Worcester Business Journal

O U T S T A N D I N G W O M E N I N B U S I N E S S F O C U S I n 1991, Jennifer Luisa was hired as a receptionist at what is now e Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (formerly State Mutual Life Assurance Company). By the end of that year, she had advanced to an ex- ecutive assistant, and it wasn't long aer that she was named a project manager. Luisa gained important experience, serving in a variety of positions includ- ing relationship manager, operations manager, chief of staff, and product marketing manager. Luisa went on to lead the company's rebranding efforts as it shied to e Hanover Insurance Group and then joined the company's human resources team. Luisa then led e Hanover's charitable foundation for four years, serving as president of e Hanover Foundation, before arriving at her present role – vice president of marketing and communications. "My career trajectory has never really been focused on obtaining a specific role. Instead, I was focused on what I could learn from each job and the key responsibilities that I could build upon to make that job my own," said Luisa. She has always loved marketing, par- ticularly the creative side of storytelling, but she finds value in a deep under- standing of the company's operations in order to tell e Hanover's story in the most impactful way possible. "I've had a lot of internal mobility here. Some of the jobs I chose, and some of the jobs chose me," she said. Luisa admires the tremendous leaders she has worked with, and she is commit- ted to returning the favor. Aside from her role as an official mentor, she loves providing informal support. "I spend a lot of time with individuals who are trying to find work-life balance and understand how different career progression happens," Luisa said. "In these rapidly changing times, I learn just as much from them." Under her leadership, the marketing team routinely completes more than 1,000 projects per year, an accomplish- ment she attributes to her talented staff. "From our writers and designers to our public relations team and our mul- timedia specialists – they do a great job promoting the unique value of what we bring," Luisa said. Luisa is particularly enthusiastic when it comes to digital marketing which requires strong partnerships with e Hanover's technology team. "Together, we have spent a lot of time in the last two years really trying to digi- tize our content and looking at new and interactive tools for agents and custom- Jennifer Luisa Vice president of marketing and communications The Hanover Insurance Group, Worcester wbjournal.com | October 29, 2018 | Worcester Business Journal 31 Luisa leads more than 1,000 projects per year ers to use," she said. As a member of the company's digital council and its innovation steering com- mittee, she sees value in connecting each part of the organization and empower- ing employees to think outside the box. "In the 10 years I have known and worked with Jen, I have seen her intel- ligence, her wisdom and her compas- sion in all that she does. She is both an amazing leader with e Hanover Insurance Group and she is a thoughtful and o-requested community leader," said Tim Garvin, president and CEO of the United Way of Central Mass. Luisa oen recalls a favorite saying of her father's: "To whom much is given, much is expected." As such, she has served as a board of trustee member for the Doctor Franklin Perkins School since 2015, a human services organization focused on the well-being of children, youth and adults facing educational, developmental and mental health challenges. As a mother of a child on the autism spectrum, this is a cause very important to her. She has served on the boards of the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester, Inc., Worcester Education Development Foundation, and the Worcester Regional Research Bureau. She previously served as a vice president of her local Parent Teacher Organization. "Her advocacy on behalf of our kids, in particular those attending our Great Brook Valley site, has helped ensure we have the resources for our kids to suc- ceed. We are so fortunate to have her on our team," said Liz Hamilton, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club. BY SARAH CONNELL Special to the Worcester Business Journal Residence: Lancaster College: Syracuse University, Clark University What has been the key to your suc- cess? Hard work, humility and a healthy sense of humor. If you could go back and change one thing, what would it be? Take more risks. Early on, I was a bit hesitant to share creative ideas in fear they would not be well-received. I didn't realize any idea can be modified and built upon to deliver something amazing. Sharing ideas will demonstrate something criti- cally important: How you think. What is your primary motivation? Re- lationships. From my family to my mar- keting team, relationships are the most important thing to me and bring me the greatest fulfillment and joy in life. W 2018 W I N N E R

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