2020 Women to Watch Winner Profiles
The Business Insurance Women to Watch awards program highlights the achievements of female leaders in the insurance sector to celebrate their success and promote gender diversity in the industry.
Now in its 15th year, the program has recognized hundreds of insurance and risk management professionals who had made their mark and were set to go on to even greater accomplishments.
The 2020 Women to Watch winners are no different. Coming from a broad range of backgrounds and representing nearly every aspect of the industry, the honorees include numerous executives who have worked hard for their own success and for the success of others, too.
Many are already role models to their colleagues and business partners, and their stories should encourage people across the sector.
The winner of our Inspiration Award, which recognizes the career of an outstanding female leader, is Inga Beale, whose many achievements in the industry include being the first woman to head Lloyd’s of London.
The 2020 Women to Watch were selected through a rigorous nomination process. Beginning in June, we sought nominations detailing information on nominees’ expertise, leadership qualities and achievements. We received about 400 nominations, all of which were reviewed by Business Insurance editorial staff. Finalists were selected after two rounds of judging. After we reviewed the nominations, read written references and spoke with other references, we named 20 winners from Europe, the Middle East and Africa and 30 from North America and the rest of the world.
Due to the limitations imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, in lieu of our regular live awards events in New York and London, this year we organized Women to Watch Virtual Awards & Leadership Conferences for both the Americas and EMEA.
Meanwhile, we hope you enjoy reading the profiles of all our 2020 winners.
Business Insurance announces 2020 Women to Watch
Business Insurance on Thursday named the 2020 winners of its annual Women to Watch awards program.
Business Insurance started the program in 2006 to recognize women leaders doing outstanding work in risk management and commercial insurance. From the beginning, the program has recognized winners working around the globe, and in 2017, the publication expanded the awards to include a separate program specifically for women executives in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Business Insurance readers nominated candidates for Women to Watch, and a panel of Business Insurance editors selected the honorees based on those nominations.
Women to Watch 2019 Icon Award
13 December 2019
The insurance industry has made progress with diversity but still lags, says Christine LaSala, senior independent director for Beazley Ltd.
“This annual event forces the insurance industry to stop and think about its talent,” Ms. LaSala told the capacity crowd in her lunchtime keynote address at the 2019 Business Insurance Women to Watch Awards & Leadership Conference in New York on Thursday.
The insurance industry, she said, “is dynamic and risk taking by industry but not known for its diversity.”
2019 Business Insurance Women to Watch Honoree Announcement
2 December 2019
The 2019 Business Insurance Women to Watch Awards showcase another outstanding group of female executives in the insurance and risk management sector.
When the publication began the program in 2006, many women were carving out impressive careers in insurance, but few were making it to the highest levels of management. Frustratingly for many, that is still the case today, but progress is being made.
Our Inspiration Award winner, Jane Tutoki, held numerous senior positions at some of the biggest companies in the industry before making it to the CEO ranks in 2014. Ms. Tutoki’s life story and career should provide inspiration to anyone working in the insurance sector (see related story).
2019 Women to Watch Inspiration Award
10 October 2019
Business Insurance on Thursday named Jane Tutoki, board member of Sedgwick Claims Management Services Inc. and former global CEO of Cunningham Lindsey Group Ltd., as the 2019 Inspiration Award winner.
Ms. Tutoki began her career as an attorney working for numerous insurers before working as in-house counsel at Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. Over the years, she has held senior executive roles at various industry companies, including global head of claims operations for American International Group Inc.’s property/casualty business, head of Americas and executive director for global insurance for Xchanging PLC, and global chief claims officer for Zurich Insurance Group Ltd.
She joined Cunningham Lindsey in 2014 and transitioned to Sedgwick when it bought the claims firm last year. Ms. Tutoki became Sedgwick’s first female board member earlier this year, after stepping down as vice chair of the firm. Ms. Tutoki will be presented with the award at the 2019 Women to Watch Awards & Leadership Conference in New York on Dec. 12.
A profile of Ms. Tutoki will appear in the December edition of Business Insurance.
2018 Inaugural Inspiration Award Recipient
3 December 2018
Pamela J. Newman was reluctant to enter the insurance industry at first but on closer inspection found it intriguing, and over the past 35 years she has become one of the most successful executives in the sector.
As one of the top producers in the business — starting at Marsh & McLennan Cos. Inc. before moving to Aon PLC — she handles a wide variety of clients and risks as chairman of the Newman Team at Aon.
In recognition of her extraordinary accomplishments in the brokerage world, Ms. Newman is the first recipient of the Business Insurance Women to Watch Inspiration Award.
“She is truly one of the most effective brokers I’ve worked with in my history in the insurance industry,” said Patrick G. Ryan, chairman and CEO of Ryan Specialty Group LLC in Chicago, who recruited Ms. Newman to join Aon.
2018 Business Insurance Women to Watch Honoree Announcement
3 December 2018
The Business Insurance Women to Watch Award program is evolving as we continue to celebrate the achievements of outstanding female executives in the insurance and risk management sector.
This year, we have added the Women to Watch Inspiration Award to recognize the work of an individual whose accomplishments establish her as a role model for younger women in the industry.
While insurance has been male-dominated for years, change is gradually coming as more women take senior positions at their firms. It is the female pioneers in the sector who inspire the future women leaders of the industry.
2017 Business Insurance Women to Watch Honoree Announcement
4 December 2017
The Women to Watch awards program has been significantly expanded this year.
Since its inception in 2006, the program has highlighted the achievements of women working in the risk management and insurance sector around the world, but the majority of our honorees were based in North America.
As the program matured and gained more recognition, we saw an increase in international nominations, particularly from Europe. As a result, this year we established a separate awards program recognizing 15 outstanding female executives in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The awards were presented in London last month at our Women to Watch Awards & Leadership Conference EMEA 2017, and the honorees are profiled in this issue of Business Insurance.