Posted on July 23, 2025
In a bold call to action, Rekha Skantharaja, President and CEO of Tangram Insurance Services, is urging the insurance industry to rethink its leadership model and embrace diverse voices to drive innovation and growth. Her powerful statement, “Put people like me in power,” reflects her journey as a woman of color leading a majority-female executive team at Tangram, a Petaluma-based managing general agency (MGA) celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2025. Skantharaja’s challenge, highlighted in a recent Insurance Business America interview, is a rallying cry for the industry to move beyond tokenism and empower underrepresented groups—women, minorities, and veterans—with real influence in strategic roles.
A Transformative Journey at Tangram
Skantharaja’s ascent to CEO at age 31 was anything but conventional. Joining Tangram 15 years ago, she arrived from a mid-sized, male-dominated insurance firm to a small, eight-person office in rural Petaluma, California. “I didn’t have the traditional toolkit most CEOs come with,” she admitted, noting her lack of familial or cultural ties to the local team. Instead, she leaned on curiosity, work ethic, and vulnerability, learning new functions and building trust through authentic relationships. “The degrees, the suits—they didn’t care about that. It separated me from them,” she told Insurance Business America.
Her leadership has transformed Tangram into a national powerhouse, specializing in niche insurance programs like workers’ compensation, property and casualty, and professional liability. The company, founded in 1999, now boasts a majority-female executive team, a rarity in an industry where leadership remains predominantly white and male. Tangram’s 25th-anniversary celebrations, announced on November 5, 2024, via Morningstar, include community service projects and industry seminars, reflecting Skantharaja’s commitment to innovation and client-centric service.
Challenging the Status Quo
Skantharaja’s call to “put people like me in power” is a direct challenge to the insurance industry’s stagnant leadership demographics. Despite progress in diversity, she argues that most executive teams “look much the same as they did decades ago.” Her philosophy rejects superficial diversity hires, emphasizing that true change comes when women and minorities are given roles with real influence—running profit and loss (P&L), shaping strategy, and building teams. “You don’t move the needle by hiring a woman or person of color into a marketing role and calling it a win,” she said.
This perspective aligns with broader industry discussions. A 2024 Insurance Journal panel on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) noted that underrepresented communities often bear the burden of driving change, with leaders like Javier Naranjo of Everest Insurance Programs urging deliberate efforts to open doors. Skantharaja’s approach at Tangram—promoting veterans and minorities to leadership roles—sets a model for what intentional inclusion can achieve.
Navigating Pressure and Proving Worth
As a young, female CEO of color, Skantharaja faced intense pressure to prove her team’s legitimacy. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel it,” she admitted, but over time, she shifted her focus from external validation to building a culture of excellence. Her recognition in the 2024 Insurance Global 100, announced by PRNewswire on March 26, 2024, underscores her impact, with Insurance Business praising her as a high achiever driving industry innovation.
Skantharaja’s leadership philosophy emphasizes vulnerability and growth over perfection. “You don’t become CEO because you’ve done everything right,” she said, reflecting on her journey of trial and error. This resonates with insights from Hanover Search, which identifies talent retention as a key challenge for insurers in 2025, emphasizing that high-performing, diverse leaders like Skantharaja are critical to navigating regulatory, cybersecurity, and environmental risks.
AI and Innovation: The Next Frontier
Skantharaja’s vision extends to embracing technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), to transform insurance. A July 22, 2025, Insurance Business America report highlights AI’s growing role in underwriting, claims, and risk management, but warns of risks like data security and model reliability. Skantharaja sees AI as an opportunity to enhance efficiency, but only if paired with diverse leadership to ensure ethical implementation. Her call for bold thinking aligns with innovators like Varun Dua of Acko, who advocates for digital tools to reduce costs and personalize offerings.
Tangram’s bespoke insurance programs, detailed on its website, reflect this innovative spirit. By focusing on niche markets and partnering exclusively with top carriers, Tangram delivers tailored solutions that combine coverage, risk retention, and loss prevention. Skantharaja’s leadership ensures these programs evolve with industry trends, positioning Tangram as a “risk management think tank.”
A Path for the Next Generation
Skantharaja’s journey offers a blueprint for aspiring leaders. “There’s no playbook,” she quipped, but her emphasis on heart, curiosity, and growth has built a legacy at Tangram. Her inclusion in the 2020 Insurance Business America Rising Stars panel, where she helped select young professionals breaking industry molds, highlights her commitment to mentoring the next generation. Her recent LinkedIn posts, celebrating community initiatives and speaking engagements at events like the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) Global Conference in June 2025, show her using her platform to inspire change.
Industry Challenges and the Need for Bold Action
The insurance industry faces multifaceted challenges in 2025, from regulatory complexity to climate-driven losses and talent shortages. Hanover Search reports that global insured losses from natural disasters reached $60 billion in the first half of 2024, with ESG considerations like climate risk reshaping strategies. Skantharaja’s call to action dovetails with these realities, urging insurers to diversify leadership to address evolving risks. As McKinsey notes, India’s insurance sector, for example, struggles with low penetration (4.0% in 2023) due to innovation gaps, a challenge mirrored globally.
Skantharaja’s push for diversity also addresses cultural perceptions. A 2025 Insurance Post poll found UK students view insurance as “boring and unethical,” deterring talent. By showcasing diverse leaders, Skantharaja aims to make the industry more attractive, echoing sentiments from People Matters about the need for transformative leadership in sectors like insurance.
Conclusion
Rekha Skantharaja’s challenge—“Put people like me in power”—is a clarion call for the insurance industry to embrace diverse, bold leadership to tackle 2025’s challenges. Her journey from a 31-year-old outsider to a globally recognized CEO demonstrates the power of vulnerability, innovation, and inclusion. As Tangram celebrates 25 years, Skantharaja’s vision for a more dynamic, equitable industry is a beacon for change, urging insurers to think bigger and act bolder.
Call to Action: Do you agree with Skantharaja’s call to diversify insurance leadership? How can the industry attract and empower the next generation? Share your thoughts in the comments and explore Tangram’s innovative programs at www.tangramins.com!
Disclaimer: This article draws on Insurance Business America, PRNewswire, Morningstar, and other sources. Industry trends and opinions are subject to change, and readers should consult primary sources for the latest insights.