Zooming in on women in liability insurance
Alicia Narainsamy, Head of Digital Distribution; PR & Marketing at SHA Risk Specialist Underwriters
We live in a world where new risks emerge at an unprecedented pace and technology is advancing ever more rapidly. At the same time, the transaction between consumer and insurer is becoming a more streamlined engagement.
In the midst of this new landscape, the liability insurance industry is facing both enormous challenges and opportunities, making it critically important to have strong and diverse leadership.
Alicia Narainsamy, Head of Digital Distribution; PR & Marketing at SHA Risk Specialist Underwriters, says that empowering women at all levels of a company’s structure has therefore become a massively important part of ensuring that businesses not only become more diverse, but also more effective in serving their respective market.
“One industry that can attest to the importance of gender diversity, is the insurance sector – particularly liability insurance. The culmination of viewpoints that results from gender diversity in the liability arena is a very important factor in driving companies in this sector forward,” notes Narainsamy.
She says that women possess a number of traits that make a significant impact in the complex and ever-evolving world of liability insurance. “As women, we have the innate ability to create a collaborative environment. This is essential for driving high performance teams and ensures an inclusive decision making process critical for dealing with the intricacies of liability risks. Empathy is another trait that is imperative for leaders to have, as women this comes naturally to us.”
Narainsamy believes that there is much more that businesses can do to grow their percentage of female leaders within their ranks. “I truly believe that providing a platform for women in every organisation is incredibly important as it motivates young females to reach high. SHA hosted its second event this year, empowering women with key note speakers from across the industry to share their leadership journey.”
“I also believe that the legacy corporate ladder theory is built on the rungs of unique views and differentiating perspectives, which don’t necessarily enable nor support a new generation of leaders in their journey to attaining senior positions. We must allow for an inclusive growth journey to senior positions in order to heed better results.”
She adds that this responsibility also goes the other way, and that women should be unafraid to take action and elevate themselves in their careers.
Narainsamy began her insurance career over a decade ago, at the tender age of 21 and now occupies a senior position at SHA. “The turning point in my own career came from entering the Insurance Apprentice in 2015. I believe this platform propelled my career to the next level. With the exposure I received as a finalist, I went on to develop myself in multiple areas of the business such as compliance, marketing and PR among others. I have since gained considerable experience and have occupied various strategic positions whilst achieving academic success.”
“My current role has afforded me a great opportunity, it allows me to strategically align the company’s objectives with a digital outlook. I am incredibly proud to be a young female leading a digital distribution team - a milestone I will carry with me for a long time.”
“To all the women at the start of their careers, I encourage them to always be on the lookout for opportunities – the opportunities are there for us, we just need to reach out and grab them with both hands. Remove fear from your vocabulary and reject the imposter syndrome mentality. The company can only do so much for us, it is up to us to change the course of history and affirm our place in the boardroom. Invest in yourself and in your education and make sure that you constantly build on your existing skillset – this sends a powerful message. If more women do this, there is nothing that stops them from becoming leaders in their field,” Narainsamy concludes.
