February 08, 2024

Lisa Wardlaw: Pioneering Digital & Personal Strategy for Growth

48 minutes

On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Lisa Wardlaw, a trailblazer in the insurance sector, a digital strategist, & an innovation enthusiast. She's a global leader with a knack for creating sustainable revenue streams & reinventing business strategies through technology & abstract thinking.

The pair talk about Lisa’s career in insurance & technology as well as their new programme, the “Authentic Identity Masterminds”, that they devised alongside their colleague Jessica Ewart. This programme is all about empowering professionals to craft and communicate their authentic professional narratives.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

My best experiences are these moments of zen that you probably didn’t realise in the moment. You feel energised. For me, it was when I was when no one confined me to a box & I didn’t care about my title. I got to sit in an amazing time of transformation, above all that, figuring out how to drive business forward using algorithms and AI, 5 years before generative AI became a thing.

As all good ideas do, the idea for Authentic Identity Masterminds happened serendipitously. You, me & Jess were sitting around discussing the misunderstanding that the more experienced you are in your career, the less guidance you need, you’ve got it all figured out. I was 45 when I had to reinvent myself completely. I felt that if you work hard & pay your dues, you earn it. I’d earned my title, job & income, but in those days I was so into the work I didn’t own my own identity, the one thing that was mine & mine alone.

When my favourite role was eliminated, I looked at the clock, trying not to cry & it took less than 3 minutes for my phone, emails, contacts – my whole work identity – to be eliminated. I went to a career coach who asked me how many followers I had on LinkedIn, & I didn’t know. I didn’t go on a wild “connect with me” session, but I started building authentic connections with people who shared my interests.

We’re not here to tell you how to be on social media. Who you are is not your title or your role; who you are, what you show up for, your purpose & mission are something deeply intrinsic. I like to use all my experience, curiosity & conceptual ability to solve problems that others can’t at scale. I’m a breaker of the status quo; my purpose is to show people that the impossible is possible.

BEST MOMENTS

‘Early on I would work 80 hours, 23 hours a day, & I’m not glamourising that, the body needs rest.’

‘I’m much more of a spoken person than a written person, which is where I came up with the Insurance Unplugged Podcast.’

‘Don’t think this can’t happen to you, it can.’

‘You don’t get to be, discover or emulate who you are & how you show up has to connect to that.’

ABOUT THE GUEST

Lisa Wardlaw stands at the forefront of digital innovation in the insurance sector, wielding her expertise to forge new, sustainable revenue streams that bolster competitive advantage.

As a seasoned executive, Lisa's mission is to revolutionise business strategies through the power of technology & creative thinking.

In an era where digital customer interaction is paramount, Lisa champions proactive engagement to drive digital customer conversion.

She believes the financial services industry is ripe for genuine transformation, advocating that leaders with bold visions embrace the tools of tomorrow for radical change.

Lisa's passion lies in crafting groundbreaking business strategies that defy convention, utilising emerging technologies such as AI, blockchain, & machine learning to redefine business models.

Her liberal arts background fuels her commitment to lifelong learning and continuous improvement, challenging the status quo with a curious mind & innovative approach.

Authentic Identity Mastermind London

ABOUT THE HOST

Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decodes how real growth happens—where capital, collaboration, and courage meet.

If this episode sparked your thinking, follow Sabine VanderLinden on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram for more insights.

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By Sabine VanderLinden

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