Kaniewski draws on FEMA and Marsh experience to launch disaster resilience advisory firm

Drawing on his experience at both the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Marsh, Dan Kaniewski has launched NorthStar Risk & Resilience, an advisory firm dedicated to helping public and private sector leaders navigate complex disaster risks.

    Speaking with The Insurer TV at the ClimateTech Connect conference in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Kaniewski emphasized that his company's clients are increasingly recognizing the importance of combining risk transfer mechanisms with risk reduction strategies.

    "I said, you know what? I want to follow my passion. I want to bring together emergency management with insurance. And that's what NorthStar is," he stated.

    Kaniewski founded NorthStar after six years at Marsh, where he served as managing director and U.S. public sector leader, following two years as deputy administrator for resilience at FEMA. 

    "If there's a bumper sticker, it would say disaster resilience is my NorthStar. It always has been," he said.

    On the broader question of resilience, Kaniewski argued that no single entity could shoulder the burden alone.

    "It's not the federal government's responsibility and certainly not one agency's responsibility to make the nation more resilient," he said. "We can only do that if we're all in this together, and that includes insurance."

    On the future of FEMA, Kaniewski said the conversation had shifted over the past year. While talk of eliminating the agency had circulated previously, he said a consensus had since emerged around the need for reform rather than abolition.

    "I think everyone is fairly aligned and saying there need to be reforms," he said. "The real question is which of these reforms are going to take hold."

    Watch the full interview to hear Kaniewski’s thoughts on these proposed changes and more.