Does being a woman lock you into insurance?

Jen: [00:00:22] Hello everyone. Welcome to the latest edition of Insurance Business TV. I’m Jen Frost, news editor for the insurance business. Joining us today is Anna Kavanagh, Vice President of TD Insurance Affinity Market Group. Anna was selected by an insurance company as an insurance lady. She has been described as an inspirational leader who has been able to attract and develop diverse talent.Anna talks about how far the industry has come when it comes to gender her inclusion and how she is determined to succeed We also share our top tips. Congratulations Anna and welcome to the show.

Anna: [00:01:01] Thank you Jen. It is indeed a privilege to be recognized.

Jen: [00:01:05] It is truly wonderful and definitely deserved that you are with us today. Thank you. Can you share some insight into your professional journey and how you got to your current position?

Anna: [00:01:15] I have been in the life insurance industry for over 30 years and have held roles in finance, start-up, services and claims early in my career. But I’ve been mostly in product roles for most of my career. I enjoyed the role of the product. Because there is end-to-end accountability for performance. I also had the opportunity to work on a fairly new and innovative product line, including disability insurance for critical illness and blue collar workers. Also, it may not have been new to the industry, but it was certainly a new product for the company I worked for.So I tackled structured payments and segregated funds. So I really enjoyed the product role and especially enjoyed working closely with sales channels, broker channels, types of salespeople, and direct consumers. , I was transferred to the life insurance side product manager. But a few years ago I was given the opportunity to work on the home and auto side of the business. was a pioneer. That’s why we have over 700 partnerships with professional associations, colleges and university alumni, and employers’ groups to promote and recommend our Home His and Automotive programs to their members. As such, I am extremely honored to lead the team that manages that relationship and this business.

Jen: [00:02:59] Thank you very much. I think the role you are currently taking on is very exciting, but is there anything you think being a woman in the insurance industry has made your career more difficult? If so, how do you overcome this? do you want?

Anna: [00:03:14] Oh, and as a woman in the industry, especially when I entered the industry in the late 80’s, it’s very important to make sure my manager knows that I have a desire to move up to a more senior role. Yes, I had a family, but that didn’t mean I didn’t want a career. I had to clarify what I wanted. Other times, as a woman, I’m not as confident as I should be. And what has always really worked for me has been my investment in learning, so with each new role, when I started working in the life insurance field, when I enrolled in Roma and started working in Life Her Management, I received a fellow from the institute. When I started managing disability and critical illness products, I registered and became a registered health underwriter. When I started working in direct-to-consumer, I took a 10-week course offered by the Direct Marketing Institute. One, they gave me the basic knowledge. So we were able to improve performance and make an impact. But the other thing it did for me was signal to my manager and others that I wanted to advance my career as a woman.

Jen: [00:04:38] Self-development and learning seem to be the keys to success. But how important is mentoring? Have you had a mentor or role model in your professional life?

Anna: [00:04:50] Mentoring is so important, and actually becomes more important as you start to progress into more senior roles, as mentors share their experiences with you. gives you a perspective that may not have. Mentors actually tell you how others see you. Also, to grow as an organizational leader, you need to understand how you can motivate and inspire others. And perhaps my only regret in my career is that I didn’t ask for more mentors to help me grow. I have been inspired by many great role models, women and men, role models. He taught me how to be a good leader and how to be a good listener. The show has taught us how to make good decisions. Also, when you watch role models follow them, you can see first-hand how they influence outcomes and how they motivate and guide people.

Jen: [00:05:54] Thank you very much, Anna. I think this could be a big problem. So do women now have an equal opportunity in insurance? If not, what more can be done?

Anna: [00:06:06] The industry has changed a lot since I joined the company from when most leaders were men. And throughout my career, I’ve seen many women rise to more senior roles. And I think the industry is doing a really good job recognizing their contributions. What’s really good is that there are more women in actuarial and sales roles that have traditionally been male roles. So we are doing really well there. However, we can definitely see more women running insurance companies, and I don’t think we’ll be far away from having great emerging leaders.

Jen: [00:06:50] Thank you very much. Finally, what advice would you give to insurance professionals looking to reach the top and make a real impact?

Anna: [00:06:59] So, clearly, it’s important to have domain expertise, to be intelligent. It’s all table stakes. But when you start to move up into more senior roles, soft skills are very important, and they are just as important. Stakeholders must be treated well and coordinated. You have to make sure people are confident and that they trust you to guide them. must be confirmed. Because people know it when they see something that isn’t real. So one thing I would say to all my female colleagues is her to really develop these soft skills. Because these skills are very important, especially as you progress to senior positions.

Jen: [00:07:58] You can’t fake it until you make it. Thank you very much for joining us today. Anna I think that was really great advice. It was really good that you appeared on the program.

Anna: [00:08:06] Thank you very much. I’m glad I was here.

Jen: [00:08:09] Thank you to all the viewers. Don’t forget to check out our videos, podcasts and daily news at www.insurancebusinessmag.com/ca. I’m Jen Frost, news editor for the insurance business.