Biography
Lael Chappell was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and attended the University of Georgia where he received a Bachelor in Business Administration in Banking and Finance and a Bachelor in Business Administration in Risk Management and Insurance. While at the University of Georgia, he was a Fellow at the Institute for Leadership and Advancement and received a certificate in Personal and Organizational Leadership.
With nearly 20 years of experience in leadership roles across the commercial insurance industry, Lael has been recognized by Business Insurance as a 2019 Breakout Award recipient honoring the top 40 under 40 within the Insurance Industry, selected as a 2019 Young Gun by Insurance Business America, a 2020 Rising Insurance Star Executive (RISE) recipient, a 2021 Power Broker by Risk & Insurance, and recognized as a Leader of Change for his diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts as well as a recipient of the inaugural Insurance Brokers Association of New York Diversity Equity and Inclusion Excellence Award in 2022. Lael was also identified as a leader in the insurance industry and selected as one of the Hot 100 by Insurance Business America (2024, 2023, 2022, 2021), a 2022 Top 100 Insurance Innovator by Ligitico, is a part of the 2022 University of Georgia (UGA) Alumni Top 40 Under 40 Class, and a 2023 Terry Trailblazer, from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, acknowledging diverse alumni who are pioneers in their industry.
Outside of his professional pursuits, Lael has completed a certificate in Investment Banking with a concentration in Private Equity and Real Estate Financing at NYU’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies. Lael earned full alumni status after his completion of the Program For Leadership Development at Harvard Business School and is a 2020 Executive Masters of Business Administration graduate of the EMBA Global Asia Program jointly conferred by Columbia Business School, London Business School, and the University of Hong Kong.
Lael also completed terms as the chair of the Mentorship Committee for the University of Georgia’s Terry Business School Young Alumni Board, the President of the National African American Insurance Association of New York Tri-State (New York, New Jersey, & Connecticut), the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors for the HomeBound Leadership Institute, and served as a member of the Board of Directors for MODEL26.
Lael remains active in the community currently serving as the emeritus Chairman of the Wall Street Alphas Charitable Foundation, completed the Stat Zero Venture Fellowship & Rebel One Angel Investor training focused on preparing future Venture Capitalists and Angel Investors for impact investing globally, a Venture Fellow Alum for 116th Street Ventures, and an alum of the McKinsey Black Executive Leadership Program. Lael was also recently recognized as a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Beta Class for their 40 Under 40 initiative for his Civic Engagement.
Lael is also a current member of the One Hundred Black Men of New York, a mentor for the Global Insurance Accelerator, as well as a mentor for the Insurtech Fund Digital MGA Lab, an Innovation Advisor for Lloyds Lab, serves as a Global Advisor for the Phoenix Foundation (based out of Hong Kong), a member of the Forbes Business Development Council, a member of the John Street Club, a member of the RISE Professionals Strategic Planning Board, and a member of the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business Risk Management & Insurance Program Advisory Board.
