Jaya Handa
Liberty Specialty Markets

For Jaya Handa, the key to success in the insurance industry is simple: “I love what I do,” she says. “I’m a data protection nerd, I’m passionate about helping young people [and] D&I, so all of my activities have a meaningful purpose, which for me are not just moral niceties – they’re corporate necessities.”

In addition to being the privacy director at Liberty Specialty Markets, Handa acts as the group data protection officer in Europe and is also responsible for data protection across the Middle East, Latin America, Bermuda and Asia-Pacific. She is a consultative expert on digital ethics in insurance at the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority, chair of the London Market Association Data Protection group and a member of the European Commission’s AI Alliance.

Handa has set up a successful mentoring scheme at Liberty Specialty Markets and sits on various advisory boards, including the Black Solicitors Network Junior Lawyers Group and the Next Generation Insurance Network. She also chairs LSM’s Cultural Awareness Network and is a trustee of the Change Foundation charity.

“I’ve always been passionate about paving the way for the next generation, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds,” Handa says. “I’m very conscious that when I go out and I’m talking about working in the insurance sector, I am an embodiment of the insurance sector for those young people, so I want to be the best role model I can be.”