WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION — Insurance and Bonding DONNA ANDERSON – TRISURA GUARANTEE INSURANCE CO. Daily deadlines, quick-decision-making attract Donna Anderson to surety underwriting Canadian Design and Construction Report special feature Donna Anderson, vice-president surety with Trisura Guarantee Insur- ance Co., came to the industry unin- tentionally, as many seem to do. The daily deadlines and the need for quick decision-making quickly drew her in. She has remained in the busi- ness for almost four decades. Anderson grew up in a small town in Saskatchewan. She moved to Regina and began her career with a grade 12 education and some gen- eral business courses. She says she “fell into the surety business on the administrative side, typing contracts and issuing various documents com- mon to the industry and honing her shorthand skills. I was hooked, even Donna Anderson at the entry level position.” than 20 years with that company helping them grow and She later moved to Vancouver. At the time any knowl- working her way up through the ranks to managerial po- edge of bonding opened doors in the surety business and sitions in both Winnipeg and Calgary before Trisura ap- she landed a job as a junior underwriter. She spent more proached her in 2006. “I was easily hooked on Mike’s story (Mike George is president, CEO and co-founder of Trisura) and what he wanted to achieve. After 30 years in the industry it has been an exciting opportunity to help build a new com- pany.” Chris Sekine, Trisura's senior-vice president, surety, said when we he first met Donna and heard her story, it was an easy decision to have her lead and grow Trisura’s busi- ness in the prairies. While the industry has changed in many ways over the past four decades and women are becoming more com- mon in it, Anderson says she never experienced discrim- ination in her career. She says she has always been fortunate to have supportive managers and never felt push-back from the brokers she worked with or contrac- tors she had the privilege to visit. “It’s important to go into a meeting with a contractor knowing something about their core business,” she said. “First impressions are extremely important and a good general knowledge of the construction industry is critical.” Continued on page 46 The Canadian Design and Construction Report — Spring 2014 – 45