ASHLEY FONG | Age: 29 Director of technical operations

Carpe Data

Santa Barbara, California

Ashley Fong was one of the first employees of Carpe Data when she joined the data provider as a quality assurance engineer in 2016. She brought with her a degree in studio arts but had also studied computer coding while at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In her current role she works with insurance industry clients on their data needs.

What’s your top tip for working remotely?

Make sure you actually step away from your home office or workstation. It’s easy to roll out of bed and get to working and then continue working through the night, but I’ve found it’s really critical for me to actually go for a walk or step outside, even if it’s just out your front door, just to distance yourself from your workspace.

What’s your advice on navigating the current insurance market?

Don’t be afraid to try new things. It might take awhile to implement new technology, and you might not know that it could lead to improvements until you go through with it. There’s a lot of new technology that we might be afraid to use because the insurance industry is built on a lot of history but there are things that could help that you might not see unless you take that leap.

What’s one habit or hobby you adopted during the pandemic?

I got really into the stock market. Like a lot of people, I started trying to understand stocks more and used the time to get more involved. I have made some profit, but I am not counting all of it yet; we’ll see how the long holds go.

All-time favorite movie?

“My Neighbor Totoro” — I have a lot of good childhood memories watching that, and I love the story and the message.

What is your favorite meal?

A classic breakfast platter with bacon, eggs, toast, hash browns.