2023 International Women's Day (IWD) panel — a celebration of talent development

To celebrate International Women’s Day, 8 March 2023, ANZIIF brought together three senior female leaders from across the APAC region to highlight the insurance industry's collective achievements in nurturing talent.

Ms Than Hien Anh, Chairperson, Baoviet Life

Hailing from Vietnam, Ms Than Hien Anh is Chairperson of Baoviet Life Insurance — the largest subsidiary of Baoviet Holdings. She has been working in the financial services industry in Vietnam for more than 25 years, specialising in the areas of investment banking services, general and life insurance, with 14 years holding senior positions including Chairperson, Board member, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Operating Officer, Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Risk Officer. She is also an active member of the insurance industry as a Vice Chairperson of the Insurance Association of Vietnam and Head of its Life Insurance division.

Since Hien Anh joined Baoviet Life as its Chairperson and CEO in 2015, the company has grown by more than 20 per cent annually and has become the largest life insurance company in market share, worth a billon USD, since 2016. The Company has been granted a number of awards, but she is most proud of seeing by HR Asia award Baoviet Life as one of the best companies to work for in Asia for five consecutive years in a row since 2018 .

Catherine Dixon, ANZIIF Board, Suncorp New Zealand People Culture & Advocacy leader

Catherine is part of Suncorp Group’s People, Culture & Advocacy leadership team and has been an ANZIIF board member since September 2018. She is accountable for delivering and managing all aspects of the People and workspace strategy for the New Zealand business focused on identifying and fostering the capability, environment and leadership needed to deliver Suncorp’s strategy.

Catherine has worked in the Suncorp Group since 1999 when she joined the life business of Royal & Sun Alliance. During her tenure, she has supported significant change including the acquisition and divestment of several businesses. Before joining the Group, she worked for IAG in both business and Human Resources roles for 13 years.

Stella Pruscino, Executive Leader, Account Director, Edgewise Insurance Brokers

As a business owner with over 30 years insurance broking experience, Pruscino's principal focus is understanding clients’ needs and tailoring bespoke solutions to address those exposures. Her passion is connecting people to help them achieve both business and personal goals.

A confident speaker and presenter, Pruscino's drive and curiosity for understanding the impacts of emerging risks on clients has provided her with the opportunity to publish and present on issues such as terrorism insurance in Australia.

Through her involvement in National Insurance Broker's Association (NIBA) Pruscino is able to collaborate with the broader Australian broking community to support the development of the industry and NIBA's members, making sure that the industry continues to bring through the next generation of risk and insurance advisors.