In an industry often characterized by tradition and established practices, the continuous drive for innovation is what separates market leaders from the rest, pushing the boundaries of what risk management can achieve for modern businesses. Three professionals from Alliant Insurance Services have been formally recognized for their roles in this evolution, earning the prestigious 2026 Hot 100 Award from Insurance Business America. This accolade celebrates top leaders whose contributions over the past year are actively shaping the future of insurance across all specialties and markets. The selection of Jason Bertoldi, Nicoletta Di Sacco, and Miranda Fischer is not merely a collection of individual honors; it is a powerful testament to the multifaceted expertise and forward-thinking culture that has propelled Alliant to a position of prominence. Their collective impact, spanning complex legal risk, strategic finance, and specialized client brokerage, underscores the firm’s capacity to deliver sophisticated solutions in an increasingly complex world. This recognition reinforces the idea that true industry leadership stems from a deep well of diverse talent united by a shared commitment to excellence and innovation.
A Showcase of Specialized Expertise
Pioneering Litigation and Contingent Risk Solutions
Jason Bertoldi, serving as the Global Team Leader for Alliant Litigation & Contingent Risk Insurance, has solidified his reputation as a trailblazer in the highly specialized field of litigation insurance. His work addresses some of the most intricate legal and regulatory challenges that modern corporations face, including high-stakes intellectual property disputes, sprawling mass torts, and complex antitrust litigation. Bertoldi’s approach transcends conventional insurance brokering; he architects bespoke contingent risk insurance solutions that are designed to mitigate the profound financial uncertainties associated with prolonged legal battles. In doing so, he provides a critical financial backstop for organizations navigating environments where the outcome is anything but certain. His ability to understand the nuanced intersection of law, finance, and insurance allows him to craft policies that are not just defensive instruments but strategic assets. This level of specialization has become indispensable for clients who require more than a standard policy—they need a meticulously engineered solution that aligns with their legal strategy and protects their balance sheets from potentially catastrophic losses.
Bertoldi’s most significant contribution lies in his innovative method of structuring transactions that leverage insurance policies as investment collateral, a strategy that has successfully unlocked hundreds of millions of dollars in financing for a diverse clientele of litigants, law firms, and private equity firms. By transforming an insurance policy from a simple risk-transfer mechanism into a financeable asset, he has created new avenues for capital generation, enabling clients to fund their litigation efforts or pursue other strategic objectives without depleting their own resources. This sophisticated financial engineering has profound implications, allowing entities to pursue meritorious legal claims that might otherwise be financially prohibitive. His elite status in this niche market is unequivocally confirmed by his Chambers Band 1 ranking, a prestigious designation held by only two litigation insurance brokers in the entire nation. This distinction is a reflection of his unparalleled expertise, market influence, and consistent track record of delivering groundbreaking solutions that redefine the strategic value of insurance in the legal arena.
Driving Strategic Financial Growth
As the Senior Vice President and Director of Finance for Alliant Specialty, Nicoletta Di Sacco plays an instrumental role in steering the company’s strategic growth and fortifying its financial resilience. Her leadership is grounded in a comprehensive understanding of both the granular details of insurance markets and the broader principles of advanced risk management. She guides a high-performing finance team that has been a key engine behind Alliant Specialty’s record-breaking expansion. Di Sacco’s strategic vision extends beyond traditional financial oversight; she has been pivotal in identifying and capitalizing on untapped market opportunities, allowing the division to expand its footprint and service offerings proactively. Simultaneously, her meticulous approach to financial management has led to the streamlining of cost structures and the implementation of highly effective, data-driven expense management protocols. These initiatives have not only enhanced profitability but also created a more agile and efficient operational framework, enabling the business to adapt swiftly to market dynamics and sustain its growth trajectory in a competitive landscape.
Looking toward the future, Di Sacco’s focus is firmly on enhancing the company’s analytical capabilities to ensure its operational infrastructure can continue to scale effectively. She is spearheading the development of advanced financial modeling systems designed to provide deeper insights into market trends, forecast performance with greater accuracy, and support complex strategic decision-making. These sophisticated systems are crucial for managing the complexities that come with rapid growth and an expanding market reach. By investing in this cutting-edge financial technology, she is ensuring that Alliant Specialty is not just prepared for future challenges but is positioned to anticipate them. This forward-looking approach to financial stewardship is fundamental to the division’s sustained success, providing the robust financial backbone necessary to support its ambitious goals and maintain its status as a leader in the specialty insurance sector. Her work ensures that operational excellence keeps pace with market ambition, creating a sustainable model for long-term prosperity.
Fostering Innovation and Inclusivity
Navigating the Complexities of Construction Risk
Miranda Fischer, an Assistant Vice President at Alliant Construction, has distinguished herself through her exceptional expertise in navigating the notoriously volatile New York construction marketplace. She specializes in developing creative and highly tailored risk management programs for clients within the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) space, a sector fraught with unique liabilities and operational challenges. Fischer’s success lies in her ability to move beyond off-the-shelf solutions, instead leveraging her deep industry knowledge and comprehensive brokering skills to craft insurance and surety programs that are precisely aligned with each client’s specific risk profile and business objectives. She adeptly guides her clients through the labyrinth of complex coverage negotiations, ensuring they secure terms that not only protect their businesses from potential losses but also enhance their overall resilience. In an environment where project margins are tight and risks are high, her ability to deliver strategic, cost-effective solutions provides a significant competitive advantage, allowing clients to undertake ambitious projects with greater confidence and security.
Beyond her technical proficiency as a broker, Miranda Fischer is a passionate and influential advocate for diversity and inclusion within the construction industry. She actively holds leadership positions in several prominent New York trade associations, including the Women Builders Council and Professional Women in Construction, where she works to advance the careers of women and individuals from underrepresented populations. Her commitment to fostering a more equitable industry is not separate from her professional role but is, in fact, integral to it. She understands that a more diverse workforce leads to a greater variety of perspectives, which in turn fuels innovation and improves problem-solving. By championing inclusivity, she is not only helping to create a more welcoming and supportive professional community but is also contributing to the long-term health and dynamism of the construction sector itself. Her dual focus on expert risk management and industry advocacy makes her a truly transformative figure in the New York construction landscape.
A Culture of Excellence and Employee Ownership
The individual accomplishments of Bertoldi, Di Sacco, and Fischer were emblematic of a corporate culture meticulously cultivated to foster innovation and leadership. As noted by Executive Vice President Michael Cusack, their successes were a direct reflection of the “unparalleled standard of service” and deep expertise that the company championed. The achievements were not isolated incidents but rather the natural outcomes of an environment designed to attract and retain top-tier talent. Alliant positioned itself as a destination for the industry’s best by fostering a unique, majority employee-owned structure. This model provided professionals with a rare combination of autonomy, extensive resources, and meaningful equity opportunities. This sense of ownership and empowerment resulted in exceptionally high producer retention and was a key factor in the company’s recognition by Forbes as one of America’s Best Large Employers. The foundation of this success was a strategy that valued expertise and rewarded entrepreneurial spirit.
Ultimately, the work of these honored professionals significantly elevated Alliant’s ability to deliver superior risk management solutions to clients nationwide. Their distinct contributions—whether in pioneering new financial instruments for litigation, implementing advanced financial systems for scalable growth, or championing inclusivity in the construction sector—created a powerful synergy. This collective impact went beyond individual client engagements; it reinforced the company’s market position as a leading specialty insurance broker experiencing a period of historic growth. The synthesis of their individual and corporate achievements formed a cohesive narrative of success, one where an intentional focus on talent development and an empowering ownership culture became the primary drivers of innovation and market leadership. Their recognition served as a clear indicator of a business model that had successfully aligned individual ambition with collective excellence, setting a new benchmark in the industry.
