Editors’ Note

Jane Possell is Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer for CNA, responsible for all aspects of the company’s technology portfolio, as well as Analytics, Operations, and Global Enterprise Security. Possell joined CNA in 2019 from Liberty Mutual where she served in a variety of roles, both in business and technology. Prior to that, she spent more than 20 years at Accenture working with 20 of the top 25 U.S. property and casualty insurers. Possell has extensive experience leading global teams and building and executing diversity, equity and inclusion strategies. She holds dual degrees in finance and communications from University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She is also a graduate of the Leadership Development Program from the IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Company Brief

CNA (cna.com) is one of the largest U.S. commercial property and casualty insurance companies. Backed by more than 125 years of experience, CNA provides a broad range of standard and specialized insurance products and services for businesses and professionals in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.

Will you provide an overview of your role and areas of focus?

I have been in the insurance industry for nearly 30 years in various roles focused on both technology and business leadership. I am passionate about developing leaders and teams that co-create high-quality organizational cultures and use the power of diversity to drive business results. In 2019, I joined CNA and currently serve as the EVP, CIO, Analytics and Operations. In this role, I focus on bringing technology and analytics to help drive our business strategy, supporting U.S. underwriting and billing operations, and ensuring that our teams are using innovative approaches to solve our clients’ challenges.

How do you define CNA’s mission?

CNA is backed by more than 125 years of experience and today is one of the largest U.S. commercial property and casualty insurance companies. We provide a broad range of standard and specialized insurance products and services for businesses and professionals in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Our mission is to focus on what we do best – providing insurance solutions that allow our customers to better manage their risks and grow profitably.

What have been the keys to CNA’s industry leadership and how do you describe the CNA difference?

CNA’s differentiation has three dimensions: coverage, business size, and industry specialization. We have solutions for every size business – small businesses, middle-market and large-sized businesses. We heavily rely on technology, data analytics, and innovative approaches to find the best possible solution for our clients across a wide array of industries. At the same time, CNA has a long-standing commitment to the diverse communities where we live and work. Through partnerships, sustainability initiatives, volunteer efforts and more, we make it our responsibility to address societal challenges and make a positive impact. Together, CNA continues to thrive and support clients through an evolving risk landscape.

How is technology impacting CNA’s business and the insurance industry more broadly?

The reality of insurance is that everything the industry does revolves around data. With data comes opportunity and sparks of innovation. At CNA, we use an investment mindset to assess each part of our business and take advantage of cutting-edge analytics and technologies that ensure we are always working smarter and faster for our clients. For example, we are leveraging AI to optimize our Operations processes, changing the way we communicate with brokers to enable faster turnaround times. With over 90 percent of our data in the cloud, we are experimenting with generative AI which will have a significant impact on every corner of the insurance business. It is already opening doors to new levels of innovation and ways to service our clients even more effectively, providing a different way to leverage the 100+ years of data that both CNA and much of the industry has. Clearly technology, analytics and information are at the heart of the insurance industry, and they certainly are at the center of CNA.

The insurance industry is not often recognized for being at the forefront of innovation. How critical is innovation as part of CNA’s culture?

Innovation is very important to us – our clients and partners count on us to innovate and to bring them forward-thinking solutions that help drive their business success. Embracing diversity helps us accelerate that. We know that we get better answers and solutions by leaning into diversity. A team of people with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives nearly always outperforms a more homogenous team when it comes to problem-solving, creative thinking, idea generation, and performance.

Will you elaborate on CNA’s efforts to build a diverse and inclusive workforce?

A diverse and inclusive workforce is not just important, it is critical. In fact, it sits as a central part of CNA’s overall strategy and is an important thread in everything that we do across our teams and with the organizations that we work with. DEI is an ongoing journey – one that evolves over time and that requires us to evolve over time. CNA continues to move forward on this journey with a level of priority and commitment that sets us apart. We have a clear vision and strategy as a company of allies, grounded in equity, and together we are driving lasting change – now and for the future.

As a leader in technology, I am particularly invested in DEI. It helps bring my team together as we examine the important issues that not only drive success, but also further institutionalize allyship across the enterprise and in the communities that we serve. It’s partnerships with Girls Who Code, the Black Insurance Industry Collective, and Thurgood Marshall College Fund, along with our employee resource groups, that support our DEI efforts. Through these sustainability initiatives and volunteer efforts, we act strategically to address societal challenges and make a positive impact. I am proud of the work that we’ve done and the progress that CNA colleagues around the world have made already. There continues to be so much more to accomplish on this DEI journey, and we are committed to it.

What has made the insurance industry so special for you?

Two things. First, while the insurance industry is one of the biggest, it feels small and connected. At its core, our business is all about relationship building. We have an inspiring network to draw upon for business opportunities, solutions to an industry problem, or simply ongoing relationships for support and friendship. And second, I’ve had the opportunity to work in impactful business roles, technology roles, and roles that sit at the nexus of both. That is possible in the insurance industry because our business is codified in our systems and our data – having a working understanding of both is important.

What do you tell young people about the type of career the insurance industry offers?

Insurance as a product is a necessity. It is relied upon when a natural disaster happens or an extreme weather event hits. It is needed when an organization is embarking on a merger and acquisition. Insurance is a common thread, weaved through the fabric of our economy. And because of this, the insurance industry offers a variety of opportunities to grow a career in many different directions.

CNA is dedicated to building young talent, helping shape the future workforce in the insurance industry. We’ve engaged with many outside organizations to expose students to the possibilities of a career in our industry. For example, we’ve worked with Genesys Works since 2020, an organization that provides pathways to career success for high school students in underserved communities through skills training, meaningful work experiences, and impactful relationships. Of the 2022-23 class, 87 percent of these high school students are enrolling in a four-year undergraduate program, 9 percent are starting a two-year degree program, and 4 percent are enlisting in the military or moving directly into the workforce. Through our robust internship program, we are helping to grow these young professionals. This is the type of impact we are proud of at CNA.