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Women to Watch: Pamela Rippens

Posted On: Oct. 8, 2006 12:00 AM CST

Pamela Rippens

Senior Vp, Field Operations

Specialty Risk Services L.L.C.

Hartford, Conn.

Age: 42

Pamela Rippens landed a job with The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. right out of college. Four years after joining as an account claims representative, she became assistant manager in SRS's Brea, Calif., hub office. By 1993, she was named assistant vp in Hartford's national accounts underwriting area. Ms. Rippens moved into her current position in 2001, and is responsible for the results of the third-party administrator's 1,300 field employees nationwide.

What would you change: "There is a belief that insurance and financial risk management is a male dominated, old school, good-old-boys industry. If women accept this view, then they will shy away from this field, and they shouldn't. I want to debunk this myth. Women should challenge this perspective of the industry. In my experience, women have a variety of career opportunities in the insurance industry that are personally fulfilling as well as have an impact on the growth of the business."