Danny Davies
Chief People Officer, Aviva Canada
Attracted by opportunities for advancement, diversity, and inclusion, Canadians are discovering the growing insurance sector’s ample opportunities.
Have you thought about a career in insurance? And no, it’s not a punch line to a joke. The insurance sector has an abundance of excellent job opportunities available to Canadians. But unfortunately, some have outdated ideas about the industry. They may believe it’s boring and one-dimensional. Times have changed and so has insurance, and it’s worth understanding the facts.
Thousands of Canadians have chosen to work in the insurance sector. It’s a dynamic, growing industry that employs people for a wide range of jobs, from customer service and data analytics to sales and claims. Each one is as unique as the person who holds it and the skills they bring. Insurance companies have a reputation for building diverse teams. They hire individuals with various educational and cultural backgrounds. Whatever your background is, there’s a job that’s the right fit for you.
Careers in insurance are richly rewarding
There are many reasons why people are drawn to working in insurance. The industry offers ample opportunities, which may include flexible schedules, on-the-job training, education, excellent health care benefits, competitive salaries, opportunities for career advancement, and skills development. It’s also a very secure industry with long-term viability since people will always need insurance to protect their homes, cars, health, and businesses. And companies will be looking to fill hundreds of new positions in the near future.
Many in the insurance field find their jobs fulfilling. Recent data from the Insurance Institute of Canada shows that 94 percent are proud to work in the industry and 97 percent feel that they’re contributing to their company’s success. A career in insurance can be tremendously rewarding, as Danny Davies, Chief People Officer at Aviva Canada, points out. “The best-kept secret in the industry is that we help people get through some of the most challenging moments of their lives, whether it’s repairing their home after it’s been pummelled by golf ball-sized hail or calling them a tow truck when they’re stranded on the side of the highway with their toddler in the backseat,” he says. “Everything we do is about helping people when the unexpected happens.”
We are absolutely, as an industry, stepping into the future of work and that makes it a unique time to work in an insurance company,” says Davies. He describes the industry as undergoing “genuine disruption.” As consumers increasingly expect modern products and digital options, they influence insurance companies like Aviva to evolve and bring forth more innovative solutions. These changes shed old myths about the insurance business and what it’s like to work in it.
Being part of a culture of care
Caring for customers is at the core of Aviva Canada, shaping its corporate culture and how the company cares about its employees. At Aviva Canada, creating a diverse, inclusive organization is a fundamental part of its purpose. In the last three years, the company has tripled the number of women and quadrupled the number of visible minorities in succession positions for its most senior roles.
In addition to diversity and inclusion initiatives, Aviva Canada offers paid parental leave regardless of gender or sexual orientation. The company also recognizes that giving back to the community means different things to everyone, and so it offers a unique employee giving program that allows employees to take up to three paid days off per year to volunteer for any cause they’re passionate about, not just for registered charities.
