In a male-dominated industry, the elevation of Camille Sinanan to the position of branch manager at Sagicor TT is noteworthy. At 45, she is the first woman appointed to this position – a promotion that has come after years of sacrifice.
Sinanan told WMN it has been 17 years of trial and error which emerged into "a patchwork of joy, testing, sharing, learning, teaching, losses and wins," which have all come together beautifully to bring her into this moment of celebration.
Over her career she has been attached to three major companies, and said she is satisfied with her present employer. Sinanan is the boss at the Sinanan Branch, working out of the company's Port of Spain head office.
Sinanan said her entry into the insurance industry was deliberate. In the years leading up to her decision to gamble on a career that went contrary to her introverted personality, she had worked in the accounting stream, comfortably existing outside the limelight, safely in the shadows of a travel agency.
[caption id="attachment_1036841" align="alignnone" width="462"] - Photos courtesy Camille Sinanan[/caption]
Her decision to step outside her comfort zone came when her children were still very young – three and four. Then a recent divorcee, she determined to position herself in a career that would give her the means to provide them with all the best opportunities and the flexibility to be available to them at any time, one in which she would never have to choose between her charges and her job. Selling insurance seemed the way to go.
As expected, she struggled initially, not being able to do the right amount of "hunting-for-clients" hours, because it had to be balanced with parenting.
"There were some tough times," she recounted, with one of her lowest points being the day she had to explain to her young children why it was hot, dark and uncomfortable in their apartment – because the electricity had been cut.
But she has never been one to stay down.
“I get up, dust myself off, and move forward.”
At that landmark moment, she said, "I quietly committed to do all I could never to have my family in such a position again."
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From the onset Sinanan understood hard work and determination would be required to succeed in her new field. She buckled down and concentrated on learning as much as she could, challenging herself to evolve into the person who would comfortably approach and engage strangers.
"My family, career and future depended on it."
Sinanan said as she worked hard to find her footing in still-unfamiliar territory, she found that her managers were recognising her efforts and taking note of how significantly she had been progressing. These efforts earned her promotions, and as she worked on developing her brand, she focused on personalising the insurance packages she was offering.
"I never viewed myself as merely offering products, but as a financial adviser, who, like a tailor, finesses and personalises what I offer to meet an
