Barbara Schonhofer & Carmen Powell: Empowerment, Leadership, Inclusion & Future Growth

On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Barbara Schonhofer and Carmen Powell, two influential voices who have navigated and thrived in the ever-evolving insurance industry.

In today’s conversation, we explore the sector’s evolution, the future of work, and best practices for continuous networking and development.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

When I started my career in 1972, men didn’t know how to behave as women came into their own in business and took frontline roles. It wasn’t so much misogyny that I faced; it was more like old geezers having a laugh; they didn’t know how to welcome women into their workplace because it was less usual. I found my way by being more humorous and smarter in my responses, so I sidestepped a lot of the banter in my early career. There were only a few predatory men; most just didn’t know how to behave in front of women.

I have always celebrated being different. Anything that was an idiosyncrasy was put down to the fact that I was Spanish, and that suited me fine! That served me well because I didn’t have to follow the norms. However, when I interviewed for a very large organisation in the UK, the HR director asked me how I would cope with men making a pass at me. I said that I was coming here to work and that if anybody crossed the line, I knew how to deal with that.

BEST MOMENTS

‘The men that were kindest to me didn’t help me, and the ones that gave me a tough time did business with me. I learned to keep my friends close and my enemies closer.’

‘The most wonderful boss I had was a woman, the rest have been men, but, like Barbara, they gave me a hard time and pushed my boundaries enough, so I knew I was resilient enough.’

‘With everything, you take two steps forward and one step back.’

ABOUT THE GUESTS

Barbara Schonhofer’s career in financial services covers four decades, operating as a business leader and later as an executive search consultant to the insurance markets. When she began her career, she set out to better understand the complexities of much-needed culture change in insurance. During her years in financial services as an executive search consultant, Barbara challenged conventional practices and identified the need to bring together women leaders in the London Market to network.

Alongside ISC-Group, Barbara co-founded and co-Chaired GAIN, a non-profit membership organisation that encourages a better understanding and inclusion of neurodiverse individuals in the insurance industry. She is a Freeman of the City of London and a member of the Worshipful Company of Insurers, where she co-founded its female network, iWIN. LinkedIn

Carmen Powell is an experienced international marketing and business development professional whose strategic expertise is underpinned by a practical, positive approach to achieving challenging goals, including establishing new markets and reversing declining revenues whilst successfully navigating large, complex organisational matrices.

Carmen has a passion for building societal prosperity and strengthening the ethical behaviour of organisations through making a difference to their bottom line. Ethics matter. Carmen constantly strives to deliver value in ever-changing corporate environments while also making a positive difference in our world. LinkedIn

ABOUT THE HOST

Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decodes how real growth happens—where capital, collaboration, and courage meet.

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And if you’re interested in sponsoring the podcast, reach out to the team at hello@alchemycrew.ventures