2023 Women to Watch Awards Americas EMEA
Emily Fraser Chief technical underwriting officer, U.K. and International
RSA
London
An early appreciation for detective novels where characters like Hercules Poirot put their observation and deduction skills to work has translated into a fulfilling career in underwriting for Emily Fraser.
“That’s what underwriting is like. You get presented with a file that you have to review, ask sensible questions, do some investigation, and then come up with an evaluation of the risk,” Ms. Fraser said. “I like that about underwriting.”
She got her start in the business while studying at Newcastle University, working evenings and weekends at a Zurich Insurance Co. call center doing sales and service for household and personal motor insurance.
After joining RSA in 2012, Ms. Fraser quickly rose through the ranks to leadership roles in underwriting and pricing governance, and strategy. She was promoted to her current role in September.
Ms. Fraser said a highlight of her career has been the opportunity to build from the ground up a whole team focused on supporting and enabling RSA’s underwriting business.
She is also proud of being a group ambassador for neurodiversity. “I have ADHD and I’m dyslexic. When I joined the industry — and I’ve always been incredibly happy in insurance, which is a great place to work — I’d encourage others to think about it in a positive way,” Ms. Fraser said.
“But there weren’t really any neurodiverse role models. And over the last couple of years, we’ve started — at least within RSA and within Intact, our parent company — to change the conversation.”
Sara Abley, a London-based underwriting excellence technician at RSA, said Ms. Fraser is an open, inclusive, and supportive leader who always wants people to succeed. “She’s a real role model for the whole community,” Ms. Abley said.
Ms. Fraser said being neurodiverse means “you don’t necessarily fit in that cookie cutter mold yourself,” and that has had a positive impact on how she leads.
“It’s really made me realize how important it is to treat everyone as individuals and to individually understand people’s preferences, needs, skill sets and strengths,” she said.
Claire Wilkinson
