From: Captive International
What does it take for a mission to become a movement? When the Captive Insurance Companies Association (CICA) launched Amplify Women in 2020, it started with a simple but powerful mission: to connect women in captive insurance with opportunities for education, networking and influence.
Five years later, that mission has become a veritable movement—one that’s shaped careers, broadened the industry’s horizons and is helping define the future of captive leadership.
“I’ve seen so many CICA Amplify Women members excelling in their careers and being recognised by peers in the industry, and I don’t believe that’s a coincidence,” said Cheryl Baker, current chair of Amplify Women and the former head of insurance at Stellantis. “Statistics show that diversity in the workplace leads to a stronger bottom line, so increasing opportunities for women to develop their careers, network, learn and grow is a win-win for women and the captive industry as a whole.”
The results speak volumes. Since its founding, Amplify Women, together with another CICA initiative aimed at young professionals called NEXTGen, has facilitated over 40 educational events—both in-person and online—hosted 25 networking events, and helped boost the share of female speakers at the CICA conference to nearly 50% in 2024 and 2025.
That’s well above the industry average of around 30%, and a tangible sign that momentum is building.
But at its core, Amplify Women is about more than metrics—it’s about empowerment. “I have personally experienced the empowerment CICA Amplify Women has given to professionals who are entering or are new to speaking roles, leadership positions and service opportunities,” said CICA chair Heather McClure, CEO of Helio Risk & Insurance. “Seeing women pivot between engaging as a learner to becoming a teacher, for example, has been one of the most rewarding highlights of my career in captives.”
That transformation is happening across all levels and roles. Committee member Courtney Claflin, a veteran of the captive industry, highlighted the structural change the initiative has been addressing: “I’ve witnessed over 40 years of my career how underrepresented women are in leadership positions and how they can have limited opportunities. Amplify Women has the resources to help women get to where they want to be, and I’m extremely pleased with the results we have seen and the lives we have changed with our efforts.”
