More than 300 women from the commercial insurance industry gathered last month at the de Young Museum in San Francisco for Aon Risk Solutions' third annual Women in Leadership Celebration. Women from the Bay area and around the country attended this event, created for the purpose of recognizing and celebrating some of the insurance industry's most talented women. Paired with a private showing of the Oscar de la Renta Retrospective exhibit, the event also provided an inviting setting for women to connect with their industry colleagues and build on their professional network.

Lori Goltermann, Aon's new CEO of U.S. Retail and the first women to be promoted into this role from any global brokerage, welcomed the women to the event and spoke on the importance of having sponsors throughout their career in addition to mentors.

Ms. Goltermann said that a mentor and a network of people can provide one with guidance throughout her career and teach the ins and outs of the profession. However, she said, “It is really the support and advocacy of your sponsor that encourages you to the next level - even when the going gets tough.” The CEO explained to the women, “This advocate is a lot different than a mentor. I encourage you to understand the difference and make sure you've got both in your professional development.”

Lisa Lambert was one of the featured speakers for the evening. Lambert is founder and executive director of the organization Uniting Professional Women Accelerating Relationships and Development, a global organization which now holds a membership of 3,000 women. She was also vice president of Intel Capital, Software and Services and Diversity, and has recently joined the Westly Group as a managing partner.

Ms. Lambert spoke about the limited number of women in technology who hold positions in senior-level positions, citing that only 3% of CEOs in the tech industry are women. This disparity led Ms. Lambert in 2013 to invite 90 women to her home to discuss the challenges facing senior-level women and the need for connections and community. Over time, by word of mouth, this group of women began to grow, leading to the development of UPWARD.

Ms. Lambert said women need to be intentional about helping other women. She said women often focus on doing a great job, but need to step out of their comfort zones and focus on networking as men do, and being part of a community.

Jennifer Adams, CFO at Dutch Fashion L.L.C., parent company of Joie, Equipment and Current Elliott brands, also spoke to the group of women and shared three lessons learned that have positively impacted her career development. Ms. Adams told the women that they should “be great in the moment…whatever you are doing, be great.” She encouraged women to always be fully engaged in whatever it is they are working on, and to drive towards positive change.

Ms. Adams also spoke of the importance of having respect and compassion for the people we work with, saying that this is how we can drive change in our working relationships.

Ms. Adams closed by encouraging women to build support systems into their lives. She said maintaining balance means creating a strong group of people who can show support on all levels. “You need people to help you physically and mentally, help you with your family or talking through a business problem.”

After the speeches, the women spent the evening networking with one another and viewing the Oscar de la Renta Retrospective exhibit. The exhibit displayed 130 of the designer's pieces from over five decades. The pieces reflected the rise of his career from early Spain to his becoming an influential designer in the 20th and 21st centuries.

The event was hosted by Aon's Women's International Network Business Resource Group. WIN helps advance the careers of women at Aon through professional and personal growth opportunities.