Spencer Board Member Highlight: Robin Roeder

Tell us a little about yourself! What led you to your current position as Senior Vice President of Risk Management at Sedgwick?

Like many people in the industry from my generation, I did not choose risk management, but rather risk management chose me! After falling into a role that was primarily accounting-focused with insurance purchase as one of my tasks, the company I had then worked 2 months for began the intense process of going public. Working for an implantable medical device manufacturer as we went public, I learned an awful lot “on the job” about D&O (and why my boss seemed so keenly interested in it) in short order. In time, I earned my ARM designation and began to get solid footing in the industry through a large network in my local RIMS chapter. As a single mom at the time, job security was imperative, and I one day reached a point where I no longer felt that I had that, and I decided that I needed to find something more concrete over the long-term. At the close of the 2011 RIMS Conference in Vancouver, I ran into a dear friend of mine at the Sedgwick party. Catherine, who has now been with the company for over a decade, made sure to introduce me to several senior executives that night. Several weeks later, I was offered the task of creating a centralized risk management function at Sedgwick.

How do you think having female representation in the workplace – in both entry level and high-level positions - helps current and future employees? Did this play a part in your decision to enter the RMI industry?

Female representation, in entry level and c-suite level roles and at every level between, is essential to the modern-day workplace as companies put an increased focus on diversity and inclusion efforts. Women have a critical and meaningful impact on a company’s culture, and the presence of women in the workplace means greater diversity, not only of people, but of thoughts and ideas. A McKinsey study on women in the workplace found that benefits of a diverse workforce include innovation, employee engagement and retention, as well as increased financial returns and market share. The same study also found that women are underrepresented at every level, and women of color are the most underrepresented group of all, lagging behind white men, men of color and white women. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the need for diversity and inclusion efforts to be a top workplace priority. Since the beginning of the crisis, women more so than men are also either downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce completely, some reluctantly making the choice, and others having it made for them.

Chance is the only reason I entered the RMI industry. While I did not choose it, I have enjoyed the ride and have never once looked back. I am a person who doesn’t like to sit still, and every day in risk management is an adventure. While the job can be extremely challenging, I do not wake up with a “to do” list and start checking things off. I often joke saying that I am a professional at playing whack-a-mole, and every time I whack one down, another three tasks pop up in their place! I enjoy being involved in all aspects of the business, and having started my career on the tax side of accounting, that daily anticipation of “what’s next” is invigorating.

That said, my knowledge, abilities and network have grown over the course of my career, due in large part to several incredible female mentors and industry friends. Some of these include my first boss Jennifer for helping me get my feet wet in risk management, Millie for helping me prepare for the ARM exams, Catherine for opening the doors for me at Sedgwick, Marya for blazing a trail at Spencer that has made the path ahead so much easier for me, but there are many others. I am who I am today because of the fearless women who helped pave the way for others.

Was there ever a time that you felt you were passed over for or missed an opportunity because of your gender? Tell us about it. What advice would you give to others in a similar situation?

I love great stories, but I don’t really have one to share in this context. At times in my career, I have felt that more has been expected of me than of my male counterparts, and usually at a lower rate of pay. However, that is the overall plight of most women in the workplace, rather than a unique situation for me.

Also, a large challenge for many women in the workplace is the notion of work-life balance. I struggled mightily with this in the early days of my career, trying to find my footing and make my mark, while my top priority remained being the single mother of a young daughter. Many years and titles later, greater responsibilities and global pandemics have not made that struggle any less real. Finding the right balance between work and personal life is a continual issue for many females in the workplace. The only way I have found to even come close to combating this is to have a job that I love.

How do you think the RMI industry has done thus far in promoting gender diversity? Where/how do you think the industry can improve?

I believe the RMI industry has made the right verbal commitment with most companies concentrating on diversity as a whole, but there is still much more that needs to be done. In my experience, the general public still looks at the RMI industry and sees a bunch of old, white men. By taking action, such as proactively sourcing a diverse pipeline to implementing fair compensation practices to learning from exit interviews, the industry can continue to make improvement in this area.

What made you interested in serving on Spencer's Board of Directors? How did you get involved with Spencer?

By far my biggest motivations for serving on the Spencer Board are the interactions and opportunities I help provide for the students. Spencer’s programs aim to increase students’ interest in, knowledge of, and access to the RMI industry. This happens in the form of scholarships for undergraduate and graduate programs, grants for new programs, and our Risk Manager on Campus program. As someone who has personally benefitted from a Spencer scholarship and has been a participant in the RMOC program for several years, I can attest to the value Spencer brings to the industry by supporting the education of tomorrow’s risk management and insurance leaders.

My work with Spencer began when I first started going to campuses as part of the RMOC program, and I knew then that I wanted to be a more integral part of the organization. With Sedgwick’s support, I joined the board a few years later. By serving on the Board of Directors, I not only get to give back to Spencer, but my participation enables me to contribute to the growth and diversification of our industry. It’s been a truly rewarding experience being able to prepare for the coming generations of talent, and it has provided me with additional opportunities to forge lasting relationships, and to mentor future industry giants.

How do you see Spencer advancing ongoing efforts of inclusion in the risk management and insurance industry?

I believe programs like Spencer’s Risk Manager on Campus are critical in this effort. By seeking out colleges and universities without an RMI program, as well as those with more diverse student populations, we are able to expose a much wider group of college students to the industry. These efforts also allow for us to not only increase the size of the talent pool, but also the depth.

In addition, each of us can (and should) help to foster a culture where all colleagues are respected and appreciated in our own organizations. At the end of the day, it boils down to intent. Over the past several decades, “meaning well” would have been enough, but that is simply not the case anymore. Intention is no longer good enough – we need to implement actionable change so that we can see results.

Thank you to to Robin for being an integral part of the Spencer Board of Directors and for participating in this Spencer profile!