First event held in Gibraltar for network aiming to boost female representation in insurance
Posted on 26 May 2023
In a development that spells good news for the cause of empowering women to take leadership roles in the insurance sector, the Women’s Insurance Network (WIN) has held its inaugural event at the Queen’s Picturehouse in Gibraltar’s Casemates Square.
The breakfast event took place on the morning of Wednesday 17th May, and marked the steering group’s official formation. The network is made up of women working in the insurance industry, with the aim of elevating female talent to assume more senior positions.
The event can be safely declared to have been a success, not least given the impressive turnout of companies, sponsors, and industry associations. Among the organisations that attended in some form were the Gibraltar Insurance Institute (GII) and the Association of British Insurers (ABI).
With WIN seeking to achieve broad engagement and collaboration across the insurance sector in order to accomplish its objectives, members of the newly created network were heartened by so many individuals and organisations showing their interest in the group’s work.
“Building what will be a strong and lasting symposium”
Lorraine Povedano, the former GII President who now serves as branch manager for Chubb Insurance Gibraltar, said in her opening speech at the event that the Gibraltar insurance sector “forms a significant and core part” of the financial services industry in the British Overseas Territory.
She added that the market’s collective premium income for the territory reached approximately £7 billion last year.
Ms Povedano continued: “Women in insurance make up over half of the workforce and although underrepresented in insurance company leadership positions, we can guarantee that the support and interest received over the last few weeks has been the driving force in successfully elevating the Women’s Insurance Network.
“The traction we have gained has certainly given this the launch to collaborate with women in the industry in building what will be a strong and lasting symposium.”
Also addressing the women present at the event was WIN co-founder Erika Pozo. She said that the need for such an initiative had become clear during Gibraltar Day in London in 2022, where a keynote speaker drew attention to the lack of female representation at the event, and said to Ms Pozo that this had to be “called out”.
Ms Pozo explained to the Gibraltar Chronicle: “Even though I had this idea for quite some time, it wasn’t until that time and at that point I was ignited, to come back into Gibraltar and finally set this up.”
WIN intends to host quarterly events, involving engagement with the industry. Ms Pozo said that the group was looking to engage and collaborate with others in the sector to address a variety of “hot topics” in relation to gender inequalities.
The network is set to be present at the Startup Grind event ‘Breaking Barriers’ at the Seaborn on Wednesday 24th May, with both Ms Pozo and Ms Povedano expected to feature as panellists representing WIN.
In the words of Ms Pozo: “Basically, our main aim is to elevate women to take on more senior roles in the industry.”
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