Chaucer Group is partnering with Women in Data because we are dedicated to building a working culture that promotes diversity and equal opportunity for all. We believe that the more diverse representations we have in the data team the better our provisioning to our business and clients.
This partnership will support our search for diverse talent by providing access to a pool of skilled data professionals. We look forward to collaborating with other female leaders to drive innovation and solve complex challenges. We will ensure that Chaucer is a place where anyone working in data can thrive and succeed.
Insurance is evolving and developing. Data is an integral part of our business and underpins our aspirations, it supports our drives, innovation, and product development.
In the next five years we see Ethical AI and Privacy concerns becoming ever more important as technology continues to develop at lightening pace. Developing regulations will drive responsible data management. We will need to be prioritising ethical AI development ensuring fairness, transparency and privacy protection.
Businesses will blend on-premises infrastructure with cloud services. Hybrid environments will allow flexibility and scalability and cost optimisation. Organisations will continue to empower more employees to access and utilize data. Self-service analytic tools will become commonplace, enabling non-technical users to explore and derive insights.
DataOps practices which integrate development, testing and deployment will streamline data pipelines and accelerate time to deployment. Automation will accelerate data processing and reduce manual effort allowing us to deliver faster with more efficiency.
Adaptability, agility and scalability are key as the data landscapes evolves.
Chaucer are a leading specialty (re)insurance group working with brokers, cover-holders and clients to protect and support business activities around the world. Our services are accessed both through Lloyd’s of London and the company markets. Chaucer is a member of the China Re Group.
We are defined by an enterprising, bespoke approach to (re)insurance, enabled by the individual character, experience and imagination of our expert teams.
Headquartered in London, with international hubs in Copenhagen, Dubai, Miami, Dublin, Singapore, Sydney and Bermuda, we employ more than 500 people worldwide, including more than 120 specialist underwriters.
Name: Joy Sun
Job Title: Product Owner Data Warehouse
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joy-sun-ab769513/
What’s your role and what is involved?
Role: Data Warehouse Product Owner at Chaucer Group
I work with a product team of business analysts, data engineers, testing analysts and scrum master to produce value-added data products that bring insights of data and help business to make data-based decisions.
What was journey into Data?
My entire career was around data. When I was in the university, I did my research by building data models for quantitative analysis. The availability and quality of data would directly decide the accuracy of my research work. When working in the Media agency as a data manager, I worked in teams that built data platforms and data reporting products. We processed big data to help our clients to gain insight of the performance of their campaigns and make data-based decisions to their advertising investment.
“Data is the new oil.” I saw the success stories of young companies winning the market competition by embracing data, as well as the declining of traditional companies who turned its back on data. The meaning of data products was to process and refine the raw data to unveil its potential and make it valuable. This is why my role as a data product owner so important and meaningful.
What does joining Women in Data mean to me?
I would like to be an advocate not only to promote data, data products and its value to the business, and help build up data culture in the broader organizations, but also to support females to build up confidence and establish themselves in the data industry. I hope to build up my own network and gain mentoring from senior data leaders as well.
Name: Marion Shaw
Job Title: Head of Data & Analytics
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marion-shaw-9068b08/
What’s your role and what is involved?
Role: Head of Data & Analytics at Chaucer Group
I am responsible for the Data Strategy, the evolution of the Data & Analytics functions and the growth of business value obtained from our data and analytics products. The tasks are varied, complex and enjoyable and no two days are the same.
Working with the various part of the data leadership is rewarding as we mature, evolve and scale our products to give benefits to the business.
What was journey into Data?
I don’t have a degree, but I have lots of experience in a variety of positions which have helped build my skills on my journey to the Head of Data & Analytics.
I have had a long and convoluted journey into data. I have predominately worked in the Localisation Industry (almost 30 years) and in my time I have been a tester, engineer, Project Manager, Program Manager and Public Sector Bid Manager and Director of Systems and Processes before I became Director of Data and Analytics. Through my career I have built on my programming, DB skills and developed stakeholder management, process improvement, negotiation and planning. These skills have all fed into my ability to create, manage and build a successful data strategy and execute into the business.
I believe that everyone can be a data professional and the more diverse the people in our teams the more successful we will become.
What does joining Women in Data mean to me?
As an advocate of Women in Data I am delighted that Chaucer Group has joined Women in Data. I want to encourage more women of any age into the data profession and believe the diversity they can bring will be invaluable for any team they join. I want the next generation to believe that data is a natural career for them and that it is accessible, welcoming and has excellent prospects for long term development. I want to support the women who are already in the Data industry to speak up for themselves, grow and blossom.
Name: Sabitra Thapa
Job Title: Data Champion
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabitra-thapa-646438207/
What’s your role and what is involved?
Role: Data Champion at Chaucer Group
My role involves advocating for the effective use of data within the organisation. I act as a liaison between the different department, promoting data-driven decision-making and fostering a culture of data literacy. I serve as a catalyst for leveraging data to drive innovation, efficiency and strategic initiatives across the organisation.
What was your journey into Data?
I started my career as a receptionist for various companies. Little did I knew that this would be the first step on a remarkable path of self-discovery and growth. My journey in London eventually brought me to Chaucer, where I began my role as a receptionist and then few months later got promoted to Senior Receptionist.
It was here that the seeds of my transformation were sown, and the catalyst for my data journey was none other than Marion Shaw, a mentor whose inspiration become the cornerstone of my path. Marion’s guidance, conversations and unwavering support ignited my passion for Data. Just ten months at Chaucer, I found myself transitioning into the Data team, a move that would redefine my career and set me on a trajectory filled with exciting challenges and opportunities.
My transition from a non-data background to a data champion was driven by my insatiable curiosity. I had an innate desire to explore the depths of Data, and my conversations with Marion Shaw fanned the flames of my curiosity. This curiosity became the driving force that led me to embrace a career in Data. My determination was unwavering. I recognized that a Data degree was not a prerequisite for success. Instead, I believed that my dedication and enthusiasm would pave the way for my journey into the world of Data. And I was right.
What does joining Women in Data mean to me?
Joining Women in Data holds profound significance for me on both personal and professional levels. It represents an opportunity to be part of a supportive community where I can connect with fellow women professionals in the data field. It signifies a commitment to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within the data industry, and a dedication to promoting women’s voices and leadership. Being a member of Women in Data means access to resources, mentorship, and networking opportunities that can empower me to grow and excel in my career. It also allows me to contribute to initiatives aimed at breaking barriers, advocating for gender equality, and driving positive change in the data landscape. In essence, joining Women in Data is not just about membership; it’s about being part of a movement that celebrates and champions the contributions of women in data and empowers them to reach their full potential.
Name: Samantha Musiyiwa
Job Title: Junior Data Engineer.
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-musiyiwa-7175a5246
What’s your role and what is involved?
Role: Junior Data Engineer at Chaucer Group
I am Junior Data Engineer at Chaucer. My role involves dashboard development for Chaucer’s analytical platforms. I have experience using tools such as Tableau, Power Bi, SQL and Snowflake. I also undertake a lot of studying by doing courses so I can continue to upskill myself and quench my curiosity for all things Data.
What was journey into Data?
After completing secondary school, I was not sure what profession I wanted to go into until I was inspired to work in Data by my aunt who worked in the industry. Her role intrigued me as it was unlike anything I knew at the time. I did not know of anyone else who was working a career in Data and at school, working in this industry wasn’t discussed either. I was inquisitive about her career in Data and as it peaked my interest, I decided I wanted to work in the Data industry too. Eventually I landed the role as the first Data & Analytics Apprentice at Chaucer. My journey into Data will not end here as I aspire to continue working in Data roles beyond my apprenticeship.
What does joining Women in Data mean to me?
Joining Women in Data means an opportunity for me to join this positive movement and in doing so, continue to champion women working in the data industry and inspire women to embark on a career in data. I hope I can be the representation that may encourage a woman to take the leap of faith and explore a career in this fascinating industry.
Name: Amita Butt
Job Title: Senior Business Intelligence Analyst
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amita-butt-32531112/
What’s your role and what is involved?
Role: Senior Business Intelligence Analyst at Chaucer Group.
I am responsible for evaluating business processes and complex sets of data to determine recommendations for business growth and improvement. I play a key role in developing and maintaining our data infrastructure. This includes managing our data warehouse and ensuring data is properly stored, organised, and maintained. To achieve this, I work closely with data engineers, data testers and a scrum master and together we ensure that our data architecture is scalable, reliable, and efficient. I enjoy the diverseness of this role as it means not doing the same thing every day.
What was your journey into data?
Having completed a master’s in business systems Analysis and Design I began my career as a Visual Basic and SQL Analyst Developer in the London Market Insurance Sector. I now have over 21 years’ experience within the financial services industry and my desire to acquire the ‘single source of the truth’ shifted my career into the BI space in 2008. Having the required soft skills, I’ve successfully managed to gather key information, ask the right questions, and using strong business acumen to provide important data insights. This role continues to excite me, AI and Machine Learning is the next chapter in my data journey and I’m looking forward to what the future holds for me in this technology space.
What does joining women in data mean to me?
As a co-founder of the Women in Chaucer Employee Relationship Group representing and encouraging women to be the best version of themselves is pivotal to my self-belief. When I began my journey in IT as a 23-year-old British Asian female I had to work extra hard to ‘fit’ into a male dominated industry. I now want to support other females to have a seat around the table and to encourage them to follow their dreams.
Name: Linda Cooke
Job Title: Chief Information Officer
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cookelinda
Linda has worked in IT within the Financial Services sector, Retail Banking and Specialty/Commercial Insurance, for 28 years. She joined LloydsTSB in 1995 not knowing how to work on a computer and went on to lead large scale IT integration and transformation teams at the bank. After 18 years in Lloyds Banking Group, she moved to Chubb Insurance. Linda joined as the European Head of IT for the A&H business, moved into the newly created position of Head of IT for the Digital SME platform and finally the Head of Consumer Lines IT across 24 countries accountable for all IT strategy, projects and services for three lines of business. Linda now holds the position of Group CIO at Chaucer Group joining late 2022. Throughout her career she has led teams through several M&A’s such as the £3.2bn account migration between Lloyds TSB and HBOS plus the Ace and Chubb merger. She has gained a significant amount of experience navigating organisational change, managing her own career, and leading teams through massive change. Linda is a Board Trustee of the Nene Park Trust charity, a large parkland providing recreation, education and conservation Linda has been a mentor for the Insurance Breakfast club for a few years which is a professional development & networking program for female insurance professionals She is a passionate gardener, loves to watch sport especially rugby, enjoys travel, food and outdoor activities.
