Insurance is about providing peace of mind

We are there for people and businesses when they are most vulnerable. It is the profound social significance of our industry that continues to attract and inspire me, says Sylwia Szymula, Chief Retail Officer at UNIQA Czech Republic and Slovakia, in an interview conducted in collaboration with the Global Minds project.

Two decades in the financial sector have taken her to various European countries from Poland to the Netherlands, but also to distant Thailand. This fulfilled her desire to work in an international environment, which was instructive in many ways. " Each of those experiences was completely different and each required me to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. Adapting wasn’t just about adjusting to new cultures, but about stretching my mindset and leadership style," says Sylwia Szymula. For example, she says Thailand is a high-context culture where a lot of communication happens between the lines and feedback is given gently and indirectly. In contrast, Dutch culture is direct, open, and transparent. "Navigating between such extremes taught me to stay open-minded, trust my intuition, and lean towards curiosity to build understanding and connection in challenging moments," explains Sylwia Szymula. She has also had the opportunity to see firsthand how diverse perspectives improve team performance and how teams built on diversity and mutual respect work better together, solve problems faster, and achieve better results.

In her career, she has devoted a lot of time to digital transformation, which has taught her another important lesson: what initially appears to be a threat can become a remarkable opportunity. She says that innovation "ultimately means embracing change and constantly asking: How can we create more value from the resources we already have?" According to her, it is this approach that will enable the company to stay ahead. The successful manager's domain is insurance. She entered the field by happy accident, which she is very happy about, because being part of it is "meaningful and motivating" for her.

Sylwie, what initially brought you into the world of insurance?

It was a lucky accident—and one I’m truly grateful for. The CEO of PZU, Poland’s largest insurer, invited me to join him to transform this very traditional organization into a client-centric one. That opportunity gave me a unique, hands-on view of how an insurance company operates across all segments, products, channels, and processes. More importantly, it helped me understand the real impact insurance has on people’s lives. It’s a service that matters most when customers are at their most vulnerable – whether individuals or businesses. That sense of purpose is what drew me in, and it’s what continues to inspire me in this industry.

You originally studied Marketing and Management, but later built your expertise primarily in the area of digital transformation. What attracted you to this field?

Digitalization of business operations and client services was an upcoming trend at the time I was starting my career. I was very keen on initiatives that have strategic impact and are future oriented, so when I had the opportunity to lead a project transforming ING into the most digital bank in Poland, I embraced it fully. Solutions which we have defined and implemented, shaped how people bank these days – with touchless payments, mobile banking apps, biometric signatures and fully digital customer journeys, just to name a few. We applied design thinking to create intuitive digital services, turning cutting-edge ideas into reality. That experience showed me the transformative power of digitalization—not just in technology, but in how it reshapes customer value and business models.

On LinkedIn, you describe yourself as a "change management leader experienced in designing and delivering business transformations in large organizations." What are the key skills required for this?

Driving transformation in large organizations requires more than vision – it demands persistence, strategic influence, and the ability to overcome inertia. Often, the biggest challenge isn’t a lack of ideas, but a lack of urgency—especially when there’s no immediate threat to the business. That’s why one of the most critical skills in change leadership is the ability to clearly articulate why transformation is necessary, and to do so consistently and credibly over time. It’s about understanding the trends shaping the future of the industry, and then systematically engaging key individuals—and eventually the broader organization—in doing things differently. Successful transformation starts with people. Onboarding them into the change journey, aligning them around a shared purpose, and empowering them to act is both the hardest and most essential part of the process. And it’s where real leadership makes the difference.

Throughout your career, you’ve developed impressive international expertise. Did you always know that your path would lead abroad?

Yes, I’ve always felt a natural pull toward working internationally. I’ve been deeply curious about different ways of living, thinking, and operating—across cultures, generations, and markets. That curiosity has shaped both my personal journey and my professional path. In business, each market has its own unique dynamics, but there are also many shared patterns across borders. Exploring both the differences and the commonalities has given me a valuable toolbox for navigating complexity, adapting strategies, and leading diverse teams. So while the path abroad wasn’t mapped out from the start, it always felt like the right direction.

You’ve worked in cities like Bangkok, Frankfurt, Brussels, and Amsterdam. Were you able to adapt easily to each of these environments?

Each of those experiences was completely different and each required me to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. Adapting wasn’t just about adjusting to new cultures, but about stretching my mindset and leadership style. Thailand, for example, is a high-context culture where much is communicated between the lines, and feedback is given gently and indirectly. In contrast, Dutch culture is low-context – direct, straightforward, and transparent. Navigating between such extremes taught me to stay open-minded, trust my intuition, and lean towards curiosity to build understanding and connection in challenging moments.

Has your experience as a foreigner shaped your leadership style in any particular way?

Absolutely. They reinforced the importance of cultural sensitivity, adaptability, and creating space for different communication styles. They influenced me to lead with context and empathy—adapting my approach to the individuals and situations I work with. I place people at the center, recognizing that effective leadership means understanding what drives different cultures, personalities, and also generations. I’ve seen firsthand how diverse perspectives enhance team performance. They challenge assumptions, spark creativity, and lead to more balanced decisions. When teams are built on diversity and mutual respect, they collaborate better, solve problems faster, and deliver stronger results. That’s the kind of environment I strive to create and lead.

What kind of environment should companies create to truly benefit from international talent?

The organizations should go beyond hiring diverse profiles – they must create the right environment for people to succeed. That means fostering cultural openness, building inclusive collaboration structures, and offering clear purpose and growth opportunities. It also requires flexible, hybrid work models that support global ways of working, and leadership that empowers and aligns. A standout example is our UNIQA commUNIties – a cross-border collaboration platform that brings together talent from across UNIQA countries to co-create strategic solutions. These teams work on high-impact topics that are applied in one market or scaled across several countries. It’s a unique concept that not only makes us stronger but also sets us apart from our competitors. At UNIQA, we know that international talent brings fresh perspectives, new capabilities, and energy for change. Our role is to unlock that potential—by creating a culture where everyone can contribute, grow, and lead.

How did your journey with UNIQA begin?

It started with a clear alignment of values and ambition. I was drawn to the company’s bold yet grounded vision – strategic, empowering, and refreshingly pragmatic. UNIQA’s leadership inspired me with its clarity of purpose and openness to new ideas, while the culture offered not just a place to contribute, but a space to grow. Joining UNIQA felt like stepping into an environment where ambition is matched by action, and where people are trusted to shape the future within a well-defined strategic frame. That’s the kind of leadership I believe in.

Was it an advantage for you that before joining the Bord of Directors, you supported strategic retail topics for UNIQA Czech Republic and Slovakia, as well as for other UNIQA entities within the international part of the UNIQA Insurance Group?

Absolutely - it was a strong advantage. In my previous role within UNIQA Group, I co-shaped the retail strategy for international markets, including Czech Republic and Slovakia. That gave me deep insight into the ambitions, frameworks and strategic levers available to drive transformation. It was the ideal foundation: first defining the direction and then stepping in to deliver it. Equally valuable were the relationships I built – with the head-office team, peers across other markets, and colleagues in Czechia and Slovakia. These connections continue to provide meaningful support and collaboration. I couldn’t have asked for a better starting point.

After that project, you received an offer to join the Board of Directors — at the C-level. Was that a significant shift for you?

Yes, moving from hands-on transformation to the C-level meant evolving from managing execution to shaping direction. My focus shifted to aligning broader organization around a shared vision, empowering teams, and ensuring we have the right talent and mindset to deliver on our ambition. 

What are the most exciting challenges you’re currently tackling as Chief Retail Officer at UNIQA Czech Republic and Slovakia?

One focus point is to build resilience in a world that’s becoming increasingly unstable and disruptive.  We’re navigating a complex landscape shaped by shifting weather patterns – like floods or hailstorms – alongside long-term economic pressures such as inflation and a growing housing affordability crisis. Mobility, a strategic pillar of UNIQA’s business through motor insurance, is undergoing rapid transformation. The rise of electrification and the shared economy is reshaping customer needs and risk profiles, requiring us to rethink how we design and deliver protection. We’re also facing long-term demographic and social shifts, including population aging, declining birth rates, and migration. These changes call for new approaches to product design, service delivery, and customer engagement. But perhaps the most dynamic challenge is to keep pace with fast-evolving expectations from our customers and partners. People now demand simpler products and processes, fully digital experiences and personalized interactions tailored to their unique needs and lifestyles.

All these trends challenge traditional insurance model – but they also open up new opportunities. That’s why my focus is not just on reacting to challenges, but on proactively transforming how we operate. We are aiming at embedding data and technology into every layer of our business to stay ahead of the curve and deliver meaningful, future-ready value to our customers.

What was your main vision for your role in 2023, and how has it evolved since then?

I took over responsibility for Retail with a strong belief in UNIQA’s potential to become the insurer of choice for both clients and partners – by embracing a truly omnichannel business logic. This meant delivering a seamless, refreshing, and simple experience across all interaction channels, tailored to how customers actually behave. For commodity products like car or travel insurance, clients increasingly prefer quick, self-service options. But for more complex products, human advisory remains essential at key moments in the customer journey. Crucially, customers tend to move fluidly between channels—whether it's mojeUNIQA, contact centers, UNIQA agents, our broker partners, or digital platforms—and it’s UNIQA’s responsibility to ensure that this experience is frictionless, convenient, and centered around their needs. Over time, this vision evolved to embrace the transformative potential of data and AI-powered predictive analytics. We began embedding these capabilities into our value propositions – both products and services – and into our business practices with partners. This shift will enable UNIQA to anticipate customer needs more accurately, personalize interactions at scale, and deliver smarter, more relevant solutions.

What does innovation mean to you in the context of the insurance industry?

Innovation in the insurance industry is not a choice – it’s an imperative to stay relevant and competitive. Just like in any other sector, the pace of change demands that we adapt, anticipate, and lead. Those companies that can capture emerging trends and respond with agility will shape the future of insurance. I’ve had the privilege of contributing to the transformation of retail banking during the rise of digitalization, open banking, and mobile-first experiences. That journey taught me a powerful lesson: what initially looks like a threat can become a remarkable opportunity – unlocking new value streams for clients, shareholders, and society at large.

Today, insurance industry is ripe for transformation – one that’s driven by evolving customer needs for convenience and simplicity, and powered by data and technology. I see innovation emerging on multiple fronts:

- Game-changing shifts like platformization, vertical integration, and the AI-driven revolution of insurance technique.

- Hyperpersonalization, where data and intelligent systems allow us to tailor offerings and interactions with precision.

- And smaller-scale innovations that simplify processes, enhance product, and make our value proposition more attractive—not just to existing customers, but to new segments and generations.

Ultimately, innovation means embracing change and constantly asking: How can we create more value from the resources we already have? That mindset is what will keep us ahead—and keep our customers at the heart of everything we do.

What were your first impressions of the Czech business environment when you arrived here? And how would you compare Czechia to Slovakia?

I was impressed by the maturity and structure of its business environment – especially in insurance. It’s a market driven by efficiency, transparency, and strategic partnerships. Compared to Slovakia, Czechia seems to be more advanced in pricing and allow more flexibility in partnerships, while Slovakia tends to have narrower margins and a more consolidated market landscape. Customer needs are similar, but distribution strategies differ: Czechia’s broker channel seems to be slightly more mature, whereas Slovakia shows faster growth in agent productivity. Navigating both markets is strategically enriching. It enables us to test ideas, share best practices, and build a resilient, dual-market model – an significant advantage for UNIQA.

How do you balance staying authentic to your Polish roots while integrating into Czech corporate culture?

Balancing my Polish background with integration into Czech corporate culture has felt very natural. The two cultures share a similar modern history, values, and many unspoken codes, which creates a strong foundation for mutual understanding. I’ve always stayed true to who I am—adapting my communication style when needed, but never compromising authenticity. What I appreciate most is that in both Czechia and Slovakia, I’ve felt I can be myself without needing to invest much energy into building bridges. The connection comes easily, which makes collaboration not only effective, but also genuinely enjoyable

At the beginning, we asked why you chose insurance as a career path. But what has made you stay in the industry for so long?

It’s the deep societal relevance that is at its core. Insurance is about providing peace of mind—being there for people and businesses when they are most vulnerable. It’s not just a financial product – it’s a promise of protection, support and stability. That sense of purpose is what drew me in and continues to inspire me. Insurance plays a quiet but critical role in enabling resilience – helping individuals recover from loss, businesses manage risk, and communities rebuild. Being part of that impact is both meaningful and motivating.

Sylwia Szymula  has 20 years of experience in financial services. After starting her career at the Boston Consulting Group, she moved to ING Group, where in 2006-2011 she managed strategic commercial initiatives in fields of customer relationship management, digitalization and was responsible for sales in online channels. Later in 2011-2016, she continued in PZU insurance group, where she designed and implemented customer experience management strategy. In 2016, she returned to ING Group, where she managed strategic projects related to business lines profitability, retail platforms and customer value propositions. Since 2022, Sylwia has been shaping strategic topics for Retail at UNIQA CZ/SK and UNIQA International. Before joining UNIQA, Sylwia worked in Poland, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Thailand.

She holds a masters degree from Warsaw School of Economics and a Global Executive MBA from INSEAD Business School. In her private time, she is passionate about scuba diving and contemporary literature. 

You can read the Czech version of the article HERE