The Ontario Broker - Volume 22, Issue 2 - 45

E
thics, constant learning and a positive
attitude have been the key pillars of
Brenda Koeslag's successful insurance
career. Brenda celebrated her 50th
year anniversary in the insurance
industry in May. She shared the story
of her career, her advice for those who are new to
insurance and what continues to get her jazzed about
insurance.
How did your career path begin and what
advice has helped you along the way?
May 19, 1972 was my first day in insurance. I had
been selected from a high school job fair to work at
a local brokerage and it was there that I met my first
career mentor, W. Roy Carscadden. I loved working with
him and it became very clear early on that our values
aligned-ethics and knowledge were at the forefront
of everything Cardscadden did. I eventually followed
him as he opened a brokerage of his own and it was
there that he really encouraged me to take a leadership
role, get my agent and life license and do more. He was
such a huge supporter of mine and being a woman in
the office really did not matter in his eyes, it was more
about who was best for the job.
Fast forward to today that same way of thinking has
been mirrored in my current role. Wolf and Derrick
Leue have been such great mentors for me at Prolink
and that has played a big role in my job satisfaction.
What are three pieces of advice you
would give to women in the workplace?
Be your own advocate. Make sure you're open and
honest with your communication. Always strive to like
what you're doing and if you're not - speak up! If you
like the employer you're working for, make it known to
them what you like to do and what you do not. There's
so much time spent in the workplace that you need to
make sure you truly enjoy it. That's something that's
made a huge difference in my career. Early on in my
career I saw the difference this made. Carscadden really
embraced this way of thinking and was very open about
altering my role to make it something that I love.
Learn as much as you can. Your job and your role is
going to be constantly evolving so you need to as well.
Learn to love lifelong learning and you'll be just fine.
The sky is the limit! Go for the role that you want.
Women have made such incredible progress in getting
executive and senior level roles within the insurance
industry and there is more work to be done.
Looking back, what has been the most
rewarding part of your career?
Client service and working with people. I get the
most job satisfaction from this element of the role. I
love helping people, it's very rewarding. The insurance
industry really allows you to have a role in the front lines
to help people prepare for what could potentially be
some of the most stressful times in their lives.
What keeps you excited about going to
work every day?
I love what I do, and I love who I do it with. From W.
Roy Carscadden to Prolink, I have been very fortunate to
have values that align with my company and colleagues.
Our job is to protect the public and I am very passionate
about doing just that-and doing the right thing while
I'm at it.
Like what you do, learn a lot and try to make a
difference.
" Be your own advocate. Make sure
you're open and honest with your
communication. Always strive
to like what you're doing and if
you're not - speak up! "
VOLUME 22 | ISSUE 2
45
The Ontario Broker - Volume 22, Issue 2

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