The Women in Insurance Leadership Summit ran in Sydney last week and we jumped on the opportunity to learn from some of the most inspiring women in the industry. The speaker line up included Executives from internationally renowned brands such as Suncorp, AIG and BT.

Jenny Oliver, General Manager of Group Insurance at TAL, opened up conference day one with her ‘Top Ten Tips To Help You Succeed In Your Career’.

Always put your hand up

“Even if it’s Friday night drinks or sitting on the committee picking new office chairs, I put my hand up for anything and anywhere I could add value. I become known as the go-to girl who could make lives easier. Sometimes I was confident but sometimes I wasn’t. As a result of my positivity, I accepted a reinsurance manager role… I didn’t even know what reinsurance was and spent the first week researching it! This led to bigger and better things 12 months down the line, which wouldn’t have been possible without being the ‘Yes Women’.

Be curious

“Always seek to understand more. That knowledge base gives you the confidence to make important decisions at crucial points in your career and personal life.”

Create your own opportunities

“Don’t wait for opportunities to come to you. If there’s something you want to do, make sure you go for it. Explain to your organisation what value you can bring and convince them to give you a shot.”

Support your team

Organise your team early and look after them. “As a leader of a larger team, I realised that it was important to invest heavily in staff development.”

“Sideways and down can sometimes lead you up.”

“It’s really more of a lateral move which is great for me. Sometimes you don’t just need a vision of success, but a career vision which will lead you to where you need to be.”

Give it a go

Come on. Just try it. It will be great. You will love it. Why not? “Sometimes I put my hand up for so many things that unexpected opportunities come up that I never expected. “At one point, I loved numbers, finance and graphs, but I found myself heading up the marketing team as a result of putting my hand up. If you don’t take opportunities, opportunities won’t come to you.”

Have a sponsor

Have a sponsor and have people who know what you want. “It’s important that people in your organisation know exactly what it is that you love.”

Find your passion and values

“When you’re enthusiastic and passionate about your job you want to get things done. When you’re not as interested and don’t feel aligned, it will be tough to succeed so move on and find your passion.”

Be proud

“Make sure you’re in the best job you can be in, and be proud of your career.”

Learn something new

“Add something new to your CV every 6 months and never stop learning.”

“I honestly have no idea what role I would like to be in, in 20 years. But if it involves being passionate, enjoying what I’m doing and being surrounded by great people, then my vision of success will be accomplished.”