Women in Subro: Sheila Dye

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This Women in Subro blog series highlights powerhouse women in the industry while discussing leadership, management, and success in subrogation.  In our interview with Sheila Dye, Associate Vice President of National Recovery at Nationwide, we recognized that her work philosophy is about collaboration, development, and problem solving. 

Sheila started out in the pharmaceutical industry but transitioned to insurance after 10 years.  That wasn’t her only change.  Throughout an 18-year career at Nationwide, Shelia explored claims, special investigations, and recovery.  She earned her undergraduate degree and MBA as a working professional and parent.

Q: When you were a child, what was your dream job?  

A: Neurosurgeon.  And I pursued it in college, but by the second year in calculus III in organic chemistry, it felt like the instruction was in a totally different language.

Q: How do you describe subrogation to friends and family? 

A: Accountability.  Holding responsible parties accountable.  Dollars recovered by subrogation keeps premiums affordable, deductibles get reimbursed, and keeps products safe. 

Q: What is the hardest part of your job?

A: Education and Legislation.  With Nationwide and NASP, I have had a strong role in the legislation that impacts and benefits subrogation.  I appreciate the collaboration with industry leaders and NASP on informing the legislature of the industry’s needs. 

Q: What is the most rewarding/exciting/interesting part of your job?

A: It is rewarding to support the development of future subrogation leaders.  Our leaders today need to be problem solvers with smart solutions that embrace education and technology.  At Nationwide, we are learning and growing through education and resources, and through the company, I help mentor and I present at conferences.

Q:  How have you excelled in the industry?

A: Success, and success in this role, is doing the right thing at right time and at right expense cost.  Sometimes pursuing subro can be expensive.  When it all aligns, it is great to reimburse the insured their deductible.  But success is not just about me or national recovery, it is about everyone working together achieving by learning and growing.  Professional success for me is when others want to invest in me and my career.

Q: What is one of your greatest professional accomplishments?

A: When I look at our team and I see the level of engagement we have and the caliber of applicants to the position, I know we have the best of the best.  Our team members want to learn and develop, and they have passion.  It is an accomplishment to be surrounded by people that are passionate about what they do and want to be there, to get to have fun going to work, to be faced with complex challenges and to enjoy the process of creating solutions to those challenges.  I like to focus on creative solutions, not the complexity of the problem.

Q: How important was/is mentorship to your career?

A: Critical, whether it is formal or informal.  Sometimes you are being mentored and you don’t even know it.  Being open to the feedback is important.  Relying on a great network of folks has helped me and my department be successful.

Q: What makes a good leader? 

A: Someone who knows that they are supporting their team; the team is not supporting them.  A team needs to feel supported so that they can do the best they can to learn and grow.

Q: Do you have any tech tips for workplace efficiency? 

A: Predictive analytics, Microsoft teams, Blockchain, Dropbox, screen share on Skype, and Faro.

Cozen O’Connor thanks Sheila Dye for this interview and for being a true leader in subrogation. 

Stay tuned for the next post highlighting another prominent subro leader.

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