You’ve worked in insurance for your entire career. What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen in the industry?
The greatest change I’ve seen in the industry is the use of technology to advance life insurance and customer engagement. Early in my career we lobbied for a customer portal where clients could update their address and see their policy details. Remarkably, this basic idea encountered resistance. There was a view that customer engagement was not a worthwhile investment once a client purchased life insurance.
Now customer engagement is top of mind and viewed as a strategic and competitive imperative. Our industry is also pursuing higher rates of automation across the process value chain, from new business and underwriting and all the way to claims processing. Automation in all its forms leads to greater efficiencies for our clients and helps us achieve our purpose of providing financial protection to all.
During your time with Apexa, you built a company from the ground-up to successful acquisition by RGA. What was that experience like for you day-to-day, and what were the biggest challenges and triumphs?
Being a startup CEO has many challenges – with a few triumphs along the way. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit, which attracted me to the Apexa opportunity. The thought of building something ground up and figuring out the business plan, funding, development, and launch was a challenge I was ready to conquer.
Apexa was bootstrapped by Logiq3 and we started with two employees. In true startup style, I had to wear many hats and was elbows-deep into the pressing needs of the business, day in and day out. When you’re leading a startup, you have to hustle because everything feels urgent and critical. I also felt the daily pressure of being responsible for other people’s careers. If Apexa didn’t succeed, many hardworking, quality people who believed in our vision would be out of a job. That made me hyper focused on success.
The triumphs were celebrating the small and big wins along the way, and the reality is, many days those triumphs were small, like sharing a laugh with the team or hitting a milestone in product development. The small successes were actually more meaningful than the one day we went live because we had accomplished so much in the years leading up to that moment.
What are some of your passions outside of work?
My way to decompress is to spend time in nature. I’m an avid mountain biker, hiker, and skier. Every chance I have to jump on my bike and tackle a challenging climb or gnarly descent, I will do it. I live in Squamish, British Columbia, which is a world class mountain biking destination. My favorite local trail is “Somewhere Over There,” a Black Diamond downhill track with rock slabs, bridges, and incredible views of the Garibaldi Range mountains. I have a very loving and supportive family so the time I get to spend with my loved ones, indoors or outdoors, is absolute gold.
![A cyclist rides along a wooden bridge on a mountain bike trail in the woods.](/images/default-source/kc-article-images/blackmore_biking.jpg?sfvrsn=52eca44_1)
Above: Tonya cruises along a mountain bike trail in British Columbia.