WHO WE ARE.
From Girls Who Code to Travelers – Meet Kay Edwards
Kay Edwards always knew she wanted to work in a collaborative and evolving field like technology, which led her to the Girls Who Code Hiring Summit last fall, where she connected with members of the Travelers Technology Team. The summit welcomed Girls Who Code alums and other women technologists seeking internships or their first professional role in tech.
“What drew me to technology is the collaboration – it’s a field that’s always changing, and you learn more and understand it better by collaborating with others,” Kay said.
“I became interested in tech careers after participating in bootcamps and training courses to expand my experience in software engineering.”
Armed with courses and coding experience, she was ready to bring her dream of a career in tech to life. “As soon as I connected with the team running the Travelers booth, I wanted to apply right away. I immediately felt that the Technology Leadership Development Program (TLDP) would offer a great learning experience with the opportunity for growth.”
Kay joined the TLDP in January 2023 and entered her first technical role in Personal Insurance Technology Compelling Offerings. “I’ve felt a lot of support through the onboarding process. My learning continues through the technical bootcamp I’m in along with other members of the TLDP. I am thankful to the TLDP for their support and investment in me as an employee.”
Kay is one of five women technologists who attended the Girls Who Code Hiring Summit and identified Travelers as a place they saw themselves starting their careers in tech. The four additional hires are slated to start their Travelers careers in June 2023.
Girls Who Code is an organization with the goal of closing the gender gap in technology. Through immersion programs, leadership development and career exploration, Girls Who Code brings technology education to students and early career professionals.
Travelers has teamed up with Girls Who Code since 2020, each year hosting two-week Summer Immersion Programs for high school-aged, aspiring women technologists students to gain hands-on experience and mentoring.
Travelers will host its next Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program in the summer of 2023. Read more about Travelers Technology and Girls Who Code.
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Travelers Air Force Veteran Shares Her Secrets to Success as a Woman in Tech
Lori Winn, Assistant Vice President in Cybersecurity and Air Force veteran, has a military and technology career spanning over 25 years. Her diverse experience in the military, cybersecurity and as a woman in the technology field helped her gain the valuable expertise that paved the way for her career at Travelers.
In this episode of “15 Minutes with HER,” a podcast hosted by EmpowHER+, Linette Camp, Assistant Vice President, Domestic Operations, Global Operations Solutions & Delivery, sits down with Lori to discuss her transition from the military, technology and cybersecurity today, and what it’s like being a woman in tech, both at Travelers and within the industry.
Before beginning her Travelers career, Lori’s Air Force career provided her with several opportunities for involvement in traditional and non-traditional technology projects.
“I’ve been able to be involved in a lot of exciting things, from traditional IT to missile defense, remotely piloted aircraft – just a variety of different defense-type roles.”
Those roles eventually led her to cybersecurity, and when she was ready to transition her military career into the corporate world, she felt fortunate to find opportunities with ease.
“Cybersecurity is on the top of people’s minds a lot these days,” Lori said. “You see it in the news all the time. The basic element of what we do is to characterize and address any risks that we might be facing.”
Now working at Travelers for over two years, Lori reflected on her transition and current work.
“I’ve got a fantastic team here at Travelers. This made the switch extremely easy. I’m so happy I was able to bring my particular skillset from the Air Force over to Travelers with general ease.”
In addition to providing meaningful career opportunities to military members and veterans, Travelers recognizes diversity and inclusion across all aspects and areas of our business. Lori believes Travelers does an excellent job of providing opportunities to diverse groups but sees the industry overall as less varied.
“The technical side can be intimidating in general, but especially if you’re a woman,” Lori said. “That’s why we focus a lot on upskilling. I think there are more opportunities available to women than they know about. “
Regardless of the team she is on, Lori believes that surrounding herself with the right people for the job and genuinely listening to feedback is the secret to her success.
“I’m not by any stretch the smartest person in the room,” Lori said. “But I know enough to get the right people around me. I try to get their input, which gives people some real vested interest in our success. We put people first; we’ll do amazing things.”
Listen to the full podcast to hear more about Lori’s journey.
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My Travelers Journey – Chi Zhang
This article is part of an ongoing series to highlight our people by showcasing their path to Travelers, as well as their skills, interests and experiences.
Chi Zhang
started his Travelers career as a Senior Software Engineer for Claim Tech in the Technology Value Stream in April 2022 after working for a software company that did business with Travelers.
“I’ve enjoyed how positive the environment is here – I’m always learning and am allowed to try new things – there’s no better way to grow,” Chi said.
His team, called Momentum, recently rolled out an internal product that analyzes the engineering behind applications different teams are working on to test and ensure best practices and standards are applied to enhance the effectiveness of applications that handle customer and internal information.
“With our team being so new, it was great to see how we were able to experiment and learn as we went when developing a finished product that benefits our team and the larger engineering community. And for some of us, we’re using certain types of technology for the first time, which is both challenging and very rewarding.”
Chi credits the focus on learning and collaboration as one of the greatest benefits he enjoys on the team.
“I got my AWS Cloud certification shortly after joining Travelers, and I’m putting what I learned to use every day. We also have dedicated knowledge-sharing time and training sessions where we learn from each other, which is especially helpful for us junior engineers to learn from those with more experience.”
Chi’s team is working on several projects, including an enhancement to the Application Portfolio Management System that will allow for automation and increased accuracy within the tool.
Outside of work, Chi likes to play tennis and basketball. He has also been skiing for the past few years and goes hiking often in the New Hampshire mountains.
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Development and Continuous Learning Through Virtual Networking
More than 250 Technology & Operations and Actuarial & Analytics employees joined a recent speed networking event hosted by Travelers’ internal professional business groups EmpowHER+ and Women in Actuarial & Analytics (WIAA) for employees across the Tech & Analytics organizations.
The virtual event created a networking opportunity between employees and Travelers’ senior leaders to promote collaboration, while enhancing personal and professional growth through upskilling and continuous learning.
“Learning and development are a crucial part of our culture at Travelers,” said Tracey Cournoyer, Vice President, Data Engineering, Enterprise Data & Analytics. “As a leader, it’s important for me to enable and encourage networking opportunities like this for our employees’ career development.”
Participants joined virtual “round robin” rooms with nearly 40 Travelers leaders from all businesses and disciplines and had the opportunity for introductions and question and answer sessions.
“I appreciate the chance to learn from other Travelers employees and the work they and their organizations do,” said Tracy Patterson, Director, Middle Market Field Operations. “An event like this helps me get a broader view of what is happening around the company. Networking is a very important part of career development.”
Networking opportunities like these allow employees with different responsibilities and duties to connect to gain new insights and a better understanding of how to succeed.
“This event provided access to our most senior leaders, along with an opportunity to meet and learn more about peers and partners,” Steve Palasek, Vice President, Engineering Infrastructure & Cloud Services said. “Networking opportunities like this show that senior leadership is invested in us. They are there to guide, but also learn and listen, which is empowering to the broader organization.”
Misty Kuckelman, VP of Business Insurance Middle Market Operations and co-leader of EmpowHER+, said her goal with this event was to go beyond typical networking opportunities and hopefully open the door for employees to connect with leaders and each other further.“We want to go beyond superficial introductions and into conversations that allow for opportunities to share perspectives outside everyone’s typical business area.”
“Chatting with leaders from across the company helped boost my own happiness as an employee,” said Hakema Hussein, Data Engineer, Enterprise Data & Analytics. “It was fun and the experience motivated me to achieve more career goals.”
EmpowHER+ is a Technology & Operations group designed to inspire women to achieve their full career potential and drive business outcomes for Travelers. WIAA is an enterprise-wide professional business group whose mission is to increase the influence of actuarial and analytic women at Travelers by enhancing culture and fostering business development.
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My Travelers Journey – Didier B.
This article is part of an ongoing series to highlight our people by showcasing their path to Travelers, as well as their skills, interests and experiences.
When Didier Bouba Ndengue was an analyst at an electronic commerce company, he did not expect that he’d be looking into multiple leadership opportunities when he landed a new job at Travelers.
He began his Travelers Journey as an Operational Decision Management (ODM) Software Developer in 2016 and transitioned to the Technology Leadership Development Program in Claim Tech in 2018. Didier graduated from the program as a Data Engineer in Personal Insurance in the Fall of 2021, a role he continues today.
“Being young in my career, I was all about the exploration,” says Didier. “And my motivation continues to be learning and growing,” says Didier.
Didier leads the BI Data Modernization team and collaborates with groups within Tech & Ops to transfer application data to cloud services. He also works with colleagues in India to address any issues or make updates to applications. Didier enjoys mentoring interns and employees in his leadership role, helping to cultivate the desire for colleagues to grow their careers at Travelers.
“I tell my colleagues: If you want to develop people skills, become certified in applications, learn new coding languages, there are so many classes and resources for you to advance. And people care about your growth – not just your work.”
Didier also gained valuable experience at the 2021 Innovation Jam when his team’s idea for a new telematics solution for Boat and Yacht, Vesse, was a winner. Currently, Vesse is undergoing a Personal Insurance pilot for Travelers employees. Didier and his team have been conducting marketing research on how customers will engage with the product once available.
“It was very rewarding to be part of the team that created Vesse and to go through a 24-hour hackathon to develop it,” says Didier. “There were many talented and brilliant individuals in the team.”
Outside of work, Didier enjoys playing soccer in his free time. He likes to spend time with his family, listen to Congo and Latin music, and he plays soccer with his two-year-old son.
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Travelers Actuaries attend annual IABA Conference
Travelers is committed to promoting career opportunities to a diverse range of talent in the actuary community. One of the ways where this commitment is apparent is through our partnership with the International Association of Black Actuaries (IABA).
Travelers’ strong presence at the recent IABA annual conference demonstrated the company’s commitment to investing in development opportunities for Black actuaries. One attendee was Whittney LeBruce, who was introduced to Travelers when she attended the conference in 2017.
Whittney participated in a pre-conference bootcamp for aspiring actuaries. The bootcamp included a mock interview with Travelers, where she made a connection. Whittney met with five Travelers attendees that year and become convinced the company would be a great fit.
Fast forward five years: Whittney, who is now a recruiting lead for entry-level talent, joined four other Travelers colleagues to share knowledge and lessons through a “cooking show” for this year’s conference attendees. The “chefs” used cooking analogies to demonstrate how building a predictive model is achieved with each “ingredient.”
“I really value promoting diverse talent into this career,” Whittney said. “Maintaining a connection to IABA has been paramount to me. Through my participation, I can help build a pipeline for Black actuaries, celebrate them and help us learn from each other.”
This year, Travelers sent 15 actuaries to the IABA meeting, triple the number Whittney saw when she attended four years ago.
Loren Danielson, VP of Actuarial and Analytics, attended the conference as well and was honored as IABA Mentor of the Year.
“I got comments from multiple people from other companies on how many people Travelers sent to the conference,” Danielson said. “It was definitely recognized that Travelers is a leader, both in the content they presented and the value Travelers sees in sending people to the conference.”
In addition to being a recruiting opportunity, the conference is also viewed as an opportunity to retain talent who attend and return re-energized about their careers in this field.
“I’m very glad that Travelers continues to invest in me,” Whittney said. “And I’m honored that I can now help invest in others.”
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My Travelers Journey – Allison K.
This article is part of an ongoing series to highlight our people by showcasing their path to Travelers, as well as their skills, interests and experiences.
When a talent recruiter from Travelers contacted Allison K. about a role on the Strategy, Planning & Programs team in Digital Enablement (DE), she was a marketing manager at a financial services company and not quite sure about making the leap.
“Given my background in marketing, I felt like I was a long-shot for this role, but during the interview process it was clear that Travelers values the different skillsets and experience people bring to the table, so I was very intrigued,” Allison said.
Allison accepted the position as a Strategic Initiatives Manager in January 2022, where she leads a variety of strategic initiatives focused on portfolio management, operational excellence and organizational engagement.
“Something’s that really stood out to me is how positive the culture is here and how we’re given flexibility when it comes to different ways of working. I love the hybrid model in that I’m able to interact with colleagues virtually or in person and build strong relationships across the team.”
“I’m making the most of the different learning opportunities afforded to me. I’ve enjoyed contributing to multiple ongoing projects while meeting new people along the way. It’s been an adventure!”
Allison is a great example of how your unique skill set can lead you to a career that’s more than you imagined.
Outside of work, Allison loves to cook, play golf and listen to music with her family. Growing up, one of her passions was diving.
Thanks for sharing your hiring story with us, Allison!
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Patents with a Purpose – Travelers Tech Employees Drive Innovation with New Inventions
At Travelers, innovation is part of our DNA. That’s never truer than during the Travelers Innovation Jam (InJam), an annual hackathon that provides Travelers employees the opportunity to develop new technologies that answer business challenges and aim to improve the experiences of our customers and employees. The inventions that come out of InJam and other working groups embody the spirit of innovation at Travelers, and several have become contenders for U.S. patents.
Travelers has filed 70 employee-driven U.S. patents in the last five years thanks to innovators like Michael Gammon, an Information Systems Engineer. Michael’s team created HomeSafe, an app-based system powered by machine learning which allows consumers to measure water usage more effectively. The team was inspired to create HomeSafe by personal experience. “Our team decided to focus on mitigating water damage after a particularly cold winter in the Northeast,” Michael said.
In creating this technology, they balanced researched-based findings and consumer needs to allow users to better protect their homes from water damage. In the same vein, the patented Wildfire Defender uses artificial intelligence (AI) to assess wildfire risk. “After the world experienced several years of devastating wildfires, we wanted to focus on the potential impact of vegetation when assessing wildfire risk in a proactive way,” said Stefanie Walker, Manager, Information Delivery.
Where HomeSafe shook up the consumer technology space, other Travelers patents focus on innovating in commercial tech. “When cargo is stolen, the first 24 to 48 hours of an investigation are crucial,” says Scott Cornell, National Practice Leader for Inland Marine Transportation. In response to this issue, Scott and his team developed The Cargo Theft App, which uses AI to prevent theft and aid recovery. “This app makes it possible for drivers to photograph their truck, trailer and cargo, and warns them about areas where theft has recently occurred along their planned driving route. If something gets stolen, the app can instantly send pertinent information to Travelers, vastly accelerating the investigation and supporting recovery,” he said.
Scott’s teammate Ernesto Jaramillo, Senior Information Systems Director and Circle Lead, highlights how crucial their interdisciplinary team was to the app’s development. “The keys to our success were our agile mindset and the fact that our team was cross-functional. If I had been at InJam with just engineers, we’d have been coding without a business partner’s expertise. And if our business colleagues had been working on a concept without engineers, it could have remained a mere idea.”
After working on Intelligent Imagery, another patented technology that applies computer vision models to aerial image data to determine a building’s footprint and characteristics, Data Scientist Murat Yasar, Ph.D., also credited the app’s success to a multifaceted team. “We approached the idea for this system with an inclusive, collaborative mindset, which brought out each person’s perspective,” Murat said. “Our team included people from product development, data science and architecture. And from that we could better consider every angle, outlining how our solution would benefit not only Travelers but also our customers, agents and brokers.”
At Travelers, innovation and collaboration go hand in hand—and everybody benefits. Each of these patents, which benefit stakeholders from large companies to the average consumer, is proof of the power of tech and of teamwork.
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Adventures in Architecture at Travelers
Stephen Brand, Senior Director of Architecture on our Enterprise Architecture and Emerging Technology team, has been with us under the umbrella since April of 2021. During his time on our team, he has discovered the company culture we are proud of, opportunities to learn and grow and our commitment to innovation, technology and the growing field of architecture.
He is glad he chose to bring his career to Travelers and wants to share why you might also consider exploring a career on our team.
My Adventures in Architecture at Travelers
By Stephen Brand
Senior Director, Architecture
In the new year, I took some time to reflect on my career journey and how it has led me to my current position. Being in the technology industry, I have made a series of professional decisions that led me to one choice that I’m glad I made – joining the Enterprise Architecture and Emerging Tech team at Travelers.
While thinking about my time at Travelers, thus far, I have come up with three key factors any architecture job seeker should consider when choosing a career path with a new company:
- Company Culture
- Learning & Growth Opportunities
- Commitment to Architecture
Company Culture:
As any good architect or architecture leader will tell you, relationships are the lifeblood of the work we do. Yes, in a technology group, we always have our eye on the technology and the future directions it will undoubtedly take us, but it’s really the people who help drive you.
Joining an organization full-time, remotely, during a pandemic was undoubtedly a risky proposition. That being said, to say that my manager and team embraced me when I joined is an understatement. I have been able to have conversations with colleagues from across the organization – from engineers to chief architects to CIOs and everyone in between.
When you work at Travelers, you will work with talented technologists who are innovating products that are impacting the lives of our customers and employees. What’s even more refreshing about Travelers’ culture is that all ideas are encouraged and welcomed by everyone at all levels. Hackathons, Competitions and Innovation Jams are commonplace and have resulted in incredible patents, product offerings and awards. The tech, collaboration and teamwork I have experienced at Travelers thus far has been exceptional.
Learning & Growth Opportunities:
When choosing a company, learning and development opportunities are paramount, particularly in the technology field that is constantly changing and evolving. It is important to understand how a company supports its employees’ development so everyone can learn and grow.
Not a day goes by where there hasn’t been something new to learn and a team of leaders who support education along the way. When I took this role as a Senior Director of Architecture supporting Bond & Specialty Insurance (B&SI), it was one of the few remaining areas of insurance technology in which I had no prior experience – but I was determined to learn.
Early on, I attended training courses designed to educate employees on the B&SI business. During these sessions, key executives from the unit were on hand to discuss business strategy and what differentiates Travelers in the market. This type of interaction also provided another opportunity to build relationships within the community. The learning tools I acquired during these courses will continue to come in handy as my career journey at Travelers progresses.
From a technology learning perspective, I’ve also seen a huge commitment to modernization efforts and the upskilling needed to get there. Travelers is funding the education and certification for AWS and our leadership is leading by example in this regard.
Commitment to Architecture:
I knew I was walking into something special from my first interview with the architecture teams and leaders at Travelers. I’ve been at big companies most of my career, including several Fortune 100 companies, but I’ve never been at a place that values architecture quite like Travelers does.
Travelers has already started its own agile, digital and cloud transformations. Whether working on the latest cloud technologies, using machine learning to analyze customer correspondence or helping to ensure our systems are modernized and reliable for our customers and employees, I’m proud that my team is at the forefront of these critical initiatives.
As Travelers focuses on performing for today and transforming for the future, it’s not only about our current work. We are focused on what’s next in architecture and technology, and our business is committed to ensuring that we have the talent to succeed by expanding roles and career opportunities for architects across the company. This considerable investment in architecture is really exciting.
I couldn’t be prouder of being here at Travelers and going through this journey with my team. I truly hope some of you will join us on our adventure.
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THE ROAD TO DATA SCIENCE CAREERS AT TRAVELERS
An Interview with Kevin Mahoney, Vice President of Data Science, Travelers
Have you ever considered a data science career within the insurance industry? This may not have crossed your mind before, but you may want to think again.
Kevin Mahoney, Vice President of Data Science at Travelers, understands the data and analytics that drive business decisions within the insurance industry and appreciates the innovative technologies used by our teams at Travelers that help provide the right solutions for the lives and businesses of the customers we’re privileged to serve.
Kevin appeared on an episode of The Data Standard Audio Experience podcast to answer the question: “What is data science like in the insurance space?” He described how the law of large numbers and predictive modeling connect to the world of insurance.
“I don’t have to predict exactly what will happen to any one customer, but I really have to be able to accurately predict what will happen in aggregate to millions of customers so I can adequately price insurance policies,” Kevin said during the interview.
He also shared his unique career path from serving in the U.S. Coast Guard to working as a math instructor at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and then onto his 15-year career in data science at Travelers.
“I remember having a conversation with a recruiter at Travelers and he asked me what I wanted to do, and I said I want to do something with statistics,” Kevin recalled.
He went on to say he wasn’t initially sure how statistics fit into insurance but has since learned that data and analytics are central to the industry and having the ability to apply his skills to practical applications has provided a rewarding career path at Travelers.
“You know when it all comes together: the math, the theory, the programming skills, the business challenge, that can be very gratifying to bring all those together and apply your skills to real-world problems.”
Are you a data scientist or a future data scientist considering an insurance career? Listen to the full podcast to learn more about the intersection between data science and insurance at Travelers.
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