“I’ve seen high-potential women leave the workforce for five years, then struggle to return because employers fear they are out of touch with the latest industry developments. We need creative ways to help women stay engaged in the workforce during their children’s early years, or to easily return.”

These are the words of Sumarie Greybe, University of Pretoria (UP) alumna and co-founder of Naked Insurance, speaking about some of the challenges faced by women in business on a global scale. 

She adds that flexible work models can help women stay in the workforce when their children are young, ensuring more women have the support needed to rise through the ranks. “Formal and informal support networks and mentoring programmes can also play a valuable role in nurturing the next generation of female business leaders,” she said.

“We need to make sure every girl is built up with the confidence and education to succeed. At Naked we are passionate about women in technology because they’re generally underrepresented among developers – girls need to be given the opportunities to get involved with STEM [Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics] from a young age.”

Greybe graduated from UP with a BCom (Hons) in Actuarial Science in 1994. After leaving her corporate job in 2016, she co-founded Naked with Alex Thomson and fellow UP alumnus Ernest North, and launched the business in 2018. 

She says her company is open to restructuring team members’ roles and responsibilities to support women with their work/life balance when necessary. She believes this keeps highly valuable people in the business, ensures they are supported and thriving, and creates the opportunity for them to take on more responsibilities if and when they’re ready for it.

From spending almost her entire career in insurance, Sumarie believes insurance plays an essential role in people’s lives. Many insurers were not living up to their promises, and so, she and her business partners stepped in to make a difference with Naked. 

“Many consumers find insurance inconvenient and expensive and also do not trust that their claims will be treated fairly or processed quickly,” Greybe said. “With digital technologies changing so many other industries like banking, media and transport, we realised that there was an opportunity to use the latest tech to transform the insurance sector too.”

She credits her success to her grandmother and mother, who were two strong and independent women and therefore wonderful role models. She is also grateful to her father, who taught her that hard work and a positive attitude make anything possible. “I am inspired by stories of ordinary people doing incredible things and achieving success. It affirms that it is possible for anyone to achieve their dreams and goals.”

Greybe advises other women, especially young women, to never disappoint themselves. “If you aim for something,  make sure you go for it. The more you do it, the more your confidence and belief in yourself and your abilities grow.”