Women to Watch: 2007
Reprints
Women to Watch
By Regis Coccia, Editor
Published on July 30, 2007
Business Insurance's "Women to Watch" feature is our attempt to identify some of the women who are doing outstanding work in commercial insurance, risk management, employee benefits and related fields.
Fifty women are profiled beginning on page 10. They represent senior executives and innovators at a variety of organizations serving the buyers of commercial insurance, reinsurance, risk management services and employee benefits.
This list was compiled from hundreds of nominations by readers as well as information supplied by senior staff of Business Insurance. Narrowing down such a large list to only 50 was not easy (see related story). Inevitably, many very talented and hard-working women did not make this year's list.
Business Insurance intends to make the Women to Watch an annual feature and highlight the work of a different set of women leaders each year. We consider the Women to Watch a starting point, not an endpoint, for discussing the importance of women in the industry. Even though more women are taking on high-profile jobs, senior management in the insurance business remains largely male. BI believes that diversity--whether through gender, race or ethnicity--is important for an industry that serves people and businesses in all walks of life.
BI has produced two previous special reports on women. The first, in October 2000, looked at women's career contributions. In 2006, our Women to Watch report spotlighted current leaders as well as those who were about to take on senior leadership positions.
In general, the women on our list are in executive roles, serving risk managers, benefit managers or commercial insurers and are visible to those clients. Women involved behind the scenes in administrative roles are no less important, but our focus for this report was on leaders whose efforts are having a more direct impact on buyers.
The profiles of the 2007 Women to Watch feature biographical information and answers to questions we posed, such as: Who was your role model? What advice would you give to young women entering the industry? What did you want to be when you grew up?
We hope their answers will inform and inspire others working in this industry--both men and women. While we have published answers to just one of the three questions in the magazine, the complete profiles with the women's answers to all the other questions can be viewed on our Web site at www.BusinessInsurance.com/women2007.
Choosing Women to Watch was no easy process
Published on July 30, 2007
Choosing the 50 women profiled in the 2007 Women to Watch feature was a tough task for Business Insurance.
The magazine invited readers to nominate women working worldwide in commercial insurance, reinsurance, risk management, employee benefits and related fields, such as law and consulting. Readers responded by submitting hundreds of nominations. BI staff also contributed information about women in the industry, from which an overall list was compiled. A panel of senior Business Insurance editors then pored over the list, with an eye to identifying the "Women to Watch."
The selection process took several weeks and applied criteria including: professional achievements within the past three years, influence on the marketplace and contributions to the advancement of women in business. BI editors gave special consideration to the contributions of women in leadership positions that have a direct impact on the buyers of commercial lines insurance, reinsurance or employee benefits programs. For this reason, women doing outstanding work within their organizations but chiefly in administrative roles generally do not appear on the list. Reflecting Business Insurance's editorial focus, women executives at organizations that specialize in personal lines business were excluded from the list.
BI's goal is to make the Women to Watch an annual feature, spotlighting the achievements of a new set of women leaders each year. The list is not intended to be exhaustive or imply that only those on it are worthy of note.
«PREVIOUS | Arendall-Bhagavatula | Boehm-Cherian Huskins | Costante-Datelle Quarterman
Flanagan-Hawker | Hostovich-Kilduff | Kornfeld-Leuck | Long-Milligan
Mitchell-Samers | Shelton-Van Hulzen | Williams-Zacharias | NEXT»
