In June, the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation willhost its Women in Insurance Conference Series at regionalforums in New York, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles. The forums will provide a platformfor industry leaders to explore the impact of today's most relevantdiversity and inclusion topics and equip attendees with actionplans proven to transform an organization. In this age ofdisruption, embracing diversity is essential for the insuranceindustry to move forward. Whether it's caused by evolvingtechnology, an aging workforce or another factor, change isinevitable.

At the IICF Midwest forum in Chicago, I'll talk to participantsabout how adapting to change, navigating new challenges andreaching out to the next generation for talentand perspectives will be important to the industry's continuedsuccess. I've gained a unique perspective when it comes tonavigating challenges, not just as a longtime insurance executive,but also as an accomplished mountain climber. Extreme environments,where every step can mean the difference between life and death,hold lessons for corporate boardrooms and every leader in ourhighly competitive and ever-evolving environment. The worlds ofmountaineering and business are inextricably linked. Whether you'resummiting a mountain or sitting in your office, the lessons are thesame. As the landscape of insurance is rapidly changing,mountaineering provides useful lessons for leadership, team dynamics, collaboration andstrategy management.

Related: Let's work together to attract fresh talent toinsurance careers

After spending the past 14 years summiting 25 different mountainpeaks, I've discovered many connections between the leadership andteamwork needed to reach a summit and to rise to the top of thebusiness world. The teams that are built for success will involvepeople from diverse backgrounds as the insurance industry works toattract the type of talent that better reflects the myriad clientbases it serves.

I immigrated to the United States from Guyana, South America, atthe age of 14 with my parents. We wholeheartedly embraced theopportunities that our new home in the U.S. would provide. Aftergraduating with an MBA in finance from the Wharton School, where Iwas one of just a few women in my class, one of my firstobservations was that everyone wanted to work in banking. Thebanking industry was seen as far more dynamic compared to thestaid, complex insurance industry. Seeing opportunity in theless-traveled, seemingly more difficult path, I chose to pursueinsurance and nonetheless was able to rise through the ranks ininvestment banking. Not long after, I became the first femaleAfrican American managing director at Swiss Re before foundingGrace Global Capital, LLC in 2006.

Diverse backgrounds, teamwork bringstrength

Early in my career, it became clear that the insurance industrywas, in fact, dynamic. Much like mountain climbing, you're facedwith ever-changing and unpredictable environments. A team ofmountaineers can plan a course of action but, more often than not,that plan will have to be adjusted several times to be successful.Right now, the insurance industry is facing rapid changes, andleadership is tackling challenges much like the extremeenvironments climbers face. To be successful in either place youneed a blend of determination, teamwork, integrity, emotional andcognitive intelligence, and collaboration to overcome the hurdlespresented by uncontrollable high-risk situations.

One of the most poignant examples of teamwork in an extremeenvironment occurred for me in 2005. Michael Useem, a professor andchange management expert at Wharton, brought together 28 alumnifrom various backgrounds to climb together in a remote part of theworld. I had just been promoted to managing director at Swiss Reand knew it would be a big sacrifice to be away from work to takethe 14-day journey. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, however, Ihad made a personal resolution to take more meaningful vacationsand thought this fit the bill.

Professor Useem wanted to take us out of our comfort zones. Thehike up to 20,000 feet would take eight days, and the hike down,six. He assembled diverse teams who were asked to work together tonavigate the complex environment in Bhutan, a Buddhist kingdom onthe eastern edge of the Himalayas. The climb was one of the mostdifficult I've ever experienced, but also one of the most majestic.When we got to the seventh day and close to the summit, one of ourteam members became extremely ill and had to be medicallyevacuated, after which he died. It was a tragic turn of events thatshook the group to its core. We made the decision to turn back at17,500 feet and never made it to the top.

Instead of continuing our climb, we felt it was more importantto remain a team and mourn with the family of our fallen alumnus. Asmaller group of us continued to hike together after the tragedy,and the next year we climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in East Africa. Theteamwork, diversity and learning environment had a tremendous,positive impact on us. We've been climbing mountains eversince.

Conquering disruptions with diversity

When you look at the insurance industry, the environment isbeing disrupted by technology, regulations, competitive pressuresand workforce challenges. Much like my experiences on mountains,industry leaders have to keep adapting to be competitive and remainsuccessful.

Mountain climbing also holds another valuable lesson: Leadershipmust be linked to innovation. To lead in an extreme environment, aperson has to be flexible, be able to empower employees to reachthe summit and give them a mission that everyone can be excitedabout. That innovation includes an open mind about the workforce ofthe future where diversity and inclusion must be an initiative ofevery single boardroom.

Embracing a brighter future

Solving problems and finding new ways to transform the customerexperience will require bringing together bright minds from allages, races and backgrounds. In our world of accelerating,fast-paced change, the ability to thrive in uncertainty and flex influx are becoming core skills.

Expect more women leaders at the helm. Women innately haveessential future-of-work skills, such as relational skills,communication skills, empathy and emotional intelligence.

We must restructure and reorient our organizations:

1. From product focused to customer focused;
2. From slow-moving, siloed, hierarchical structures to nimble,collaborative, multi-disciplinary teams; and
3. From leadership based on control and command to leadershipbased on engagement, empowerment and inspiration.

These are all positive trends for the insurance industry.

Grace Vandecruze is the founder and managing directorat GraceGlobal Capital LLC a consulting firm providingM&A financial advisory, restructuring, and valuation toinsurance executives, boards and financial regulators since2006.