The Key Learning Points:

1. Advice for young people starting their careers after leaving school

2. The importance of encouraging young people of varying backgrounds to enter the industry, not just those with prior experience in financial services

3. Tips for women on building a network and asking for support from peers

In this week’s episode of the Risky Mix podcast, we speak with Natalie Summerson and Evie Plumb from Canada Life. 

Natalie has had a successful career in the protection industry, gaining account management experience across a number of major insurers including Scottish Provident and Aviva. She is currently Head of Sales for individual protection at Canada Life, and is a passionate advocate of diversity in the workplace, particularly in recruiting new talent.

With no prior experience in insurance, Evie Plumb has already made her mark in the two and a half years she has been at Canada Life where she is now strategic account manager. 

Natalie started off with aspirations to become a teacher due to her passion for science and went on to college where she studied biology, chemistry and psychology.

After a year at college, the lure of earning her own money was calling and she left to become an office junior for a financial services company in north London. It was there she learnt about business, and later left to join the world of insurance, becoming a sales support coordinator at Scottish Provident where she eventually got her big break at 19, becoming an account manager for a large distributor in London. 

Natalie took some time out of the workplace to have her daughter, and on returning joined AXA, working there for five years before moving to Aviva. She was given the opportunity to learn about the other parts of the functioning business and developed a broad understanding of how things worked. It was then that she applied to work at Canada Life, feeling that she could safely tick all of the boxes in the new role. 

Natalie feels that “we should be encouraging young talent into our sector”. She speaks about the role that young people can play in insurance and how they can “help shape and scope” propositions and distribution to reflect today’s consumers. Natalie thinks it’s important that we encourage young people to enter our industry, not necessarily with a financial services background, but who have the drive and resilience to succeed. Evie Plumb was one such individual.

When Evie left school, she was worried that she didn’t know what to do yet felt everyone else around her did. She did an apprenticeship in business administration which gave her a general understanding and experience of the business world and how to liaise with people. It was the yearning to try new things that led her to apply for her current role at Canada Life. 

Her advice to other young women working in the industry, and looking to develop, is to shadow people. She believes that observing and meeting new people are key, and suggests lending a hand and supporting social events, where possible.

Natalie explains that “as a female in this industry, it’s not always easy”, explaining the value of building a network. She also emphasises the importance of asking for support from peers when needed.