There was a time when female leaders in any business were rare, but Kristy Lor-Ly, Vice President of Claims for QBE Re, is just one of a growing number of women holding senior positions in the company – and across insurance as a whole.
While Kristy’s experience might not yet be the norm, it’s certainly becoming more attainable for more women.
Starting out on the patient care side of healthcare 13 years ago, a developing interest in population health management drew Kristy towards the insurance industry, initially as a broker, before she joined QBE Re in the summer of 2022.
“It’s an exciting role,” Kristy says, “using claims data to establish risk mitigation strategies, consulting on population health management, educating stakeholders about treatment options and working to contain costs and keep programmes affordable.”
An early highlight of her time at QBE Re was a project designed to give clients a clear, high-level view of their claims experiences using claims data and trends. However, more than anything, it is the future she is focused on.
“The plan is to build an industry-leading clinical claims management program and a team of clinical and claims experts within QBE Re to make a real difference for our clients, and the communities they insure,” she says.
Kristy believes those communities will be better served with more women working in insurance. “Women bring diverse experiences and continue to be the main caregivers in society, which gives them important insights into the needs of individuals and communities,” she says.
QBE Re’s ability to attract and keep female talent is already delivering benefits. “Women are very well positioned to understand what is required to mobilise and sustain groups of people and big projects over long periods of times,” Kristy says. “Skill sets that can easily be transferred to manage insurance risks for the long haul.”
Kristy believes recruitment could be key to making the most of female talent in insurance, suggesting a higher visibility of female leaders could encourage more young women to join the industry.
HR policies are also crucial – not just to encourage women to join insurance, but to help them stay.
“Flexible working allows women to perform dual roles and policies that support different stages of a woman’s life (including body changes), and provide the confidence women need to pursue their career goals throughout their working lives,” she says.
Ultimately, Kristy hopes the industry can draw on the experience of senior women to dispel some persistent misconceptions.
“If you’d asked me after high school what I thought about insurance, I would have said it was boring and I’d never work in this industry. However, being curious has helped me to see the significant impact insurance has on the communities we live in and serve,” she says.
