2008 Women in Insurance Leadership
Insurance Networking News, November 1, 2008
Right around the time you read this, the voters in United States of America will have made up their minds as to whether the nation will experience its first female vice president. Women have had a significant presence in this historic campaign year, with Hillary Clinton a contender for the Democratic nomination and Republican Sarah Palin in the vice presidential race. Whether or not you voted for one of them, this is likely a seminal moment in the quest for gender parity.
Many industries are experiencing the same phenomenon, and it may be a result of there being more women on corporate boards. According to "Advancing Women Leaders: The Connection Between Women Board Directors and Women Corporate Officers," from Catalyst Inc., the number of women on a company's board is directly connected to the future number of women in its senior management ranks. "Women leaders are role models to early- and mid-career women and, simply by being there at the top, encourage pipeline women to aspire to senior positions. They see that their skills will be valued and rewarded," says Ilene Lang, president of Catalyst.
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This predictor shows a way to increase the number of women in leadership, and further supports the findings of Catalyst's research on the financial implications of gender diversity at the top. That analysis revealed that Fortune 500 companies with the largest representation of women board directors and corporate officers achieve, on average, higher financial performance.
For years, hundreds of women across the carrier, broker and agent communities have held executive leadership positions in the industry, moving to greater and more diverse positions of influence and authority. We are pleased to continue to recognize the unique accomplishments of our industry's prominent female leaders.
Judging for this year's program included a ranking methodology that included examination of the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the nominee's performance, as well as her overall influence on the institution, the industry and the community in which she lives and works. The judges of this year's program also ranked the candidate's performance based on one or more of the following criteria: job complexity, contribution to the institution's top and bottom lines, ability to innovate and execute new products in new markets, shareholder value creation, corporate governance and ethics, management style, education and on her level of community involvement.
(c) 2008 Insurance Networking News and SourceMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
A BUMPER CROP OF TALENT
JUDY ANDERSON
Insurance Product Services Manager
RCIS
Anoka, Minn.
Back in the 1960s, women holding insurance management positions were rare. And women who managed specialty lines-namely crop insurance-were unheard of...until Judy Anderson came on the scene.
From taking and passing the civil services exam during business college to her role today as a valued crop insurance industry expert, Anderson has, for more than 40 years, contributed her leadership to an unusually complex, sometimes volatile and always highly regulated industry.
Anderson began her career in the early 1960s as a federal employee with the Federal Crop Insurance Corp. (FCIC) in North Dakota. One of the few women leaders in a male dominated field, she has since become a recognized and respected industry expert, from serving as a resource when the crop insurance industry was privatized in 1980 to her participation with National Crop Insurance Services Association (NCIS), an international organization representing the interests of more than 60 crop insurance companies.
Throughout her career Anderson has seized upon opportunities to help the business of crop insurance grow: Back in 1981, Anderson took advantage of the privatization of the industry to establish-with several founders-Rural Community Insurance Agency Inc. d/b/a Rural Community Insurance Services, (RCIS) Anoka, Minn. Over the years, her leadership has contributed to RCIS' growth. The company is now considered a leader in the crop insurance industry, with $2.5 billion in premium sales in 2008.
Judy Anderson
Today, Anderson oversees many of the organization's day-to-day operations as well as a department that supports agents' procedures, training and marketing.
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