Sarah Zimmerman | Aviva Canada

Sarah Zimmerman, Senior Vice President, Claims Transformation, Aviva Canada

For seasoned claims leader Sarah Zimmerman, one of the most ironic truths about the insurance industry is that, although the industry exists to create safety nets for others, women working within it often hesitate to take risks in their own careers.

Her advice to aspiring women leaders is simple: take the leap.

“Don’t wait until you have 100% of the skills in the job description to put up your hand,” she tells Canadian Underwriter. “Trust yourself enough that you can learn the rest. Don’t wait for the perfect title or role. Help solve the messiest problems now. That’s how you grow your career and get noticed as an innovative thinker. Every time you’re learning a new facet of the business, you’re building your breadth and strengthening your impact.”

Zimmerman, who is now senior vice president of claims transformation at Aviva Canada, has spent more than two decades in the property and casualty insurance business. She entered the industry through a rotational leadership program after studying finance in business school. The experience gave her the opportunity to explore underwriting, risk, strategy and claims operations. What she found, she says, was meaning.

“What’s always resonated with me is that we’re really selling a promise,” she says. “The promise to be there for our customers on their absolute worst day. When we make that promise, we become the keepers of that trust.”

That responsibility, and the impact behind it, has kept her in the industry, she says.

A career built on purpose

Insurance is often viewed as predictable, but Zimmerman doesn’t see it that way.

“The world is changing around us at record pace,” she says. “Those advancements create opportunities for innovation and creative problem-solving. But even as everything evolves, the core purpose of our industry stays the same.”

Much of her career has been spent in claims, which she describes as the clearest expression of that promise.

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“There’s always a customer at the end of every decision and it’s important to keep that top of mind.”

Even now, in transformation-focused roles, that perspective continues to guide her work.

Learning to step forward

Zimmerman credits mentorship with helping her find her voice early in her career.

One leader in particular noticed she was holding back and encouraged her to take her seat at the table, literally and figuratively.

“She encouraged me not to sit at the edge of the room, but to sit at the table,” Zimmerman says. “To come prepared, to be curious, and let my presence be known.”

Later, another mentor encouraged her to pursue an opportunity for which she wasn’t prepared.

“Sometimes you just need someone to say, ‘I know you can do this,’” she says. “That confidence can help you see it in yourself.”

Today, she carries that lesson forward in mentoring others. She encourages women to reframe challenges as problems they can solve.

“Whether you’re navigating career transitions, balancing raising children or, as in my case at the moment, also managing senior care responsibilities, it’s up to you to identify the problem, enlist the support you need, and keep moving forward,” she says.

For Zimmerman, attracting more women to insurance starts with helping them understand the industry’s broader impact.

“We’re a pillar of a well-functioning society,” she says. “We make a difference every single day.”

It’s meaningful work, but building a meaningful career within it requires courage, she says. “Often, the most important move is simply deciding not to wait.”