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Faith Owens, director of Bridges Insurance, started her career at AA Insurance in Auckland before ending up in the place so many insurance workers gravitate to – London. She stayed there for eight and a half years, working as an insurance broker before moving to Cunningham Lindsay to work as a loss adjuster, and then finally moving back to New Zealand to work with local brokerage Bridges Insurance.
Since then, Owens has gone from being a broker assistant to a director and shareholder, and says the difference she’s observed over eight years in the industry has been very profound. She is a nominee for Broker of the Year for the inaugural Women in Insurance awards.
“When I started in the industry, New Zealand was a very different country to what it is now,” Owens told Insurance Business.
“I really noticed the change when I returned to New Zealand after having been working in the UK for eight years; there are now a lot more people from different backgrounds making up our workplaces, and bringing some really positive influences.
“Having diversity within a workplace can encourage different thinking and looking at issues from different perspectives – we’re constantly learning and I’m always open to being shown a better way to do a job!”
Owens says that Jo Mason, CEO of NZbrokers has particularly inspired her to pursue the values and qualities of a strong female leader, and Bridges Insurance MD Ron Bridges has taught her to have a passion for what she does and to put client care front and centre. When it comes to fostering diversity, she says being open and authentic is the key to maintaining a successful team.
“There has been a lot of discussion recently about having more representation of women and minorities in senior roles, and I think that’s fair,” Owens said. “However, we need to be really careful that we’re still employing the right people for the job. From my perspective, I simply try to be a positive and authentic role model for our younger team members and lead by example. In the end, if you’ve got a good work ethic, a sense of empathy and the drive to succeed, you’ll do well in this industry irrespective of your background.”
“When it comes to my Broker of the Year nomination, it is very humbling!” Owens concluded. “I’m probably one of my own worst critics, so to be nominated and then named a finalist has been a bit of a surprise – however, it’s really nice to know that my hard work and dedication is recognised. We recently announced my finalist status on our company Facebook page, and the level of positive feedback was really inspiring.”
