Rawan Alsulaiman
Chief legal and compliance officer, company secretary
International General Insurance Co. Ltd.
Amman, Jordan
Age: 39

Rawan Alsulaiman grew up with determination and a sense of justice that led to being the first young woman from her town attending university to study law.

Respectful of culture but not bound by its constraints, she decided she wanted to teach law after reading the books of her elder brother, who was a law student.

After graduating from Yarmouk University in her hometown of Irbid, Jordan, she attended the University of Exeter in England in 2005 for her master’s degree in international law. Returning to Jordan, an administration change at her university meant the path to becoming a university teacher was no longer open, so she pursued a business career. Her first job was in intellectual property law, and in 2007 she accepted an interview with International General Insurance Co. Ltd. and decided to join the growing company and help build its legal department in Amman, Jordan.

Named in 2014 to her current role of chief legal and compliance officer, she has played a key role in setting up overseas subsidiaries for IGI and helping to grow its business internationally.

“Every day there’s a new project and a new challenge,” she said.

This year, she was selected to participate in an advanced development program for potential future executives by Lloyd’s of London that provides mentorship and sponsorship support to women in the insurance industry.

In Jordan, women are well-represented in government jobs but less so in the private sector, but there are opportunities for female managers to advance to senior positions in insurance and reinsurance.

“For any woman to become a senior team member in a company, I think she needs to have some character to begin with, she needs to maintain a good work ethic, she needs to be passionate about her work and consistent, and I always say mentoring is a huge opportunity for all of us,” Ms. Alsulaiman said.

Ms. Alsulaiman is very competent technically and looks after IGI legal requirements and regulatory responsibilities, said David King, nonexecutive director of IGI.

“But coupled with that, she has a very approachable personality and is very good with people, so she is a unique asset.”

2019 Women to Watch Home