Scouting for Growth Barbara Schonhofer & Carmen Powell: Empowerment, Leadership, Inclusion & Future Growth
On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Barbara Schonhofer and Carmen Powell, two influential voices who have navigated and thrived in the ever-evolving insurance industry.
In today’s conversation we explore the sector’s evolution, the future of work and best practices for continuous networking and development.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
When I started my career in 1972, men didn’t know how to behave as women cam into their own in business and taking frontline roles. It wasn’t so much misogyny that I faced, it was more like old geezers having a laugh, they didn’t know how to welcome women into he workplace because it was less usual. I found my way by having humour and being smarter in my responses to them, so I sidestepped a lot of the banter in my early career. There were only a few predatory men, most just didn’t know how to behave in front of women.
I have always celebrated being different. Anything that was an idiosyncrasy was put down to the fact that I was Spanish, and that suited me fine! That served me well because I didn’t have to follow the norms. However, when I interviewed for a very large organisation in the UK the HR director asked my how I was going to cope with men making a pass at me. I said that I was coming here to work and that if anybody crosses the line I knew how to deal with that.
BEST MOMENTS
‘The men that were kindest to me didn’t help me and the ones that gave me a tough time did business with me. I learned to keep my friends close and my enemies closer.’
‘The most wonderful boss I had was a woman, the rest have been men but, like Barbara, they gave me a hard time and pushed my boundaries enough so I knew I was resilient enough.’
‘With everything you take two steps forward and one step back.’
ABOUT THE GUESTS
Barbara Schonhofer’s career in financial services covers four decades operating as a business leader and later as an executive search consultant to the insurance markets. When she began her career she set out to better understand the complexities of much needed culture change in insurance. During her years operating in financial services as an executive search consultant, Barbara challenged normal practices and spotted the need to bring together women leaders in the London Market to network.
Alongside ISC-Group, Barbara co-founded and co-Chair GAIN, a non-profit membership organisation encouraging better understanding and inclusion of neurodiverse individuals in the insurance industry. She is a Freeman of the City of London and a member of the Worshipful Company of Insurers, where she co-founded its female network, iWIN. LinkedIn
Carmen Powell is an experienced international marketing and business development professional whose strategic expertise is linked to a practical and positive approach to deliver challenging goals, including establishing new markets and reversing declining revenues whilst successfully navigating large and complex organisational matrices.
Carmen has a passion for building societal prosperity and strengthening ethical behaviour of organisations through making a difference to their bottom-line. Ethics matter. Carmen constantly strives to deliver value in ever changing corporate environments while at the same time making a positive difference in our world.
ABOUT THE HOST
Sabine is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur. She is the CEO and Managing Partner of Alchemy Crew a venture lab that accelerates the curation, validation, & commercialization of new tech business models. Sabine is renowned within the insurance sector for building some of the most renowned tech startup accelerators around the world working with over 30 corporate insurers, accelerated over 100 startup ventures. Sabine is the co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, a top 50 Women in Tech, a FinTech and InsurTech Influencer, an investor & multi-award winner.