Women in Insurance, a definite win
Ageas UK developed the Women in Insurance (WIN) programme.
In creating a Great place to Grow for our people, as a company we want to promote an open, inclusive, and inspiring culture for all. In Impact24, we affirmed our commitment to further increase the diversity of our senior management. And as a way to realise this ambition, Ageas UK developed the Women in Insurance (WIN) programme which is specifically focused on the career development and support of female colleagues.
WIN is an in-house initiative designed to provide female colleagues with the skills, capabilities, and confidence they need to put themselves forward for future leadership opportunities. This ensures we continue developing women for promotion and is an important step in identifying high potential women across our talent pools. 157 women have thus far completed the WIN programme over the past 5 years, with a quarter being promoted. In 2021 the programme continued in remote fashion but with participants describing the programme as enlightening, insightful and thought provoking.
Within Ageas we have a number of great role models who inspire others to take up leadership positions in the organisation. One of them is Heidi Delobelle who enjoyed a 25+ year career in insurance and is CEO of AG in Belgium. In 2021, the Geneva Association awarded Heidi a special recognition for her “exceptional leadership achievements”. They highlighted Heidi’s passion for supporting employee wellbeing and development, including mentoring other women, and promoting meaningful insurance contributions to societal issues, particularly in the health, climate, and environment space. Those who have worked with Heidi describe her as a driven executive who believes passionately in what she does and the impact we can each have on one another.
5 practical tips for boosting your career by Heidi Delobelle
1. Figure out what drives YOU uniquely to do what you do - there’s no rule book on this.
2. Always stay in control by putting up your hand to say, “I’m ready for the next step in my career”.
3. Dare to jump outside of your comfort zone, that’s where you will learn the most.
4. Remember you don’t need to have all the answers on day one. Dare to reach out to your own mentors. We’re all learning.
5. Maintain a balance between your personal and professional life and get your family on board as they enable you to do what you do.