AIG Canada focuses on supporting working families

After graduating with an honours degree in economics from York University in 2017, Ahmad El Mogharbel was interested in joining a company with a global brand and strong corporate values. AIG Insurance Company of Canada (AIG Canada) proved an ideal fit.

Since joining AIG as a risk analyst, El Mogharbel has worked his way up to become distribution leader for Central Canada. AIG colleagues and managers supported him every step of the way.

“I feel like AIG is my second family,” says El Mogharbel. “This is a workplace built on mutual loyalty. We learn from and support each other. And the more you invest in the company, the more the company invests in you.”

From the outset, El Mogharbel participated in the AIG Early Career Analyst Program, a structured, two-year learning and development program for recent graduates who are new to the insurance industry. As part of that, he travelled to AIG’s corporate headquarters in New York City where he received technical, professional and leadership training, and worked with colleagues on strategic projects.

The company continued to support El Mogharbel as he acquired his professional designation in Canadian risk management as well as a sales mastery certificate.

In addition to professional development, El Mogharbel benefited in 2021 from a new AIG Canada program that provides fathers with paid parental leave.

“I had just become a first-time father and I received three weeks paid parental leave in addition to my usual time off,” says El Mogharbel. “That allowed me to be with my wife and help take care of our newborn baby.”

Supporting working families is a key priority for AIG Canada. For example, the company’s maternity leave program was recently re-designed to be more integrated and holistic.

“We found if someone is off on an 18-month maternity leave, they could become very disconnected with their work colleagues,” says Lynn Oldfield, president and CEO of AIG Canada. “So we now give them the option of connecting with colleagues during their leave. Only if they elect to, these touch points serve to keep our colleagues informed about larger organizational initiatives.

“We’ve also created a peer parent network so that, when you come back, you will be paired with another employee who is also a new or recent parent.”

AIG Canada also recently launched a new all-volunteer employee resource group on working families, which is organizing conferences and other events focused on family life.

AIG Canada further supports work-life balance with a generous paid time off policy that provides even new graduates with 26 annual paid days off which they can use for vacation, illness or personal matters.

“Ensuring a healthy balance between work and life results in more productive and committed employees,” says Oldfield.

AIG Canada also believes strongly in giving back to the community. Key focus areas include communities faced with natural or man-made disasters and helping individuals and families seeking better health and self-sufficiency.

“Our purpose as an organization is to put people’s lives back after a loss,” says Oldfield. “So it’s in our DNA to support communities where we live and work.”

Diversity and inclusion is another key priority, whether it’s advancing gender equality, providing conscious inclusion training or actively recruiting and supporting candidates from diverse under-represented communities.

“Diversity and inclusion absolutely makes us a better employer and a more successful company,” says Oldfield. “When you are putting the customer first, then your employee base should reflect the clients and communities you serve.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Greater Toronto’s Top Employers winners, published December 9, 2022 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.

AIG Canada gives young people purpose and support

From the moment she began as an underwriting assistant with Toronto-based AIG Insurance Company of Canada (AIG Canada) in 2017, Morgan Gilbert felt welcomed and supported by the company’s managers and senior leaders.

“I’ve found everyone to be very approachable and invested in my success,” says Gilbert, currently a senior underwriter, cyber and professional liability, her fourth role with the company in just over five years. “I’ve felt free to express myself and my interest in taking on different assignments has always been celebrated and supported.”

Gilbert is currently part of AIG Canada’s underwriting excellence program, which includes master classes with the leadership team that broaden her understanding of how the entire organization operates.

Mentorship is another key element. Gilbert is matched with a senior leader, with whom she meets monthly and has access to throughout the year. She is herself now starting to mentor new recruits to the company.

“I’m learning what it means to be a leader and, at the same time, I’m getting the chance to practise some of those leadership skills,” she says.

Gilbert also appreciates the opportunity to get involved in a wide range of employee resource groups, including ones dedicated to young professionals, LGBTQ+ employees, women and allies, and multiculturalism.

“There’s this element of advocacy and support for an inclusive work environment,” she notes. “As a young person coming into a new workplace, that’s made me feel really safe and happy.”

Working in the cutting-edge area of cyber insurance is both challenging and rewarding, she says.

“I like being part of a high-energy team. It keeps me on my toes, but I really enjoy the pace.”

At the same time, Gilbert appreciates being part of a company that encourages a healthy balance between work and life.

Even new recruits start with 26 paid days off, which they can use for vacation, illness or personal matters. They receive an additional three paid days a year to volunteer in the community.

“Having that balance is really important to a lot of young people, myself included,” says Gilbert. “I don’t want to look back on my life and have regrets about all the things I could have done outside my work.”

CEO Lynn Oldfield says that “the number one thing I hear from young professionals is that they want their work to have purpose and want to be part of an organization that does good.”

AIG Canada, she adds, is a natural fit.

“As a property casualty insurer, our fundamental role is to put people and businesses back together after a loss. It’s a wonderful purpose and one that has great appeal for young professionals.”

Oldfield says younger employees are also keen to build different skill sets and grow their careers. AIG Canada works in a deliberate fashion to help them do just that.

It begins with a highly successful co-op and summer intern program, which sees many students enter their fourth year of university with a full-time offer of employment at AIG Canada already in hand.

It continues with AIG Academy, a two-year learning and development program for recent graduates and young employees who are new to the insurance industry. The program typically includes training at the company’s corporate headquarters in New York City.

As a 32-year veteran of AIG Canada, Oldfield is perennially impressed with the energy, enthusiasm and technological savvy young people bring to the organization.

“They bring a new perspective and new ways of doing things,” she says. “They help keep the entire culture fresh and innovative.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada's Top Employers for Young People winners, published January 24, 2023 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.