Natalie Zammit, underwriter, management liability (right), and a colleague at AIG Insurance Company of Canada volunteer with Habitat for Humanity.Supplied
Natalie Zammit sensed the spirit of AIG Insurance Company of Canada from the very first meeting with her future managers. A 30-minute conversation left a lasting impression about the people, culture and energy at the company.
By the end of two co-op university education placements, she knew the Toronto-based property and casualty insurance company was where she wanted to build a career.
“I was entrusted with responsibility, encouraged to be creative and bring ideas forward,” says Zammit, now an underwriter in management liability.
Today, Zammit leads the co-op program that had such a large impact on her own career. She partners with universities and collaborates with her colleagues to train and assign mentors to new hires for the program. The opportunity to now lead the co-op program has been rewarding and further reinforces the company’s supportive culture.
“AIG has been so open to new ideas, creativity and making process changes,” says Zammit, who rewrote the training manual during her co-op, and, as a fulltime employee, continues to refine it with her teammates.
Through mentorship and growth opportunities, AIG advances learning and development for colleagues at all career stages.
“I’ve been in this industry for nearly 30 years and I continue to learn new things,” says Pete Walker, president and CEO, AIG Canada. “It comes from our colleagues and how we work.”
AIG builds the capabilities of its current staff through talent development. This has been a main driver for Walker, who is an example of the organization’s strong talent-from-within culture.
Learning and development can be formal, including continuous education support, which allowed Zammit to pursue a Canadian risk management designation while working full-time. It can also be informal, like when Zammit was allowed to work from the Vancouver office for three months.
Zammit, who is based in Toronto with family in Western Canada, says her employer understood that Vancouver is an important part of her identity and the company created an opportunity to broaden her skill set professionally.
“I was able to immerse myself in a new market, develop relationships with colleagues outside of my region and gain a deeper understanding of national operations,” she says.
When Zammit joined, she was part of the Professional Associate Program, a structured curriculum that bridges the gap between academic knowledge and practical corporate experience for young professionals beginning their careers in insurance.
While the knowledge and mentorship were vital, the program’s summit, which connected colleagues from the United States, Canada and Bermuda, was a particularly special experience for Zammit.
“It expanded my industry knowledge and built lasting professional relationships with peers worldwide, including connections I maintain to this day.”
AIG Canada’s robust employee resource groups (ERGs), which have the highest engagement across the international organization, are another tool to support career growth by creating opportunities to lead colleagues, build programming and manage budgets.
“As people grow in their careers, ERGs are a great opportunity for people to grow themselves as well,” says Walker.
That has been the case for Zammit, who is one of two vice-presidents for Toronto’s multicultural ERG. The executive role has provided her with practical experience in leadership, communication and project management — skills that have been instrumental to her career growth.
“It’s been an exceptional opportunity all around,” she says. “I’ve been able to grow as a leader while helping to foster inclusion and connection among colleagues.”
From a co-op student to a permanent staff member, Zammit has felt supported and encouraged to grow both personally and professionally every step of the way.
“Each experience at AIG has reinforced my confidence, broadened my perspective and deepened my commitment to continuous learning.”
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Advertising feature produced by Canada’s Top 100 Employers, a division of Mediacorp Canada Inc. The Globe and Mail’s editorial department was not involved.