Home featured founder-friday Sam White Founder Friday Founder Friday From UK to Australia: Sam White’s bold move to empower women in insurance Yajush Gupta February 10, 2023 As a young woman with no tangible business experience, getting financial help was almost impossible back then. In fact, I couldn’t get a bank overdraft approved to expand without my father pretending to be involved in the business! Samantha White, founder and CEO of Stella Insurance Like many other industries, the insurance industry in Australia has traditionally been male-dominated, with women occupying only a small proportion of leadership positions and facing gender-based barriers in the workplace. However, a change is underway as more women are breaking through the barriers and establishing successful careers in the field. These pioneers are not only defying the norm but also motivating future generations of women to chase their aspirations and realise their ambitions, regardless of the industry. One such individual is Samantha White, a serial entrepreneur based in the UK and an award-winner. She shares her choice to establish Stella Insurance, a women-focused motor insurance brand, in Australia instead of her native country. Stella Insurance, designed and operated by women, endeavours to shatter women’s obstacles in the historically male-dominated insurance sector. Since its establishment in Australia in 2020, Stella Insurance has seen impressive growth and success. The company has secured $1 million from a local insurance-focused investment fund, entered into a media-for-equity agreement worth $15 million, and achieved a 400 per cent increase in gross written premiums.