Taking on my first board director role at the age of 21 was one of the proudest yet most terrifying moments of my career, I desperately wanted to be taken seriously and make an impact on my colleagues and peers, but I also wanted to be involved in key decision-making that would have effects throughout the journey of my career.
When I first took a seat on a Board of Directors in the Saskatchewan insurance industry 10 years ago, I knew it was the start of many opportunities to advocate, regulate, and evolve the view of the insurance industry. I remember feeling unease every time a peer would state “oh, that’s just the millennial coming out” after I would make a statement about changing the way the “old boys club” did it.
This has been a challenge my entire career – not only on boards, but in dealing with clients who use my gender or my age to determine if I was qualified or not. Looking back, it made me work harder to earn that respect. Not only from my clients, but from my peers within the industry.
During my time on previous boards, when I would speak up, I would immediately get a rush of adrenaline. Did I say too much? Not enough? Should I sit out of the discussion and simply observe what everyone else was debating? I wanted validation in the boardroom but kept having to remind myself that my own opinions were valid, to be confident in my education and training, and that my contributions were meaningful in those discussions. I realized the importance of building relationships slowly and with consistency. I also had to accept that some topics bring widely different opinions and that it was perfectly acceptable to share my own opinions even if they weren’t the consensus of the group.
To me, playing my part as a board member is a privilege. To have that possibility to access opportunities, to be given the time to showcase my knowledge and talent – knowing the whole time that a ceiling usually exists for people like me to stay in their place.
In Fall of 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic, I moved my life and career across the country to Ontario. Completely out of my comfort zone, career, and social life, and landing in a much smaller community than where I grew up and built my foundations in. I had to start slowly, building those important relationships within the industry again from Broker contacts to Insurance Company contacts.
A new colleague, and a huge support system to me personally, approached me to put my name forward for the RIBO Council. At first, I thought he was joking – I was a 29-year-old new-to-Ontario Broker who was still trying to find her feet. After a while, I thought “sure, I’ll put my name forward”, not thinking it would go anywhere as the other candidates had much more experience in this region.
At almost 10 pm one night and I received the call to say I was elected. I was also informed I was the youngest person ever elected in RIBO’s history, and that is not a responsibility I take lightly. I was excited, nervous, overall shocked. I excitedly told my partner, then followed it with “what on earth did I just get myself into?”
The regulatory side is an entirely different world than being on the advocating side. They come with different challenges and concerns, but you can’t have one without the other.
The RIBO Board has so much on the go right now, which was evident from my very first meeting in December. I knew I had made the right decision of putting my name forward, and I look forward to reviewing and analyzing the variety of issues our Board is handling. I am excited to work on issues that are ongoing with our industry from the Regulatory side, and leveraging my multi-jurisdictional experience, along with my educated opinions and a fresh insight.