Meet Taslima Lazarus, Assistant Vice President, Multinational Client Executive
Please tell us about your career journey and your path to Sompo.
My career path is quite different from others. Fresh out of university, I joined the United Nations as an International Civil Servant in 1990. For twenty years, I worked and lived in Asia, Africa, and Europe. I moved to the United States in 2010. As a Bangladeshi-American immigrant and former expat, I brought my experiences to the insurance industry – my first taste of working in Corporate America. I joined Sompo in 2013, starting with the claims department, then joined the large property underwriting unit in the same year. Fast forward, in 2018, I joined the Multinational Business Unit and since have been a part of the team. Multinational insurance well-matched my previous professional life. My interest to learn and work with foreign countries makes it fun and keeps me interested.
What advice do you have for prospective Sompo candidates?
Be passionate and forward about your professional interests! For my team, the Multinational Business Unit, for example, I look for candidates who have a passion for learning and experiencing different cultures and people and who are willing to work hard in our field. If you’re open to learning a completely different side of the insurance industry, dealing with foreign regulations and market practice, this is the right career for you.
Tell us about an initiative at SI that you are most excited for in 2023.
Sompo has currently launched a few initiatives. I am very excited about Sompo initiatives related to Diversity and Inclusion! Although Sompo is a multinational company, this is the first time we have perceived company-wide commitment to D&I. I am thrilled that D&I events are being offered to our employees. I am also excited that my particular team is very forward in terms of D&I conversations related to hiring and training, due to the nature of our work with international teams and clients. I am also very pleased to see the ‘green initiative’ through which Sompo is supporting ways of minimizing our carbon footprint.
What is your idea of a perfect day outside of the office?
Exploring the Carolina Mountains and State Parks, playing pickleball, hitting golf balls at my country club, or lying on the hammock with a good book are my favorite me-time. I love traveling, exploring new places, food, and culture. My plan is to save enough to travel the world’s unusual places.