Michelle Laidlaw | Co-operators

Michelle Laidlaw, assistant vice president, home portfolio, Co-operators

Michelle Laidlaw knows close to a 50-50 split of women and men at an executive leadership table may not be the current industry standard, but at Co-operators, where Laidlaw is associate vice president of the insurer’s home portfolio, it is most certainly a fact.

“Typically, at an industry event, I feel like I’m more often in the minority than in equal balance,” she says. “But here at Co-operators, we have a very strong representation of women.”

Laidlaw started her career in sales with Co-operators while still in university. She graduated with a degree in Biomedical Science, tried a few different things afterwards, but ultimately returned to Co-operators where she has been working in corporate for the past 17 years, 10 of them in leadership roles across different lines of business.

“The culture embodied who I was as a person,” she explains. “We are a purpose-driven organization, and we have seen a significant improvement here in how we encourage women to lead and grow in their careers.”

A decade ago, for women who wanted to move up the corporate ladder, Laidlaw says that only some leaders would offer encouragement. This caused some women to question whether they could achieve work-life balance and whether they could actually do the work. Now, at least at Co-operators, Laidlaw is seeing a shift.

“If I look at how I experience leadership today, there is a significant improvement at Co-operators in how we encourage women to lead and how we encourage women to have ambition and to grow their careers,” she explains. “There are obstacles for anyone in leadership. What I see more often now is a focus on how to overcome those challenges and barriers rather than simply pointing out that they exist.”

That shift, however, has not resulted in a complete removal of internal barriers. For some women, imposter syndrome persists, so lingering thoughts that they cannot achieve balance or may not be the right candidate for a role they want to apply for may still be keeping them from the leadership table.

“I think we stand in our own way a little bit,” admits Laidlaw, who believes these challenges are also possible to overcome. “Aspiring women leaders need to connect with other leaders who have succeeded, and they need to challenge themselves to apply for roles they want even if they may not fully meet all the qualifications.”

Facilitating access to really strong female mentors can help other women feel more inspired to challenge themselves, and to help advance their careers, says Laidlaw. So can creating the right mechanisms for women to succeed, so they have visibility, their voices are heard, and they have access to opportunities.

“Strong, foundational, purpose-driven diversity and inclusion strategies can really promote very positive growth for women as well as inclusivity in the workplace and psychologically safe spaces,” says Laidlaw. “And if people are feeling genuine, authentic, and like they can be themselves, they will do their absolute best, drive the most amazing results, and ensure your table is as diverse and effective as it can be.”