100 Women in Insurance

094: Why are women still hesitating to talk about ambition and family at work? with Zoe Davenport

Summary
Thank you to BCH for sponsoring this episode.
In this episode, Sandra speaks with Zoe Davenport, Head of Customer and Brand at BCH, about the question many women still quietly navigate:
Why are women still hesitating to talk about ambition and family at work?
Zoe shares her unexpected journey into insurance, from qualifying as a quantity surveyor during the 2009 financial crisis to building a 14-year career that evolved from surveying into marketing and customer leadership. Her story is a reminder that career paths are rarely linear and that transferable skills often matter more than we realise.
Together, Sandra and Zoe explore the tension many women feel between career progression and family planning. They discuss the unspoken calculations that happen in your late twenties and early thirties, the fear of being “written off” before anything has even happened, and why open conversations still feel risky for many.
Zoe reflects candidly on pregnancy, returning to work, nursery chaos, and the emotional reality behind what looks like a seamless transition on LinkedIn. They examine how return-to-work programmes are only as effective as the culture behind them and why genuine support cannot simply live on paper.
The conversation also dives into networking dynamics, from golf days to manicure meetings, and challenges the idea that you must emulate existing norms to earn your seat at the table.
This is an honest discussion about ambition, authenticity, culture, and building a workplace where women do not feel they have to shrink, hide or pre-emptively slow down their careers.
Key Takeaways
Career paths evolve, and transferable skills are often underestimated.
It is easy to climb a ladder you never consciously chose.
Many women still self-edit ambition when family planning becomes part of the picture.
Open conversations require cultural safety, not just policy.
Return-to-work support depends on manager mindset and company ethos.
You do not have to change who you are to build influence.
Networking can (and should) evolve beyond traditional formats.
Culture is experienced through people, not just written in handbooks.
Insurance offers diverse, fascinating career opportunities that many women have yet to fully see.
About the Guest
Connect with Zoe Davenport on LinkedIn.
Zoe is Head of Customer and Brand at BCH, a leading provider of reinstatement cost assessments, and a passionate advocate for equity, inclusion and sustainable career progression within insurance and construction.
About the Sponsor
BCH is a multidisciplinary Chartered Building Consultantancy.
Visit the website.
Follow on LinkedIn.
About the Host
Connect with Sandra Lewin on LinkedIn.
Sign up to the ‘Coffee with Sandra’ newsletter to stay up to date on all things 100 Women in Insurance.
Join ‘The Pink Book’ Collective, a private LinkedIn community connecting women in insurance to find mentors, speaking opportunities and much more.

093_We found the reason why women are not reaching senior roles (and is it not lack of confidence) with Elizabeth Charlesworth

100 Women in Insurance Summit 26th March 2026
A day and evening event to celebrate 100th podcast episode. Expect plenty of learning, networking and celebrating opportunities.
Get your tickets here.
Thanks to this episode sponsor Avencia Talent Solutions
In this episode, Sandra Lewin speaks with Liz Charlesworth, Managing Partner at Avencia Talent Solutions , about accidental exposure, intentional visibility, and why assumptions are quietly holding female talent back.
Together, they unpack what really happens behind senior hiring conversations, especially long before a job is even advertised.
They explore the concept of “accidental exposure”, which can be challenging in a remote working environments, and how to increase it.
Visibility is intentional. Relationships should be nurtured before you even need them. And your value can be articulated clearly without ego and arrogance.
Sandra and Liz also challenge one of the biggest barriers to progression:
Assumptions.
Assumptions about ambition.
Assumptions about flexibility.
Assumptions about parental responsibilities.
Assumptions about who is “ready.”
And in doing so, they arrive at something simple but powerful:
If organisations stopped assuming and started asking, the pipeline would change.
Flexibility, they argue, does not mean less ambition. It means rethinking how and when work gets done so careers are sustainable.
This is a conversation about risk, visibility, advocacy, and building leadership pipelines intentionally, not accidentally.
Key takeaways:
Accidental exposure has reduced in remote environments, so visibility must now be intentional.
Hard work that is not seen is often mistaken for silence.
Visibility is not ego it is clarity about your value.
Reactive hiring often defaults to familiar networks, narrowing diversity.
Flexibility does not equal reduced ambition. It is about sustainability.
Assumptions are one of the biggest blockers to female progression.
Transparent policies remove the need for uncomfortable conversations.
About the guest
Connect with Liz Charlesworth (Liz Langford Archer) on LinkedIn.
About the sponsor
Avencia Talent Solutions a strategic talen solutions that evolve with your business . Connect on LinkedIn
About the host
Connect with Sandra Lewin on LinkedIn
Sign up to ‘Coffee with Sandra’ newsletter to stay up to date on all 100 Women In Insurance and more.
Join ‘The Pink Book’ Collective — a private LinkedIn group connecting women in insurance to find mentors, speaking opportunities and much more.

092: How do you achieve the “Impossible” when you were never meant to be there with Kirat Kaur Nandra

100 Women in Insurance Summit 26th March 2026
A day and evening event to celebrate 100th podcast episode. Expect plenty of learning, networking and celebrating opportunities.
Get your tickets here.
Thanks to this episode sponsor AdvantageGo.
Summary
In this episode, Sandra speaks with Kirat Kaur Nandra about what it really means to take up space in rooms you were never expected to enter.
Kirat shares how she fell into insurance by accident and how that unexpected start turned into a successful career defined by hard work, mentoring, and legacy.
They explore the quiet work that often goes unseen, such as hundreds of Lloyd’s tours, the mentoring of young people from underrepresented backgrounds, and the belief that impact does not need applause to matter.
Kirat also opens up about becoming the first women of colour to have her portrait displayed in the historic Old Library at Lloyd’s. She shares the deeply personal story behind the pink dress in the painting and what that moment meant for her and her family.
Sandra and Kirat reflect on grief, caring responsibilities and how legacy can be shaped through resilience.
The conversation also introduces a phrase that now lives beyond this episode:
“Walk like a peacock.”
A message from Kirat’s late father about standing tall, owning your presence, and carrying confidence into every room.
This is a conversation about confidence, heritage, mentorship, and achieving what once felt impossible.
Key Takeaways
You do not need an audience for your impact to matter.
Mentoring is about listening first, advising second.
Younger generations bring courage and values led leadership that we can learn from.
Confidence is not arrogance, it is grounded self-belief.
Taking up space authentically is an act of leadership.
Your background does not define your ceiling.
Walking like a peacock means standing tall with dignity, not ego.
About the Guest
Connect with Kirat Kaur Nandra on LinkedIn.
About the Host
Connect with Sandra Lewin on LinkedIn
Sign up to ‘Coffee with Sandra’ newsletter to stay up to date on all things 100 Women In Insurance and more.
Join ‘The Pink Book’ Collective — a private LinkedIn group connecting women in insurance to find mentors, speaking opportunities and much more

091: Why the ‘Perfect Moment’ Never Comes (and What to Do Instead) with Donna Robertson

100 Women in Insurance Summit 26th March 2026
A day and evening event to celebrate 100th podcast episode. Expect plenty of learning, networking and celebrating opportunities.
Get your tickets here.
Summary
In this episode, Sandra speaks with Donna Robertson about what it really means to trust yourself when the timing feels inconvenient and the decision is uncomfortable.
Donna shares a moment many women will recognise. On paper, everything looked great. Seniority, experience, strong results. But while pregnant with her second child, she realised that waiting for circumstances to improve felt harder than being honest. The timing was far from ideal, yet staying silent no longer felt sustainable. Instead of waiting for certainty or the “right time,” Donna chose transparency, handed in her notice at eight months pregnant, and trusted her gut.
Together, they explore why so many women slow down mid-career, particularly after having children. Not because ambition fades or capability is lost, but because the perceived cost of getting it wrong increases. Donna challenges the way maternity leave is often treated as a career risk, despite being a predictable, manageable event.
The episode closes with what Donna chose to build instead. A brokerage shaped by values rather than volume, where trust, transparency and long-term relationships matter more than commission or incentives. She talks about leadership, flexible working and why selling does not need pressure to work when it is rooted in clarity and doing the right thing. This is a conversation about backing yourself before everything feels ready, and choosing alignment when certainty never quite arrives.
Takeaways
When the internal resistance becomes louder than the external risk, it is often a signal to reassess rather than push through
Transparency early on can save time and emotional energy later on
Waiting for certainty can keep you aligned to roles that no longer reflect who you are becoming
Values-led businesses create stronger loyalty than incentive-led models
Selling works best when it is rooted in trust, education, and long-term relationships
Flexible working succeeds when outcomes matter more than optics
Being open early on, helps see which environments are genuinely supportive, and which are simply familiar
Choosing alignment may feel uncomfortable in the short term, but it creates far more sustainable careers over time
About the Guest
Connect with Donna Robertson on LinkedIn.
Find out more about Squared Insurance Brokers. 
About the host
Connect with Sandra Lewin on LinkedIn
Sign up to ‘Coffee with Sandra’ newsletter to stay up to date on all 100 Women In Insurance and more.
Join ‘The Pink Book’ Collective, private LinkedIn Group connecting women in insurance to find mentors, speaking opportunities and much more.

090: What do you do when the career you built no longer feels right with Katherine Bryant

100 Women in Insurance Summit 26th March 2026
A day and evening event to celebrate 100th podcast episode. Expect plenty of learning, networking and celebrating opportunities.
Get your tickets here.
Summary
In this episode, Sandra speaks with Katherine Bryant, CEO of The Progress Partnership and founder of the Insurance Breakfast Club, about what happens when a career is going well on paper, but no longer feels right in practice.
Katherine shares why insurance was a clear career choice from the start, how stepping into leadership roles sparked her interest in people and performance, and how a serious health crisis forced her to stop and rethink how she was working. That moment became a turning point, changing how she thought about success, sustainability, and what good leadership really looks like.
Together, they explore a point many women reach mid-career, when the job looks good from the outside but no longer fits. They talk about the guilt that can come with wanting change, the difference between choosing something new and feeling pushed out, and why retaining women is less about ‘fixing confidence’ and more about having honest conversations.
The episode closes with how the Insurance Breakfast Club began, and why panel training has become such a practical route to stronger visibility, not just on stage, but in meetings, client conversations, and leadership rooms.
Takeaways
If you are considering a change, get clear on your “why” first, then test the options that could solve it
Visibility grows when you talk about impact, shifting how colleagues see your contribution and potential
Build networks across the organisation, not just within your team, it changes your influence and access
Don’t assume you cannot do a role because of travel, hours, or visibility demands, propose a different model
Create your own room if you cannot see yourself in the existing ones
Listening to health and burnout signals early matters, because ignoring them can force a much harder stop later on
Coaching can turn “I have no options” into choices, helping you align work with your values, purpose and long‑term wellbeing
Flexibility does not always mean leaving corporate life; reshaping roles, expectations and ways of working can keep women in the industry in a way that also works for their lives
About the Guest
Connect with Katherine Bryant on LinkedIn.
About the host
Connect with Sandra Lewin on LinkedIn
Sign up to ‘Coffee with Sandra’ newsletter to stay up to date on all 100 Women In Insurance and more.
Join ‘The Pink Book’ Collective, private LinkedIn Group connecting women in insurance to find mentors, speaking opportunities and much more.

089: What could you achieve if you stopped downplaying your ambition with Allia Khan

In this episode, Sandra speaks with Allia Khan about what happens when you decide to treat your ideas as choices you are allowed to make, rather than chances that happen to you.
Allia shares how she moved from a legal role in logistics into the Lloyd’s market, why she trusted her gut when everything felt unfamiliar and how insurance became a space for growth.
She also talks about launching Mansion 28, the luxury fashion brand inspired by her travels to the Middle East, and why she sees it as a second career rather than a “side hustle”.
Sandra and Allia explore what it means to walk into rooms where you are the only woman or the only person from an ethnic minority background, and how visible difference can become a source of strength.
Allia also reflects on the impact of LinkedIn, building an employee resource group with purpose, and the mindset that stops her from reaching old age thinking, “I wish I had tried”.
Key Takeaways
Your choices shape how you tell your story.
Gut feel is data, and paying attention to how people, culture and opportunity make you feel can be a useful guide when you change sectors or roles.
Your job is not your life, and allowing yourself more than one professional identity can protect your sense of purpose and keep your spark alive.
How you label your business matters, and moving from “side hustle” to “my business” can shift both your confidence and how others take it seriously.
Difference can be a value proposition, especially when you choose to stand out in a room rather than shrinking yourself to fit an unspoken norm.
Authenticity has levels, and you can be true to yourself at work without sharing every part of your life with every person.
Inclusive cultures need visible action, through ERGs that invite people in, open conversations on topics like menopause, and genuine allyship from across the organisation.
About the Guest
Connect with Allia Khan on LinkedIn.
Mansion 28 fashion.
About the host
Connect with Sandra Lewin on LinkedIn
Sign up to ‘Coffee with Sandra’ newsletter to stay up to date on all 100 Women In Insurance and more.

088: What if the opportunity you think you missed is still waiting for you with Rebecca Apps

Summary
In this episode, Sandra speaks with Rebecca Apps about what happens when you stop writing yourself off and decide to try.
Rebecca shares how she fell into insurance by chance after leaving university, why a family-run brokerage shaped her career for nearly two decades and what finally pushed her to believe she could make a move she once thought was “too late”.
They talk about the moment Covid changed everything for working parents, how flexible working opened doors she had already closed in her mind, and what it took to step into a major broking house after years of assuming the opportunity had passed.
Rebecca talks openly about rebuilding confidence later in her career, moving from part-time to full-time after 16 years, and learning how to walk into rooms where assumptions can follow women who work around school hours.
She reflects on how organisation, resilience and a strong work ethic grounded her through each transition, and why naming non negotiables can often be the first step towards change.
Key Takeaways
You often realise what you want by naming what you will not compromise on, whether that is your hours, your boundaries, or your life outside work.
Experience can outweigh job titles, especially when you have spent years juggling clients, deadlines and family life with consistency.
Visibility comes from speaking up, even if your instinct is to sit behind someone else and let them take the lead.
Sometimes one conversation shifts everything, especially when someone says, “I’ll put your name forward” and you suddenly see yourself differently.
Confidence grows when you try, not when you wait for certainty to appear.
The skills you build outside work count, especially the organisation and focus that come from being a parent.
Most people want honesty, even when the message is difficult, and trust is built through clear explanations rather than perfect outcomes.
You can reconnect with ambition at any age, and the right environment can remind you that your story is not finished.
About the Guest
Connect with Rebecca Apps on LinkedIn.
About the host
Connect with Sandra Lewin on LinkedIn
Sign up to ‘Coffee with Sandra’ newsletter to stay up to date on all 100 Women In Insurance and more.
Join ‘The Pink Book’ Collective, private LinkedIn Group connecting women in insurance to find mentors, speaking opportunities and much more.

087: How do you turn complex risk into a career you love with Catrin Townsend

Summary
In this episode, Sandra speaks with Catrin Townsend about making actuarial work accessible, navigating career pivots with purpose, and building confidence in a field that is often misunderstood from the outside.
Catrin shares how a chance role at Lloyd’s sparked her interest in actuarial science, what pricing looked like when risks were printed on a mouse mat once a year, and how the rise of machine learning has transformed the way insurers understand risk. She explains why statistics only reflect the past, why underwriters still play a critical role in shaping decisions, and how education becomes essential when you want people to trust new tools and approaches.
Sandra and Catrin explore her transition from practitioner to educator, the process of writing Risky Business Book during maternity leave, and how motivation, rather than pressure, is what sustains big projects.
They discuss how to test new career paths without taking big risks, why LinkedIn can feel human rather than performative, and how boundaries help you manage ambition alongside family life.
Catrin also reflects on visibility, representation, and why she hopes the next generation will grow up seeing actuaries reflected in places they never expected, including in children’s storytelling and culture.
Key Takeaways
Actuaries quantify risk, turning ambiguity into something that can be priced, managed, or transferred.
Technology has transformed pricing, moving from annual updates to fast, data-driven iteration.
Education drives adoption, because people trust what they understand.
Test new paths early, through internal networks, shadowing, and low-risk learning opportunities.
Know your “why”, because motivation sustains difficult work longer than pressure ever will.
LinkedIn works when it is conversational, not overly curated or robotic.
Boundaries shift over time, and children adapt quickly when they understand the purpose behind your work.
Representation matters, because seeing a role is often the first step to believing it is possible.
Visibility builds community, and sharing achievements can strengthen confidence and connection.
About the guest
Connect with Catrin Townsend on LinkedIn
Resource
Catrin is the author of *Risky Business: Actuaries Quantifying and Managing Risk* and a recent Women in Insurance Awards winner.
About the host
Connect with Sandra Lewin on LinkedIn
Sign up to ‘Coffee with Sandra’ newsletter to stay up to date on all 100 Women In Insurance and more.
Join ‘The Pink Book’ Collective, private LinkedIn Group connecting women in insurance to find mentors, speaking opportunities and much more.
Learn more about the 100 Women in Insurance Collective: www.100womenininsurance.com/collective

086: Underwrite Your Career: From London to Bermuda with Hannah Greenwood

This episode is sponsored by Fidelis Insurance Group
Summary
In this episode, Sandra speaks with Hannah Greenwood, Group Chief of Staff and Chief Underwriting Officer (Bermuda) at Fidelis Insurance Group, about how curiosity, courage and consistency shape a global career.
Hannah shares how a Lloyd’s of London internship led her into insurance, how broking taught her the value of team culture and ego-free leadership, and how curiosity opened doors to strategy and M&A. She reflects on staying long enough in one firm to build goodwill, taking on stretch roles that expanded her perspective, and moving from London to Bermuda to help drive underwriting strategy and partnerships.
They discuss how sponsorship grows through consistent delivery, the benefits of taking calculated risks, why you should “underwrite” your own career by gathering information, testing fit, and adjusting as you learn. Hannah also talks candidly about balancing leadership and motherhood, the myth of the perfect time for big life decisions, and the advantages of Bermuda’s concentrated, senior market.
Takeaways
Deliver excellence first. Strong performance in your current role builds credibility and sponsorship naturally
Consistency earns trust. Sponsors appear when people see you deliver results repeatedly
Curiosity opens doors. Asking questions and exploring projects beyond your remit expands your perspective
Longevity creates advocacy. Staying with one organisation long enough builds goodwill and career champions
Take calculated risks. Growth often comes from stepping into roles before you feel fully prepared
Listen widely, decide independently. Advice helps, but only you know what’s right for you
Build layered networks. Supportive relationships sustain you, and transactional ones advance you
Leadership without ego scales influence. The best leaders invest in others and create room for growth
Mobility accelerates learning. Working abroad, especially in smaller markets, can deepen exposure to strategy and leadership
Balance is ongoing. There’s never a perfect time for big life choices, but structure and support make it possible.
Career progression often follows a narrow path; seek diverse experiences
Great leadership invests in people and keeps ego out of the room
About the Sponsor
About the sponsor Fidelis Insurance Group
Fidelis Insurance Group is a global specialty insurance and reinsurance company focused on creating value through strategic capital allocation, expert risk selection and a network of long-term underwriting partnerships.
We have built a strong foundation for scale and profitable growth, underpinned by our disciplined approach to risk selection and our financial strength, which is reflected in our insurer financial strength ratings of A from AM Best, A- from S&P and A3 from Moody’s. Our network of underwriting partners and highly diversified portfolio enable us to proactively navigate market cycles, offer innovative and tailored solutions, capitalize on favorable risk-reward opportunities and produce superior returns for shareholders. Our network of underwriting partners and highly diversified portfolio enable us to execute our strategy of proactively navigating market cycles, offering innovative and tailored solutions, capitalizing on favorable risk-reward opportunities and producing superior returns for shareholders.
For additional information about Fidelis Insurance Group, our people and our products, please visit our website at www.FidelisInsurance.com.
About the guest
Connect with Hannah Greenwood on LinkedIn.
Hannah currently serves as Group Chief of Staff, Bermuda Chief Underwriting Officer and is a member of the Executive Leadership Team. Prior to joining the company in 2023, Hannah served as Business manager for Ardonagh where she worked with the CEO of their Capital Solutions arm. Hannah started her career at Lloyd’s before becoming an energy broker at independent NMB, latterly renamed Ed. In 2020, she took on a more strategic role supporting the CEO of the business, with a focus across Specialty lines. Hannah holds a BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Durham, an MBA from Warwick Business School and is ACII qualified.
About the host
Connect with Sandra Lewin on LinkedIn.
Sign up to ‘Coffee with Sandra’ to stay up to date with 100 Women in Insurance.
Join ‘The Pink Book’ Collective, a private LinkedIn group connecting women in insurance with mentors, speaking opportunities, and community.
Learn more about the 100 Women in Insurance Collective: www.100womenininsurance.com/collective.

085: How to Achieve the Career You Want, Not the One You Need with Rebecca Fuller

This episode is sponsored by Full Circle Communications.
Summary
In this episode, Sandra Lewin speaks with Rebecca Fuller, about choosing the career you want, staying curious at senior level, and why courage comes before confidence.
Rebecca shares how moving from fitness to insurance shaped her approach to leadership, why motherhood helped her step into bigger roles, and how knowing your strengths and gaps builds better teams.
Together they discuss public speaking, preparation, and self-reflection. Rebecca explains why women’s networks matter, how to build professional networks in male-dominated rooms, and why you should stop “breaking into the boys’ club” and create your own. Be courageous and confidence will follow. Stay curious. Make deliberate choices that fit the life you want.
Takeaways
Growth does not stop at senior level. Keep learning, keep testing yourself
Motherhood can be a catalyst for leadership and clearer choices
Choose the career you want, not the one you think you need
Courage comes before confidence. Action builds belief
Preparation improves performance. Script, rehearse, use the mirror, and practise silence
Know your strengths and weaknesses. Hire, listen, and delegate accordingly
Do not chase the “boys’ club”. Create your own spaces and shared interests
Show up for networking with presence. Diversify how you connect
Lead your priorities. Reassess quarterly, refocus, and let some things go
Feeling valued and heard keeps talent engaged more than pay alone
About the guest
Connect with Rebecca Fuller on LinkedIn
About the host
Connect with Sandra Lewin on LinkedIn
Sign up to ‘Coffee with Sandra’ newsletter to stay up to date on all 100 Women In Insurance and more.
Join ‘The Pink Book’ Collective, private LinkedIn Group connecting women in insurance to find mentors, speaking opportunities and much more.
Learn more about the 100 Women in Insurance Collective: www.100womenininsurance.com/collective