Mary Fay

Name: Mary Fay

Occupation: Executive vice president, Actuarial Strategies

Location of Business: Bloomfield

Accomplishments: Fay has achieved one product patent and has another pending. She has been an accomplished insurance executive for several major companies during her career. She received her Bachelor of Science from Skidmore College, a Master of Business Administration from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and has pursued executive education at the Harvard Business School.

Who was your most influential role model, and why?

My parents were very strong influences on me. In addition to always encouraging me to work hard and to do my best, very early on they instilled in me many of my core values. In addition to my parents, I have had great coaches and bosses along the way. One boss in particular gave me assignments and presentation opportunities before senior management very early in my career, before I thought I was ready. Her attitude was, “You did the work; I want you to get visibility.” I will always be grateful for those opportunities because they really challenged me, and for these individuals who placed their confidence and trust in me.

Why are you good at what you do?

I think most people are good at what they do because they have a keen interest and passion for it. You really can’t excel at something you don’t believe in. Bringing new products to market that meet customer needs and generate profitable results for the company is both challenging and exciting. Helping clients solve problems and improve their business results is very gratifying. I love to make a difference in people’s lives, whether it is serving as their leader, or motivating a project team, or bringing something revolutionary to market that is a real game changer.

How does your organization give back to the community, and what role have you played in those efforts?

At Sun Life, I championed several charitable causes, such as the Jimmy Fund, Doug Flutie’s autism organization, and I sat on the board of overseers of Newton Wellesley Hospital, where many Sun Life employees received medical treatment. An avid walker, I have participated in a variety of charitable walks, including the March of Dimes, Susan B. Komen, and Dana Farber events. I also volunteer for my college, Skidmore, and serve as an alumni correspondent. I am involved at the local community level, fighting to preserve open space in my hometown. Whether acting on behalf of my company or as an individual, I experience giving back to the community as both a welcome obligation and an opportunity. Now that I’ve moved back to the Hartford region, I hope to become more engaged in these types of activities in this area.

What has inspired you in your career or where do you draw your daily inspiration?

Inspiration comes from a lot of places! A difficult challenge certainly can be inspiring, as can a marketing opportunity that exists due to a customer void. Any project that puts your creativity to work and allows you to take risks can provide moments of inspiration. Great ideas and bringing them to fruition are inspiring! I get a lot of inspiration from listening to associates’ ideas and concerns and addressing them as well as from talking with customers. Also, focusing on a goal and seeing results emerge is inspiring. Seeing results along the way definitely inspires me to reach the goal.

How have you tried to balance your career and your personal life? Give an example or two.

In some ways, balance is an oxymoron. You can’t have everything all at the same time. To me, people should always be the highest priority, over career and other things. Sometimes you need to make difficult choices to make sure your life is aligned with your priorities and values. What makes more sense to me is living a well rounded life, one where there is time for family, career, art, recreation, exercise and health, spiritual and anything else that matters to you.