Our People

Our “A Rewarding New York Life” series shines a light on the breadth of opportunity available at New York Life and explores how a role here could check a lot of boxes when it comes to finding a rewarding career and nailing that work-life balance. 

With a history spanning over 175 years, New York Life is an insurance company that thrives on its people. And when it comes to group life insurance, New York Life has been protecting employees and their families for several decades.

In 2020, with the acquisition of Cigna’s group insurance business, New York Life took an exciting step. This was the largest acquisition in the company’s history and resulted in what is now known as New York Life Group Benefit Solutions (GBS).

We spoke to a group of our dynamic GBS employees about who they are, what they do, and how New York Life supports their personal and professional goals. 

Head of Strategy, Product & Marketing – Meghan Shea

As Head of Strategy, Product, and Marketing for New York Life Group Benefit Solutions, Meghan Shea is an integral part of the strategic business decisions that define the direction of GBS. A highly driven and ambitious individual, Meghan speaks here about how she’s found the transition into employment with New York Life, and why the focus on professional development is something she has relished.

The Person / “Natural born leader”

Meghan loves to ski, and winter in Philadelphia means the family can head out on the weekends to enjoy the snow. She already has three of her four children hitting the slopes and plans to help her toddler onto skis soon. Being active with the kids is one of the best ways for Meghan to enjoy some downtime and find a healthy work-life balance.

Graduating with a degree in Communications, Meghan went on to join the insurance industry straight out of college. When it comes to her career, she’s a natural leader focused on professional growth.

“I love making progress and seeing teams make that progress together. I love when people come together to get work done. I think what fuels me is the leadership aspect.”

The Role / “Strategy and communication”

Considering there are three strands of Meghan’s role: strategy, product, and marketing, what do some of her day-to-day responsibilities look like?

“My role is really to help organize our strategic direction. I ask where we are headed and then translate that into our product and our marketing strategies. So, what products do we need to go to market with? And how do we need to be speaking to our customers, our clients, and our brokers in order to successfully launch those products?

“One of the best parts of my job is when we spend the time really talking about our customers and clients, and how we improve what we deliver to them every day. I love when we can take a step back and really think about what they want or need from us and how we can meet that need and delight the customer.” 

And in terms of what else makes her job rewarding, Meghan highlights the diverse New York Life teams as crucial to her positive experience.

“What I like most about the work I'm in now is that I interact with so many different people from so many different backgrounds. I think I learned more in the last two years than I did in the 10 years before that. Getting so many different perspectives from people has been really beneficial to me.”

The Culture / “Not just a workplace”

As a previous Cigna employee, Meghan joined New York Life during the acquisition of what is now known as Group Benefit Solutions. Reflecting on this significant employment transition, Meghan has found a supportive culture at New York Life.

“I have found the transition really positive. I think that New York Life has done a really good job of welcoming us into their organization; making us feel important and cared for. I've been really impressed with their HR support—and how much attention they put on development and training. I was given a personal executive coach when I got here and that's been invaluable to me as I step into a new role in a new company.”

Expanding further on her experiences of the culture at New York Life, Meghan champions those developmental, supportive qualities she feels are embedded into the way the company operates.

“I think New York Life makes space and time to talk about goals. In addition to them giving me coaching support, I have a fantastic Human Resources partner who is really engaged and spends a lot of time with me. If I’ve ever reached out to someone at New York Life to ask for 30 minutes of their time, the answer has always been yes. I think people really make time and space for each other.”

And finally, what would Meghan say to another professional considering a career at New York Life?

“It's a community, not just a workplace. It seems that once people are here, they really feel at home, and they stay. If you’re looking for an organization that's going to nurture you, but also have expectations that you nurture the organization, then I think this is a really great place.”

Feel inspired? Why not apply to one of our many open roles today.

New York Life is an equal opportunity employer M/F/Veteran/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity

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