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Marwa Emmam

Chief Executive Officer | Egypt

14/03/2023

  • Education: BBA in Accounting, Business & Economics- Ain Shams University , Faculty of Commerce (English Section) , 1999
  • industry experience: 25 years industry experience, almost 6 years with Marsh

Meet Marwa

Prior to joining Marsh, Marwa was with AIG Egypt as an underwriter for 18 years , she was VP in charge of Property, Energy and Construction. She Joined Marsh Egypt since February 2017 as  the RMP Leader of Marsh’s operations for handling both the corporate and RM client practice which relates to servicing the local clients directly including but not limited to; Presentations, local tendering, Claims handling,  comparisons, recommendations as well as designing & placing local covers for clients matching their scope of work and specialty practice which relates to (Energy, Construction, Property, Marine and Financial Lines) for Large and Mid-sized organisations .She manages both Direct Placement into the Local market  ,the CCP and Specialty practices., she is having 25 years of experience in insurance industry.

How has your education or previous work experience translated to working at Marsh?

I graduated with a Bachelors degree in Business, Accounting and Marketing as one of the top 5 honor students.  My interest in Insurance coincidently came along when I was studying for the CPA as I had the intention of becoming an accountant; however during that time I was also employed by AIG and this is where Insurance became of interest.

My career at AIG took off from there, specifically in the Energy, Construction and Property department. At AIG, I started my career pathat the bottom as a junior underwriter until I become the Department Leader /VP. My Journey at AIG was at times challenging - as I was the first woman to be in charge of a technical department., and thus the first woman in charge of a significant amount of the company’s premium. Simultaneously, I was elected as one of the Leaders to represent the market in the Egyptian federation committee.

Then I was nominated by my colleagues, mentors and partners in the insurance industry to be one of the top 10 women pioneers in the Egyptian insurance market. All of this whilst also raising two very mischievous boys, Omar aged now aged 11 and Mohamed aged 20. Finding that work/life balance was a challenge. My husband is very helpful to me and appreciate my success.

During my time in AIG, I worked with Omar Gemei, my predecessor, at Marsh, and dear friend, on several mega construction and energy projects. After spending 18 years in AIG, I felt like I had reached a plateau and desired a change in role – this is when I decided to make the bold change from my role as an underwriter to a broker - the flip side of the table. Funnily enough Omar’s involvement in my life aided my move. Approximately 7 years ago I moved to Marsh whereby I was responsible for the Risk Management Practice. I owe it to Omar, although he’s younger than me, he is a great mentor and truly believed in me.

Tell us something important about your family or background that helped form the person and colleague you are today.

I come from a small family of four, my father was a doctor ,he passed  away 1 year ago , he had been very instrumental in my life, he was a motivator , helper , a coach and  a friend .He taught me a lot about how to be ambitious . My mother was an accountant, used to work in one of the biggest bank in Egypt .My Brother is a pharmaceutical. Currently I am having a small family a husband working as an engineer and two boys, Omar aged now aged 11 and Mohamed aged 20.My family is very helpful to me during my work journey.

What is the most meaningful advice you’ve received?

Please accept who you are: the good and the bad

Acceptance can be difficult if you have low self-esteem, but understanding and accepting who you are, you can truly help to boost your self-esteem and build confidence. Write down the things you are good at and the things you like about yourself. Perhaps you’re great at listening to people, you love to draw and paint, or maybe you make a cracking cup of tea? All these small things make up the person you are. Remember to value and love that person, even if it’s little by little each day.

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Celebrating International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month

Join us in celebrating International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month. At Marsh, we believe that inclusion, diversity, and belonging are core to our purpose of protecting and promoting possibility.

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