Female Leaders in Insurance | Elite Women

• gender bias

• unequal pay

• limited representation

• lack of mentorship opportunities

“I have experience of not progressing because of my skin colour, so I’m aware of what it feels like to be discriminated against,” says one winner, Vivine Cameron, equality, diversity and inclusion manager at the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII).

Fellow winner Donna Scully describes being discouraged from pursuing higher education because of her gender; however, the joint owner and director of Carpenters Group attributes much of her success to pursuing a degree.

“That’s why [girls] need a chance,” she says. “Give us an opportunity, and we’ll grab it with both hands.” 

Fractured beginnings

The Catholic convent schools Scully attended in inner city Dublin only offered domestic courses on how to cook and sew.

She says, “I went to school with nuns, where women were just being prepared for marriage. There was no question of me having a career or being ambitious or driven, which I was. I was kind of like a square peg in a round hole.”

After obtaining her solicitor’s certification in 1995, Scully joined Carpenters Group, where she became co-owner, transforming the company from a general law firm to a specialist personal injury business.

What marks Scully out is being unafraid to lead in times of uncertainty.

“The insurance market has been volatile this year; the cost-of-living crisis really kicked in, and securing and looking after your people was challenging,” she says. “That said, like always, we rose to the challenges, and I am looking to 2024 positively.”

Illustrating the level of her performance in 2023, Scully has been:

• shortlisted in the Person with Purpose category of the Northern Power Women Awards

• recognised with the Outstanding Achievement of the Year award at the Modern Claims Awards

• presented with an Outstanding Contribution to Charity award from the Regional Business Awards

“All businesses need not only a heart but also a strong backbone, someone who has a passion both for their people and the industry they are part of,” says Carpenters CEO Donna Richards. “Being able to fight for justice and also provide a balanced collaborative approach is not an easy thing to do, but Donna Scully has the ability to bring a mix of people together and make magic happen.”

For Scully, encouraging the professional growth of women across the insurance industry is a personal priority. That’s why, over the past 12 months, she has mentored groups, including:

• The Hive

• The Girls’ Network

• Insurance Breakfast Club

Cameron also recalls the constraints of gender and racial discrimination back in 1989, when she started working in London. In her first corporate job, the manager recalls seeing just two people of colour in the office.

“Outside of that, the only people that looked like us were the security guards and the women that changed the coffee machines,” she says. “We really were a minority. And when you went to work, there were very few brown or non-white people on trains or buses going into the city.”

Cameron is now an established industry leader and was awarded the 2022 NextGen Planner Education Initiative for her dedication to improving the field of financial planning.

Her role at the CII, a professional body dedicated to building public trust in the insurance and financial planning professions, involves educating and encouraging professionals from diverse backgrounds to pursue careers in insurance.

Throughout 2023, Cameron’s impactful contributions at the CII include:

• championing six partnership agreements promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I)

• raising awareness of DE&I through the creation of webinars, radio broadcasts and podcasts, reaching 122k global members

• attaining a Chartered Management Institution Level 5 certification in Managing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Reflecting on the latter accomplishment, Cameron says, “This was in the midst of a very challenging year of juggling work and working with a number of DE&I networks within the profession. While my appearance speaks to my knowledge and experience in the equality, equity, diversity and inclusion space, certification from a recognised professional body gives credence to those who need to be confident in my competence and professional capability.”

As a black woman, it took 20 years for Cameron to progress from an entry-level to a junior-level position.

“If you experience discrimination, you can feel it,” she says. “If someone younger is less experienced than me, and I’m being told I didn’t get the job, but I clearly have the experience and the knowledge, then it does beg the question, although you can’t prove it empirically.” 

“At heart, I’m a learning and development person. So, my purpose in life is to see people succeed and fulfil their goals, regardless of what background they come from”
Vivine CameronChartered Insurance Institute

Finding your path

It was at American Express in 2008 that Cameron’s career took off. Advancing to an executive position in four years, she describes the experience as her first true encounter with a mentor. In addition to lending her expertise to the CII, Cameron also consults across the banking industry.

As an active member of the Inclusion at Lloyd’s panel, Cameron is recognised for providing sought-after advice on:

• professional standards

• code of ethics observance

• inclusion

For Cameron, a large part of encouraging women to enter the financial sector involves visibility.

“I did a presentation on careers in insurance, and I’ll never forget a young black woman who came up to me and said, ‘Madam, I see you. How do I get into [this industry]?’ This instilled in me the importance and power of visualisation – the ability to see oneself in a role and profession.”

As a leader in legal services in the motor insurance industry, Scully is regularly called upon to contribute to publications and industry panels. Still, the proudest moment of her career remains the day she received her solicitor’s certification.

“Obviously, Carpenters and everything has been an amazing opportunity. But everything flows from [my law qualification]. I couldn’t have been an owner of Carpenters without being a solicitor.” 

Sending the ladder down

Cameron and Scully both proactively use their influence to uplift women across the insurance industry. Despite their successes, each has experienced imposter syndrome. Scully often felt her humble beginnings meant she wouldn’t excel as a leader.

Cameron describes a similar emotion in her first managerial role.

“I got a direct report and contacted [my old mentors] and said, ‘What do I do?’ You know, ‘Can you give me some coaching and some assistance?’ And I remember, one of them said to me, ‘How would you want to be treated? That’s how you become a leader,’” says Cameron.

For Scully, effective leadership means creating opportunities for mentorship and professional growth.

She says, “Sending the ladder down [is important]. We’ve really worked hard at Carpenters on apprenticeships. We have academies across the business where people can come in at entry level and then work their way up. It gives people a chance and gives them a bit of hope.”

At the CII, Cameron’s department has made headcount strategies a part of their diversity initiative. In collaborating with universities and colleges, the equality, diversity and inclusion manager and her team meet young women and other minorities that may not have otherwise had exposure to a career in insurance.

Creating pathways for women in insurance also means moving away from traditional structures.

“All those kinds of old-fashioned things that we’ve had in insurance for years, we don’t have,” says Scully. “If you create a culture where diversity, inclusion, flexibility, training and apprenticeships are important, that attracts a lot of women.” 

“I’m not going to let you make me feel inadequate or uncomfortable. I’m just going to keep working and chipping away – I’m quite resilient”

Donna ScullyCarpenters Group

Meet the judges

• 
  Ajay Mistry
  iCAN
   
• 
  Christopher Croft
  London & International Insurance Brokers’ Association
• 
  Claire McDonald
  Insurance Women’s Inclusivity Network
• 
  Maxine Goddard
  Sompo International
• 
  Michael Keating
  Managing General Agents’ Association 
• 
  Vivine Cameron
  Chartered Insurance Institute

Female Leaders in Insurance | Elite Women

• 
  Donna Scully
  Joint Owner and Director
  Carpenters Group
   
  
• 
  Vivine Cameron
  Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager
  Chartered Insurance Institute
   
  

• Adabel Asinugo
  Chief Risk Officer
  HSB
• Alison Unwin
  Head of Quality and Strategic Projects, Home Claims Services
  Sedgwick
• Amanda Blanc
  Group Chief Executive Officer
  Aviva
• Amanda Scott
  Managing Director and Global Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) Leader
  WTW
• Barbara Schonhofer
  Founding Partner
  Harlschon
• Bhavisha Tailor
  Subject Matter Expert
  AXA Insurance
• Brittany Boykin
  In-House Counsel and Head of Claims and Underwriting
  Brit Insurance
• Caroline Hanan
  Chief Marketing Officer
  VIPR
• Charlotte West
  Account Executive
  WTW
• Chelsey Sprong
  Head of Social Impact
  Beazley
• Chika Austin
  Senior Associate Cyber Underwriter
  Travelers Europe
• Claire Burrell
  Chief Operating Officer
  The Ardonagh Group
• Claire McDonald
  Executive Board Member and Chief Underwriting Officer, HDI Global SE
  Chair, Insurance Women’s Inclusivity Network
• Claire Weston
  Chief Executive Officer
  Great Lakes Insurance UK
• Claudia Barber
  Corporate Responsibility Advisor
  AXA UK
• Cynthia Dugan
  Head of Sales and Client Management – Global Financial Solutions
  WTW
• Dawn Bonner
  Indirect Procurement Manager
  QBE Europe
• Eleanor Moore
  Director of Private Clients
  Broadway Insurance Brokers
• Emily Fraser
  Chief Technical Underwriting Officer, UK and International
  RSA
• Gemma Jackson
  UK&I Head of Diversity and Inclusion
  RSA
• Jacinda Da Rosa
  Regional Operations Manager, UK, Nordics and AQS Europe
  Allianz Commercial
• Jacqueline Sinclair
  Compliance Director
  CFC
• Jacqueline Wiffen
  UK Chief Underwriting Officer, Insurance
  Convex Insurance
• Jaime Swindle
  Chief Executive Officer
  Geo Underwriting
• Janthana Kaenprakhamroy
  Chief Executive Officer
  Tapoly
• Joanna Browning
  Senior Managing Director – People Experience
  Markel International
• Julia Graham
  Chief Executive Officer
  Airmic
• Kaj Pankhania
  Manager, DA Strategy
  Chair, MGAA Next Gen
• Karen Ko
  AFIC Insurance Leader
  Marsh
• Katherine Bryant
  Chief Executive Officer
  The Progress Partnership
• Katherine Nellums
  Marketing Director
  CFC
• Kirat Kaur Nandra
  Credit Control Manager
  Chubb
• Laura Hancock
  Managing Director
  Yutree Insurance
• Lisa Bartlett
  President, UK and Ireland
  Crawford & Company
• Lyn Comerford
  Director, Strategic Projects and Operations
  Markel International
• Mandy Hunt
  Chairperson –Underwriting Community Board
  Chartered Insurance Institute
• Marcella McLean
  Chief Human Resources Officer
  Arch Insurance International
• Marcia McFarlane
  Risk Management Technology Stable Leader
  Marsh
• Marie-Helene Tyack
  Global Inclusion, Diversity and Belonging Business Partner
  Allianz Commercial
• Maxine Goddard
  Senior Vice President, Strategic Distribution and Development
  Sompo International
• Melanie O’Neill
  Chief Underwriting Officer – Commercial
  Liberty Specialty Markets
• Melissa Collett
  Chief Executive Officer
  Insurtech UK
• Nikki Hinch
  Inclusion Consultant
  Ageas UK
• Nish Ashton
  Chair of the Ethnicity Network Group (ENG)
  Tokio Marine Kiln
• Pravina Ladva
  Group Chief Digital and Technology Officer
  Swiss Re
• Reha Begum
  Product Manager
  Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance
• Sally Blake
  UK Diversity and Inclusion Manager
  Zurich Insurance
• Sara Ager
  Chief Executive Officer
  GreenKite
• Sharon Crofts
  Senior Director of Reinsurance and Business Accounting
  Markel International
• Sonia Latore
  Senior Operational Excellence Consultant
  Ageas UK
• Sue Langley
  Non-Executive Chair, UK
  Gallagher
• Sunita Gaddu
  Partnerships Manager
  RSA
• Suzi Rackley
  Client Director
  Aston Lark Group
• Victoria Gallimore
  Group People and Culture Director
  The Clear Group