In this episode of InsHER, I sit down with Kathryn Smith, the dynamic Managing Director of Marketing at Jencap, who shares her remarkable journey from aspiring PR queen to influential insurance industry leader. Kathryn’s career took an unexpected turn towards insurance. With a start at American Family, she later transitioned to a role at Chubb, ultimately building significant relationships that paved her way to Jencap. Now, as the Managing Director of Marketing, and host of "Flip the Cap," Kathryn celebrates the exceptional talent within Jencap, providing a platform for brokers to share their expertise and shine. She emphasizes the importance of brand awareness and the challenge of maintaining it amidst growth, asserting, “You have to stand true to that foundation.”

Kathryn also opens up about her personal life, discussing the challenges of balancing a demanding career and parenthood. She reflects on her experience with postpartum depression, highlighting the importance of support systems for women returning to work after childbirth. With a passion for mental health advocacy and a commitment to empowering others, Kathryn underscores the significance of lifting each other up in times of need. Quoting her inspiration, Sara Blakely, Kathryn reinforces the value of hiring working mothers, praising their unparalleled problem-solving skills and resourcefulness. Tune in to hear Kathryn's inspiring story, her strategies for maintaining a strong brand, and her heartfelt advice on balancing life and work.

In this episode, I interview Mallika Bender, the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Staff Actuary at the Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS). Mallika’s journey into the insurance world was somewhat serendipitous. Always excelling at math, she majored in statistics and loved “how numbers could explain the world around us”. Her path became clear when she bought a book about careers for math majors, and “actuary” stood out as a perfect match for her skills and interests. Mallika shares how her volunteer work and passion for DEI evolved into a full-time role at CAS, allowing her to focus on increasing diversity within the actuarial profession and addressing racial and algorithmic bias in insurance pricing.

Mallika dives into the specifics of her work, discussing the major research and collaboration efforts she leads at CAS. One of her proudest achievements is the series of research papers on bias in insurance, with four already completed and five more expected this year. These papers are crucial for fostering safe spaces where actuaries can discuss and address these important issues. Mallika believes that every actuary brings unique experiences to their work, and leveraging these diverse perspectives can significantly enhance the industry. She hopes for a future where the actuarial profession thinks wider and deeper, informed by a variety of perspectives. This episode sheds light on how DEI can be applied beyond talent and pipeline issues, directly influencing the products and services offered to insurance customers.

In this episode, I sit down with Samantha Ridgewell, the dynamic Managing Director at Empower Development, to explore her journey of transforming learning and development in the insurance industry. Her keen insight into the industry revealed a gap in comprehensive training across the market, which spurred her to offer her expertise beyond her organization. Samantha's innovative approach was well-received early on, demonstrating the market's need for her solutions.

Samantha also tackles the challenge of attracting new talent to the insurance sector. Shifting from traditional university visits to leveraging TikTok, she amassed 500k views in just a few days, illustrating the platform's power in reaching job seekers. With hundreds of messages pouring in through TikTok and LinkedIn, Samantha successfully connected many with job opportunities, proving that "TikTok can change lives." She emphasizes the importance of consistency in building a social media presence, likening it to stretching an elastic band – the more you do it, the easier it becomes. Samantha also discusses the balance between deep relationships and the wide reach of social networking, highlighting the lasting impact of structured learning in today's hybrid and remote work environments.