Young, female, successful... and a ‘techie’?
An unusual combination? Not at all according to Siwan Lu, Principal, Global Business Platforms. A female leader who loves technology, she found a sweet spot where innovation meets insurance, and encourages others to not let social norms dictate your dreams.
A healthy dose of self-confidence and a willingness to buck traditional attitudes about work can go a long way toward building a successful career.
It worked for Siwan Lu, someone who loves a challenge and has never been shy about venturing into places where women have traditionally been underrepresented.
Born and raised in mainland China, Lu attended college in Hong Kong and soon realized that making her way in the world would call for boldness and a single-minded determination to win. In college, she stood up for her firm belief in using sustainable technological solutions to change the world and, together with her team called ’Tire Treasure (TT)’, was awarded the HSBC Young Entrepreneur Award 2008-09 with a business plan to transform used tire into materials that can be used as purifiers. Today, she’s leading her own global unit.
“If you can overcome self-doubt, that’s a big step forward. And do challenge the status quo,” she advises, much as she did by studying chemical engineering, a field where women are not as commonly employed as men. “I’m quite competitive, and I like challenging and shattering stereotypes such as that women are less capable in technology or engineering.”
Her approach has worked, but she warns career advancement will not always be easy, especially if bias surfaces. In Siwan’s case, it was mild, but nonetheless evident. “I once told a senior leader I wanted to be a CEO in five years. He gave me a look like, ‘You’re aiming way too high’.”
Never sell yourself short
“On some occasions in my life, I was made to feel that standing up for myself was a weakness,” she recalls. “I hope I can encourage others to not sell yourselves short just because you might not quite fit the ‘norm’ – in my case due to either gender, age or ethnicity, or even all of them together. Don’t let it keep you from aiming high. That is easier said than done, therefore it’s absolutely crucial to find a place to work that will encourage you to be different.”
“At the same time, be aware that what you know and see is only 5% of what is out there; leverage what you learn but also keep your mind open for the unknowns. Be mindful of the blind spots.”
In her role at Zurich, Lu explores new ventures enabled by technology, including new customers and alternative distribution models. “We are finding better ways to serve our customer segments such as millennials. We understand that they are more community-centric and they put more emphasis on things such as sustainability. They want more affordable, easier-to-consume products.”
People, especially younger generations, are increasingly global-minded, she points out, and think of technology as borderless and unconstrained. “There is a reason the cloud is called the cloud. Technology has allowed us to rethink our business model and build a business where global scale is a key success factor. That has previously not been possible.”
Three ways to get started today
As a child, Lu dreamed of becoming a lawyer. “Justice means a lot to me and I like to disprove things that are not justified.” And, while she did not pursue her childhood dream, she attended Harvard Business School and became CEO for a global company in her early 30s, despite the occasional eye-rolling along the way from detractors.
In life, as in business, she says, “Just because you haven’t seen something doesn’t mean it isn’t possible.”
Siwan offers three pieces of advice to others entering the workforce or looking to advance in their career:
- Find a mentor. “Ideally find someone who believes in you more than you believe in yourself.”
- Practice self-empowerment. “Learn to understand that you are capable of overcoming whatever challenges are in your path. Or, at the very minimum, do not put people before yourself who do not believe in you as some of us often subconsciously do”
- Create a ‘personal life board’, similar to a company board. “My own board is made up of six members – professors, previous bosses and peers – who can offer me advice, unconditional trust, and unapologetically point out my blind spots. They all have different views and seeking their feedback before making a major decision has been a game-changer as well as a psychological safety net for me. It’s also about realizing that you don’t need to and cannot do it alone.”
