APIW Insurance Woman of the Year: industry needs to attract new talent.

Communication is a key part of Rebecca C. Amoroso's job as vice chairwoman and U.S. insurance industry group leader of Deloitte LLP, but words didn't come easily when she learned that the Association of Professional Insurance Women Inc. selected her as this year's recipient of the APIW Insurance Woman of the Year Award.

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"I'm almost speechless at times when I think about it" said Amoroso. "But I think it is a great honor."

Amoroso, who has been at Deloitte for 22 years and in her current position for two, oversees more than 2,000 professionals in more than 50 cities across the United States and sits on the steering committee of Deloitte's Women's Initiative.

She began her career as a property/casualty actuary, first at ISO and then for five years with American International Group Inc. She has seen the role of women in the insurance industry morph over the years.

"I've seen a lot of changes, certainly, over the 30-year period ... I do think the opportunity is definitely improving, but we definitely have more progress to make in the industry," she said. "There were times when I was starting out in my career when I was the only woman in the room, and today that's not the case, and it's changing more and more as time goes on. And you're seeing more and more women in senior-level positions."

APIW and other groups focused on women in the industry "absolutely" help, she said, because making connections among peers "is very powerful in the industry."

Listen to the full interview with Rebecca C. Amoroso at www.bestdayaudio.com