From empowering women in India to helping Aussie small businesses with their insurance, Jane Mason, BizCover for Brokers (B4B) Head of Product, Channels and Risk, has been named one of the winners of the 2022 Elite Women Award by Insurance Business Australia.
Mason was selected by a panel of esteemed judges from hundreds of applicants to make the prestigious list, which celebrates women of influence and leadership in an often male-dominated field.
“I am honoured to be listed among the many powerful and brilliant women who are driving change and fostering a more equitable insurance industry for the future,” says Mason. “I hope I can inspire young women across Australia to join our critical industry as a culture of inclusion and diverse ideas can only strengthen us moving forward.”
BizCover for Brokers Head of Product, Channels and Risk
While Jane is an industry expert, establishing herself as a Financial Lines Underwriter and Product Expert across Sydney and London, it’s the insights brought across from her other business pursuits to the insurance space that sets her apart.
Jane started in law, instilling a strong sense of justice early on that’s carried throughout her career.
After several successful years underwriting, Jane went to India to establish Mason & Co – a premium chocolate company – after identifying a gap in the Indian gourmet food market.
“I started Mason & Co as a social enterprise working with local village women. Over the years I trained and mentored local women in the art of chocolate making,” says Mason. “I ran a female-only factory which was caste and hierarchy free, and I designed and implemented various empowerment programs for the staff.”
After receiving a scholarship to study at the Indian Institute of Management, being awarded the Brand Leadership Award for the Tamil Nadu region by the World Brand Congress and voted one of the top 50 people in India changing the way Indian’s eat, Jane brought these experiences back to the insurance industry.
Now after a short time at BizCover at Brokers, Jane has been promoted to the Exco team – which has more women than men for the first time in the company’s history.
“Jane has always demonstrated leadership, dedication, integrity, and commitment wherever she has worked, be it corporate Australia, small business in India or part of the successful growth story at our company,” says B4B General Manager Brad Miller.
“Jane was promoted to the executive team within 18 months of joining after demonstrating commercial insight, enthusiasm for the business and willingness to jump in and help wherever she is needed.”
Now in its fourth year in a row, Insurance Business created the Elite Women Awards to honour the women who are not just going above and beyond for their organisations but are championing diversity in every sense.
It’s no secret that the insurance industry still has a long way to go in terms of achieving a more equitable space for women.
Government statistics show that Financial and Insurance Services has one of the highest gender pay gaps of any industry at 20.6% and less than 10% of Australian insurance CEO positions are held by women.
Yet there is change evident in the Australian insurance space, with women making up almost a quarter (23.7%) of insurance industry chairpersons, smashing the global average of 8%.
“I’ve worked in environments that aren’t diverse or inclusive. My goal is to take these learnings to prevent BizCover and the wider insurance industry from falling into the same traps,” says Mason.
To find more about Insurance Business’ Elite Women 2022 Award, click here.
