When Leadership Has No Boundaries
When the composition of women and men is equally distributed in a company, it may seem that gender balance is achieved. However, today's leading issue is the need for more representation of women in management positions. Globally, women comprise about 5% of CEOs and only 9% of leadership positions in Fortune 500 companies. Given these statistics, the fact that seven out of eleven directors in a Georgian company are women is a noteworthy achievement that this company is proud of. Aldagi, the first insurance company in Georgia, has consistently pursued innovation throughout its 32-year history, adapting to modern requirements and introducing new advancements.
Photo: Lasha Ghugunishvili / Forbes Woman Georgia
At the end of 2022, three members of Aldagi's board of directors were appointed to new positions. Tamar Chkadua became the Director of Corporate Insurance, Nino Tserodze became the Director of Retail Sales, and Nini Jibladze was appointed the Financial Director. This team will continue to build on Aldagi's accumulated experience with renewed energy. All three believe that the promotion of women to management positions is more attributable to the company's corporate culture—marked by a healthy and equal approach—rather than to gender politics.
We spoke with all three about how they will approach their new roles in a company where they have years of experience, their evaluation of the Georgian insurance market, and their thoughts on the fact that women hold the majority of positions on Aldagi's board of directors.
Nino Tserodze
Retail Sales Director of Aldagi
Nino Tserodze is known for her loyalty; she values stability, development opportunities, and the dynamism of her work. This dedication explains why she has spent eighteen years at Aldagi. Her career began as a sales officer, after which she led the bank insurance department. She was later appointed Deputy Director of the Retail Sales Department and today serves as the Director of the same department.
Photo: Lasha Ghugunishvili / Forbes Woman Georgia
"I am not the only one with decades of experience at Aldagi. Fortunately, we have many such precedents. The high employee retention rate is due to the healthy environment in the company and the nature of the insurance business itself. Aldagi has always been and remains a dynamic environment where decisions are made not centrally but on a parity basis, considering the interests and aspirations of the employees as much as possible. Therefore, the prospects for development are great," Nino explains.
She explains that for eighteen years, she has had constant support from the company to embrace innovations and changes, allowing her to work on several innovative projects. Despite this, she approaches her new position with a fresh perspective. Nino Tserodze's primary goal is to raise awareness about the importance of insurance and to promote it as a tool for financial security. "Insurance should become a must-have product in Georgia, as it is in European countries, and I see my role and my company's role in this process," Nino emphasizes.
Tamar Chkadua
Director of Corporate Insurance at Aldagi
Tamar Chkadua began her career at Aldagi as a sales manager 17 years ago. "At that time, the sales field was practically non-existent, and the accumulation of experience and development was just beginning. I accepted Aldagi's proposal as a professional challenge and immersed myself in the field," recalls Tamar. She believes that with this decision, she became an integral part of the development of Aldagi and the insurance sector. The creation of an insurance culture in Georgia, the strengthening of the role of the insurance manager, and the establishment of corporate relations are all linked to Aldagi's name. "Aldagi has followed the country's development through all transition stages and the full growth cycle. The numerous transformations and mergers during this time gave the entire Aldagi team opportunities to gain experience and grow professionally," says Tamar.
Photo: Lasha Ghugunishvili / Forbes Woman Georgia
"The most important aspect of our corporate direction is our mutual relationships with our clients. I prefer to use the word partner instead of customer because our relationships with corporate clients are in a partnership format. We have clients with whom we have been cooperating for decades, which indicates that they view us as a stable and reliable partner," says Tamar.
Over the last five years, Aldagi has achieved a 30% corporate market share and paid 125 million GEL in compensation in this segment. However, Aldagi is planning to continue. Tamar's plans include paying particular attention to small and medium-sized businesses and introducing several innovations in the corporate insurance segment.
"We have all the resources to continually develop new products and coverages to ensure our customers' risks are thoroughly covered, 360 degrees. With this vision and approach, Aldagi has been a leader in the corporate insurance market for years. Our strength and stability are determined by our partners and Aldagi's international reinsurance partners. Together, this creates a guarantee of reliability and stability, which directly impacts the success of our customers," says Tamar.
Nini Jibladze
Financial Director of Aldagi
At Aldagi, some employees have had a special connection with the company before officially joining it. Nini Jibladze first encountered Aldagi as a student when she worked at one of the largest audit firms and participated in Aldagi's financial audit project to gain practical experience. In 2014, Nini joined the Aldagi team directly, initially leading the reporting department before moving on to manage the financial department. In recent years, she served as the Deputy Financial Director and is now the Financial Director. As Nini explains, she has grown alongside the company and the team over these nine years.
Photo: Lasha Ghugunishvili / Forbes Woman Georgia
Nini finds the financial management of the insurance business particularly interesting because the standard economic models taught at university do not apply in this field. "The insurance sector in Georgia is not yet as developed as in other countries, which, on the one hand, is good because low utilization means a great opportunity for development. We hope that the legislative changes we expect in the future will help our sector and encourage people to engage more with insurance, ultimately establishing a stronger insurance culture in the country," says Nini.
Nini has many plans in her position as Financial Director of Aldagi. "Recently, Aldagi has grown significantly, so we will continue to integrate technology into financial services even faster. My goal is to maintain a healthy and diversified portfolio, thereby making Aldagi one of the standout companies in the insurance market in terms of financial stability. My second challenge is developing my team and achieving maximum satisfaction of their expectations," says Nini.
According to Nini, "With so many women in the company's top management, Aldagi sets an excellent example for other companies and employees. People see that there is equality in the company, and it is not gender prerequisites that are important, but the quality of work, which will always be appreciated," says Nini.
