Voice of Experience: Dawn Trautman, Senior Vice President, Life Insurance Division, Pacific Life

If Dawn Trautman could advise women who wish to work in the insurance industry, she would encourage them to be willing to inspire change and to seek out varied experiences throughout their careers. While the industry has been slow to change in the past, new developments in technology, changing demographics, and economic conditions make it poised for transformation. In fact, this philosophy of embracing change and being open to different opportunities has led Trautman to her current position as a Senior Vice President in the Life Insurance Division at Pacific Life.

Trautman began her career in technology at Prudential over 25 years ago. There she was fortunate to be in a program in which she rotated through various roles in the IT department early in her career. This opportunity enabled her “to learn many aspects of the business and see the business from different perspectives.” She added, “Rotating through different jobs early on taught me to ask questions, to learn critical aspects of new areas quickly, and the importance of being able to see a situation from another person’s perspective.”

After a few years, Trautman joined Accenture, leading various system implementation and strategy development projects for other insurance companies. After that, she transitioned into business roles at Pacific Life, working in various areas including technology, sales and marketing, new business operations, and underwriting.

Career Advice for Women
“Innovation happens at the intersections of different disciplines. Having an appreciation for multiple disciplines, as well as having professional contacts in different areas, expands your thinking and opens many opportunities,” said Trautman. She recommends that women be open to opportunities to “get broad experience in different aspects of business and across industries wherever possible.”

Trautman also notes that helping others develop their careers is important. “As you look back over your career, you see many places where others helped you, and it is important to pass that on by helping others get a good start and progress in their career,” Trautman added.

It is not surprising that, when asked about what she would have liked to have known at the very beginning of her career, she mentioned “how important networking and mentoring is to developing your career.”

Women in Pacific Life
With regard to the advancement of women at Pacific Life, Trautman explained that the culture at the company is equally supportive in developing and advancing women and men. Key development programs include leadership development as well as technical skill development programs, such as an actuarial rotation program.

Because of the value she found in her early career experience in job rotation, Trautman is working with the company’s HR department “to develop an IT internship program that is focused on providing meaningful real-world technology experiences for college students, both men and women.” She believes that an internship can be a foot in the door for opportunities and growth. “This program will help interns gain experience and add more talent to Pacific Life. Someday, it may grow into an IT rotation program, modeled after the actuarial program we have today,” Trautman explained.

Working as a Senior Vice President
Trautman enjoys complex projects that encompass all aspects of the business. As Senior Vice President in the Life Insurance Division of Pacific Life, she is currently working on “how we take advantage of and use rapidly changing technology capabilities to improve the industry.” She is also “focused on the large percentage of people in the U.S. who are underinsured from a life insurance perspective.”

She added “Many of these individuals are Gen Y, and we are interested in figuring out how to reach them, and the financial advisors they work with, in ways that are meaningful with products they need.”

According to Trautman, she feels proud about leading “the initiative to develop and implement a strategy for transforming the way life insurance is sold, serviced, and managed. This is a multi-year journey that Pacific Life has just begun. This initiative involved developing a strategy and designing the products, technology, processes, distribution system, marketing, and back office organizations required to realize the goals of the strategy. It now requires monitoring and adjusting to hone what we have developed.”

Other Passions
Trautman is enthusiastic about her role at Pacific Life because of the challenges it offers, and the opportunities to have an impact on the business and industry.

She also enjoys other activities outside of the office. “I work with several nonprofit and educational organizations and serve on the board of the Pacific Life Foundation,” said Trautman.

“I am particularly passionate about the importance of education and reinforcing with girls the value of technology education. I serve on the board of Advancing Women in Technology, which provides scholarships to women pursuing technology careers, and I am a board member of Schreyer Honors College at Penn State.” She also enjoys sailing and traveling.

By Irene Solaz