I admit it: I'm a fairweather soccer fan. I generally only really pay attention during the World Cup; though some friends have bugged me to pick an English Premier League team and run with it, the closest I get to following the sport regularly is checking in with my hometown team, the Rochester Rhinos (currently in first place!)
This year, I and many other U.S. fairweather soccer fans (and many serious fans of the sport and national team) were glued to our devices of choice as the U.S. women's team made its way through the tournament to eventually claim victory in somewhat shockingly lopsided fashion over Japan.
The U.S. women's team last won the world cup in 1999, and that victory is a key part of our collective consciousness. As USA Today writes, "There’s a certain reverence when names like Mia Hamm, Michelle Akers, and Brandi Chastain are uttered. Those players launched a generation of soccer players in the U.S. and sparked a revolution for the women’s game globally." This week's victory and its key stars -- Abby Wambach and Carli Lloyd, for example, are set to join that pantheon of players who inspire other women and girls to success in athletics.
But great female leaders who revolutionize sectors don't just live on the soccer field. INN's Women in Insurance Leadership awards and the corresponding Forum highlight remarkable women in the insurance industry who are changing the game. In addition to professional accomplishments, these leaders inspire young women to take leadership positions in the insurance industry as it enters a period of disruption.
Today, not far from the INN offices, the U.S. Women's National Team will be celebrated with a tickertape parade in the Canyon of Heroes. In October, we'll honor the WIL honorees at our Women in Insurance Leadership forum. There won't be any tickertape, but I know that all the carriers on our mailing list have someone eligible for this award -- reach out to us and tell her story.
