KATHY ROUGIER

"I have a huge regret that dates back to when I was still very young in the industry. I was asked by my boss, at the time, to speak to a new graduate to explain that her pink hair colour wasn’t appropriate for a broker in Lloyds (of London). I obliged and spoke with her, awkwardly, explaining the status quo, and that at the time I believed sticking to the status quo would help her achieve her career goals. Now I look back at myself, and that conversation, and sincerely apologise to that woman, my boss was wrong and I wish i had been stronger to speak out at the time.
This is a photo of me taken in 2019, in a senior regional management role, confidently owning my own career with bright pink hair #choosetochallenge"

AISYAH FUAD

“Very early on in my career in reinsurance, I was told by a more experienced, male professional in the industry that it would be very hard for me to be successful because I was 1) a woman 2) an asian 3) minority asian and a whole host of other outward attributes that had nothing to do with my work performance. I didn’t believe in his words then but over the years, I have been in situations and heard words spoken that showed me that bias does exist in our industry. Today, I am still building my career and know not how far I can go. But if there are reasons that would limit me, they should not be anything unrelated to my abilities and skills. All I hope for is that women have an even platform to be their best, even more so that I have a daughter now. My part to play in this is to speak up against bias and raise awareness that it exists.”

BEATRICE MORLEY

#ChoosetoChallenge from her 9 year old daughter - “Why would you be a princess, when you can walk on the moon?”

MARY SOLTYSIAK

"My motivation for advocating the development of younger professionals in the industry began with my own personal experiences and challenges in a foreign country where I was starting out a career in this industry.  One early experience I had was having to fight the initial battle of being overlooked due to name-based bias. It seems unimaginable but by simply adopting then my English married name could get my foot in the door.  As prior to this, I have sent my CV to companies and recruiters with my Asian/ Hispanic maiden name – it did not elicit any calls for interviews.  I have sent exactly the same CV with the same list of my credentials with only a change of last name  - it was only then that I got several calls for job interviews.   One foot in, it was then up to me to highlight my skills and abilities. There was  one role that I was keen on, and I was told by the hiring manager that he has other candidates with local university qualification and experience. I challenged the hiring manager that my skills and qualifications were as standout to match his other local candidates and asked him to put us through the same numerical and assessment tests.  I got the top mark and the right attitude, and for that I was hired for the job – that’s my first role in the industry.
I cannot change my background but I had to find an initial way to ensure a level playing field, then change people’s initial assumptions about me by backing them up with my strong skill set and hardwork.  I continuously develop my skills, seek advices from my mentors and join a platform to support my career growth.  This photo was taken in Zurich in 2015. My employer sent me to Switzerland (and Singapore) to undertake a specialist course.  Later also that year, my employer supported my move to Singapore. Shortly following the move, I initiated the formation of the Women in Reinsurance, Singapore chapter.