Robyn Hahn’s 25-year career consists of an impressive range of skills and responsibilities across the insurance industry’s value chain - from agency management and marketing, to digital operations, underwriting and risk control, among many others. These, as well as her involvement in the leadership space, have given her a “well-rounded set of experiences and expertise,” which have led to her current role as president of commercial lines at Westfield and recognition as one of Insurance Business’s Elite Women in 2022.
In this interview, Hahn told Insurance Business about her “anything but traditional” career path, her views about organizational culture, and her advice for women who want to advance in their profession.
Hahn’s work involves “leading the transformation, which is a great highlight across all of commercial lines, [focusing on Westfield’s] vision of being established by and distinguished by having excellence in commercial lines,” she said.
As an executive who concentrates on enabling and empowering others in pursuit of the company’s vision and direction, Hahn surrounds herself with the right people and makes sure her team operates in a non-hierarchical manner. This approach has “evolved the way in which our team works and collaborates. So, one of [our] objectives [is] to create this interdependent culture where leaders across the organization work together to ensure we’re meeting the needs of our customers and connecting with our agents.”
Further describing Westfield’s strong organizational culture, Hahn said that the company continues to identify “new ways to connect and engage and measure culture, not only for employees and [the] organization, but [also] for customers”. This goal is particularly relevant as the industry undergoes a time of disruption due to economic and geopolitical events, prompting companies to reinforce the connection between their employees’ and customers’ experiences.
“We’ve got to make sure that as we evolve the way we work, we bridge the employee experience with the customer experience, and we can’t afford not to because we know employee engagement drives business outcomes,” she explained.
Hahn emphasized that a strong engagement factor is necessary to achieve profitable growth, and leaders can work toward it by considering three elements: “[First], regardless of where you sit in your organization, do your employees understand and know what a successful customer experience means within the context of their role and the team that they’re on? [Second], do your employees have what they need to deliver on that experience? And [third is understanding] which cross-functional partners are helping you drive the customer experience.”
For women who want to thrive professionally, Hahn’s advice is to seek opportunities and experiences, to “be overt about your career aspirations and then build a plan to make it happen” so they can benefit from the support of those who are willing to help them succeed.
