MassMutual Conference for Female Agents Focuses on Success Strategies, Reinforces Reputation as Company-of-Choice for Women

(San Antonio, TX) - Building on its reputation as a great place for women professionals, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) held its fourth annual conference to help its female agents grow their careers and practices last week.

Agents from across the country gathered to learn from top MassMutual agents and each other about how to enhance their practices and serve new clients, particularly women who often are underinsured and underserved by the financial services industry, and as a result, under-prepared in terms of planning.

“A lot of independent observers, such as Working Mother magazine, regard MassMutual’s corporate office as a great place for women to work, and one of the reasons is that we give them the professional and personal support they need to succeed,” said Beth Wood, assistant vice president, United States Insurance Group, MassMutual.

“That same supportive environment permeates to our field sales force,” Wood continued, “which may mean everything from starting the staff meeting later in the morning to accommodate school drop-off schedules to matching a new recruit with a mentor to provide instruction on how to run a successful practice.”

Agents at the two-day conference learned about the latest in retirement income planning strategies, and received advice on how to meet the needs of female consumers, business owners, and families with members with special needs, among other groups. In most cases, the advice was doled out by veteran female agents and financial services professionals who have built successful careers at MassMutual.

Among the guest speakers were MassMutual Chief Operating Officer Roger Crandall, Executive Vice President Elaine Sarsynski (who is also chairman and CEO of MassMutual International LLC), business expert Andrea Nierenberg, and actress Geena Davis, founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. Attendees also heard from Heidi Floyd, ambassador of the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer Research, which MassMutual is supporting through an innovative program that will raise money for research.

“Of all the networking and industry conferences I attend each year, this one is special because we learn from women who are successes in this industry and who are now giving back by sharing their knowledge,” said Tracy Timmerman, a financial services professional with Levin Financial Group, a MassMutual general agency in Tampa, Fla. “It’s a great way to pass along valuable institutional knowledge and priceless insights.”

The conference is one of the many ways in which MassMutual works to support women agents in the field and women clients in the community, including key sponsorships of organizations such as Women in Insurance and Financial Services (WIFS), American Woman’s Society of CPAs (AWSCPA), the Center for Women’s Business Research, Women on Course and New York Women in Film and Television, organizations that provide women with opportunities for networking, development and community building while also promoting gender awareness and education.

In addition, MassMutual provides all eligible agents and employees with a host of services and opportunities intended to enable them to strike a healthy and productive work-life balance.

MassMutual has long been recognized as a leader in educating and serving female consumers. For many years, it has promoted greater awareness of financial decision-making through its Pearls of Wisdom® financial education workshops and other educational resources specifically designed for women. It also sponsors a variety of research and educational events focused on greater understanding of women’s health, wellness and financial well-being. Annually, MassMutual and its agents raise substantial amounts of money for national and local cancer organizations as part of its Breast Cancer Awareness Month initiatives.