How the rise of insurtech is impacting the insurance industry in an unexpected way
March 20, 2019 by Alicja Grzadkowska
The insurtech movement isn’t just infusing the insurance supply chain with new solutions – it’s also bringing more diversity into the industry, according to one expert.
“We’ve seen a lot more women coming into the field than we did before, especially on the technology side,” said Becky Schroeder (pictured), senior vice president of sales and marketing at Insurance Technologies Corporation (ITC) and a speaker at the upcoming Women in Insurance Miami event. “You have a lot more women in the technology industry in general than you do in the incumbent insurance companies. That, I think, is where we’ve seen a lot of diversity happen, though there’s been a lot of women that have been growing into leadership positions within those incumbents, too.”
While there continues to be challenges in the advancement of diverse leaders, women are now in a position where they can rise up and face hurdles head on, added Schroeder, in part because of the ongoing conversations happening today about the promotion of women into leadership roles. Insurance professionals can, meanwhile, change their companies from the inside out to help turn that conversation into action.
“When you’re looking around your company, what is the succession plan of this company and who is the future leadership? Bring women into that conversation, and get their perspective and insight into it,” said Schroeder, adding that women have a lot to add to the dialogue, so it’s important to make sure they have a chance to speak up, while giving them the platform to do so.
