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Brigida Nicasio

IT Director | Toronto

26/04/2023

  • Job Title: IT Director – Marsh Canada
  • Department: Information Technology
  • Office Location: Toronto, Canada
  • Joined Marsh: September 1991
  • Hometown: Manila, Philippines
  • Education: University of Santo Tomas, Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, Major in Computer Science
  • Personal Interests and Hobbies: Traveling – experiencing and learning about different cultures, swimming, standup paddleboarding, yoga, fashion, and interior design

Meet Brigida

I am the Information Technology (IT) Director for Marsh Canada, leading a diverse team of colleagues in Canada, Mexico, the US, and India. I partner with Operations and Canadian business leaders to understand their business strategy and objectives and develop and align the technology priorities, budget, and roadmap. I also collaborate with global and regional IT partners to ensure our technology infrastructure and systems are stable, secure, and up to date.

What does a typical day look like for you?

A typical day involves meetings and discussions with my business, IT partners, and various teams. Mornings are usually made up of planning and status calls with folks in India or UK IT partners, while the rest of the time is spent with our local teams.

On days when I am in the office, I make it a point to connect with colleagues in person. I reserve my anchor days in the office for in-person one-to-ones. I also enjoy walking the floor to socialize with my team and enjoy impromptu chats in the pantry while getting my coffee.

Why did you choose the insurance industry?

In many ways, the insurance industry found me. During university, my program offered two career paths: Computer Science and Actuarial Science. Like many students, I was still determining my career and life goals. On the surface, the insurance industry and developing risk, predictive and probability models did not seem like a fit for me. I would never have guessed that I would land at the number one leading risk and insurance broker in the world and have a flourishing 30+ year technology career supporting insurance professionals

How does your work support our company in being the Risk Advisor of the Future?

In this digital age, technology is critical to running, growing, and transforming the business by:

  • improving our colleagues’ efficiencies via process standardization and automation and freeing up their capacity to focus on client service and advisory
  • enhancing our clients’ experience through innovative digital solutions
  • mitigating risks by maintaining a healthy Cyber posture (For example, by addressing vulnerabilities and threats, modernizing obsolete software, protecting data loss through disaster recovery plans, and ensuring system compliance with regulatory and audit requirements)

How has Marsh supported your personal and professional development?

I joined Marsh in 1991, the same year I immigrated to Canada, got married, and prepared to start my own family. I remember feeling anxious, missing my family and friends in the Philippines, adjusting to a new country and culture, building a new community, and starting a new job. My first day at Marsh felt like my first day in kindergarten; I was scared and excited at the same time. Little did I know that Marsh would become my second home for more than 30 years.

I have gained in-depth knowledge about the insurance business and operations by collaborating with my business partners and implementing systems that support the end-to-end lifecycle of an insurance policy, from policy and placement to claims to invoicing. I’ve also led the system integration on several of our firm’s acquisitions, like Sedgwick and JLT. Working on global systems in Australia and Latin America has also given me a fulsome view of the insurance industry outside of Canada and a global perspective.

I am fortunate to have great leaders and mentors who serve as my role models, generously share their time, listen, and provide excellent advice. They encouraged me to continuously improve my skills and challenge myself by trusting and empowering me.

What are things you do to drive diversity and inclusion at our company?

I take pride in our company, supporting diversity and inclusion and driving it as part of our organization’s culture and DNA.

As a leader, I ensure I include a diversity and inclusion lens in my hiring process and strongly consider the candidates who support and share our firm’s core values. I regularly promote our company’s I&D programs, such as Women in Technology and the Pride colleague resource group, to attract new talent.

As a team leader, I express genuine interest in and encourage my team to share information about their culture and traditions. For example, talking about an upcoming holiday in their respective country or region and how they celebrate it usually drives fun and interesting discussions.

At the end of the day, we come to the realization that we all have the same core values; we just express them differently. It is about respecting, appreciating, embracing, and celebrating our differences – not letting them divide us but instead using them to complement our views and perspectives and unite us to be a stronger team.

Tell us something important about your family or background that helped form the person and colleague you are today.

I was born and raised in the Philippines with traditional Filipino culture, a vibrant fusion of the East and West. Centuries of colonization by Spain, then Japan, and America, and trades with our neighboring Asian countries, played a strong influence in our diverse appreciation for art, fashion, music, and food. We are also well known for being hospitable, generous, resilient, and devout in our faith and strong love for family.

I grew up in a big family of eight, with four sisters and two brothers. Having five vocal and opinionated women makes for very interesting and lively conversations. Both my parents came from a middle-class family but worked hard to attain a good education and decent career in finance. They instilled in us the importance of education, continuous self-improvement, and dedication to work.

My mom is a strong, confident, and independent woman who taught us to stand and fight for our principle and drive for excellence in whatever we do. My dad taught us to value family and relationships over material wealth. My heritage and family background are integral to who I am today. While I have been in Canada for over half my life, I carry these core values and raise my sons not to forget their roots.

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