Insurer to tap athletes to fill its agent bench

Hoping to strengthen its agent force, The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. has paired with Career Athletes LLC to recruit students as interns and agents. Career Athletes is a career development service provider that works with more than 1,200 colleges and universities across the country to help transition student athletes into the workplace. Just 3% of all students with the National Collegiate Athletic Association go on to become professional athletes, according to the NCAA. “This expands our net and gets us more exposure to a successful pool of applicants,” said Steven C. Mannebach, vice president of agency development at Northwestern Mutual. The insurer plans to attract some 2,000 new financial representatives and more than 2,500 financial rep interns this year. “The take-away is that student athletes and successful professionals are cut from the same cloth,” Mr. Mannebach said. “They're disciplined, resilient and driven to succeed.” Although Northwestern Mutual has had an internship program for 40 years, the new partnership with Career Athletes helps students craft their burgeoning careers around their practice and game schedules, Mr. Mannebach said. Further, though the program bodes well for shoring up Northwestern Mutual's agent force, the insurer also hopes to tap into a new client base. “Student athletes tend to be locally known in their communities, and that gives them a bit of an advantage,” Mr. Mannebach said. “We have some pro athletes who came on board with us, and it gives them a little edge in the marketplace — a bit of brand recognition in who they are — and it might be helpful to them as they launch their careers.”