risk advisors.”
Lockton’s rapidly growing Pacific region encompasses nine offices throughout the Western United States including Portland, Sonoma, San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, Encino, Los
Angeles, Irvine and San Diego.