As part of the coverage of our August “Top Women in Insurance” issue,American Agent & Broker interviewed some of the mostsuccessful women in the insurance field today. In a male-dominatedindustry, these women have found their paths to success.

For many of these women, accomplishment in theinsurance industry did not come without support andencouragement from mentors and sponsors in the early stages oftheir careers.

Click through the slideshow to read the stories of eightindustry women and the influence mentors and sponsors on theircareers.

Read our previous installments:

* How 6 Top Insurance Women Succed in theIndustry

* Top Industry Women Find Success at Work and atHome

Rebecca Korach Woan, principal and founder, ChartwellInsurance Services

“My husband was my first mentor and continues to be my closestadvisor. He had a lot of experience in the corporate insuranceworld when I first entered and he understood a lot more aboutinsurance than I did. He was the person who encouraged me to pursuemy vision of establishing a brokerage to focus on the affluent andhigh net-worth individual.

“Also the personal lines professionals at Chubb and AIG werevery supportive of me when I did not have much more than a businessplan. Kurt Morgan at Chubb was particularly helpful and made sure Ihad all the underwriting support I needed.”

Laura Deeley Bren, president, Atlantic/Smith, Cropper& Deeley

“I am fortunate to have four people that I would consider to bemy mentors in this business. It is interesting how each of themtaught me a unique skill that is so important to my role today.

“Pat Davis was a senior producer for our agency. Each morning,before I went to my telemarketing responsibilities, we read ISOpolicies cover to cover. He was my first technical insurancetrainer.

“Ron Pasquariello was the executive VP who mentored me over a24-month period to prepare me for leading the agency. He developedan established sales management at our firm and introduced me tovirtually every component of agency management.

“Sandy Deeley, my father, is an incredible entrepreneur andcontinues to have great insights into how we can extend ourbusiness beyond the traditional insurance business. While he hasbeen away from the day-to-day operations since the late '90s, he isa valuable resource to me, especially when facing visionarychallenges and looking at the big picture.

“Liz White, president of Peachtree Special Risk Brokers, is mydear friend whom I admire both professionally and personally. Backin 2003, we wrote a large property new business account to beeffective the same week I got married and she delivered her firstbaby. In that moment, we forever bonded over the thrill of the 'wecan have it all' illusion. I am in awe of her as she navigateslife's journeys both professionally and personally. I can alwayscount on Liz to give me candid feedback and advice.”

Linda Rey, principal and owner, Rey InsuranceAgency

“My first mentor was my dad, but not in a technical oreducational sense. First, I wanted to make him proud so that Icould help him while working at the agency. My dad taught me how toget out there and get stuff done. You don't wait around for someoneto take care of things. You figure it out by being resourceful. Youpick up the phone and ask questions. I learned basically everythingI know by not knowing anything.”

Michelle Rupp, owner/president, NRG Insurance

“My first mentor was Jerry Perry. He was the manager of licenseand permit bonds for Safeco. He wrote everything in a purple Flair(pen). I worked as legal secretary and Jerry's writing prepared mefor anything! Big deal bonds were manually typed and they could nothave typos. I remember an executive from Boeing sitting in Jerry'soffice waiting for a bond, and Jerry yelling, 'Where is thatMEEEEchelle and that bond?'

“I have amazing keyboard skills, but Jerry told my dad I had'the instinct.' We always used that phrase. Do people 'get it'? Dothey see the logic and the art in insurance? Thank goodness I doand did, since I was pretty much thrust into owning this agencyyoung, after Dad died suddenly at a time when lots of seasonedagency owners would have buckled. However, we still talk about howDad taught us to present a risk to an underwriter, how to analyze arisk, how important education was to your craft. He was aconsummate professional.”

Sharon Emek, director of operations, CBS Coverage GroupInc.

“I had two amazing sponsors—Chubb and Aetna. After helping theagency in N.J., I began specializing in helping insurance agenciesdevelop procedures and better organizational structures. JackHicks, the regional VP at Chubb at the time, and the regional VPfor Aetna were impressed with the results of the agencies I wasworking with, and proposed to me that I open my own agency. Mindyou, this was in Manhattan, a very tough town. They said they wouldlove to see some women-owned agencies. I had never sold insurancebefore and expressed my concern that I might not reach theirpremium requirements. They said they would not require any andwould help me grow a book of business. Within one year, I had sold$1 million in premium. By year three, I had a $5 million book ofbusiness. Both Aetna and Chubb were ahead of their time inrecognizing the need for diversity.”

Karen Gilmer-Pauciello, CFO, Philadelphia InsuranceCos.

“Throughout my career, I've been very fortunate to have manyinformal mentors, both male and female. Mentors early in my careerstressed the importance of hard work, a positive attitude anddeveloping technical competence in accounting and finance. As Ibecame more immersed in the insurance industry, mentors placed anemphasis on really understanding the underlying business ofinsurance and not just crunching the numbers. Later, my mentorsemphasized the importance of developing, fostering and nurturingrelationships with clients, producers, shareholders, regulators,staff, my peers, rating agencies and management or otherstakeholders. I tried to learn from successful people by astutelyobserving them and asking for advice when I needed it.”

Karen Bailo, general manager of agency sales anddistribution, Progressive

“My first mentor specific to Progressive was a senior femalemotorcycle product manager. She gave me a lot of formal andinformal coaching to develop my analytic skills and I learned toread my audience.

“Later in my career, I would point to my dad as a stronginfluence and mentor. As my roles became less about the technicalparts of the job and more about leading others, I sought him outfor coaching and guidance. He has a lot of experience and I'mfortunate to have the opportunity to learn from him. I alsoregularly use informal coaches to provide input and feedback onsituations. I am constantly looking for ways to improve. Myinformal coaches are great sources of input and feedback to help meimprove as I encounter new challenges.”

Lisa Tepper, regional president, Travelers

“I've been fortunate enough to have a number of mentorsthroughout my career–men and women of all ages, in and outside ofthe industry.

“I've found that the most effective mentors are those who arewilling to provide honest advice. Receiving real, unfilteredfeedback is the only way a mentee can learn and grow. Helpingindividuals succeed in new roles or get to the next level in theirorganization is a critical part of a leader's job. I've alwaystried to set aside time to help my direct reports and those aroundme set up a path to opportunity. Senior leaders in the insuranceindustry and elsewhere in business have a short- and long-termresponsibility to give back by developing a pipeline of talent thatwill ultimately impact who sits on management committees and makeskey business decisions on a day-to-day basis. This work is not onlyrewarding, but it is also good business.”

Related:

* How 6 Top Insurance Women Succed in theIndustry

* Top Industry Women Find Success at Work and atHome