Business Made Personal
We speak to Insurance industry icons who have been there, done that and seen the movie to find out what worked for them and what challenges they faced. It’s a must-listen for anyone interested in learning from the best and seeking to enhance their careers.
Business Made Personal
Ep135 - Sharanjit Padam on climate risk in insurance, trust, and community values
Climate risk in insurance is no longer a future problem; it is a present-day leadership test.
In this episode of Business Made Personal, Mark Silveira sits down with Sharanjit Padam, Principal Climate Analytics at Finiti, to unpack the human story behind a career spent translating complex risk into real-world decisions. Sharanjit shares his journey from Zambia to boarding school in Wales, then into actuarial consulting in the UK, before building a leading career in Australia across consulting, insurance, and ESG risk. Along the way, he reflects on cultural identity, the immigrant experience, and the sacrifices families make to create opportunity.
You will hear practical, values-driven lessons that apply well beyond climate work, including:
- Why trust is the real product in insurance, and how it can be lost quickly even when you are “mostly right”
- How mentorship accelerated Sharanjit’s career, and the workplace culture rule that promotions should require teaching others
- What “healthy disdain for authority” means in actuarial and boardroom decision making, and why it matters for innovation
- Why insurers are still moving too slowly on climate risk, and how scenario analysis plus mandatory disclosure is shifting boardroom behaviour
If you care about the future of the industry and the role insurance must play in protecting families and communities, this conversation will challenge and equip you.
Business Made Personal is hosted by Mark Silveira, exploring the real journeys of leaders in insurance, business, and beyond.
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