Greater Toronto's Top Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 24
24
( 2026)
SPONSOR CONTENT
AIG nurtures career growth with community engagement
W
hen Jennifer
Arnold helped
source clothing,
brought in a
stylist from a
local morning show, and held a
mini fashion show — it wasn’t
fashion week at AIG Insurance
Company of Canada.
With the help of a longstanding AIG partner, the Dress for
Success event to support women
re-entering the workforce was an
extension of the kind of giving
that makes the leading property
and casualty insurance company
one of the most rewarding places
Arnold has worked.
“It’s been such a blessing,” says
the casualty claims analyst and
president of the Women and Allies
employee resource group (ERG).
Every door has been
opened for me here.
I just have to walk
through.
— Jennifer Arnold
Casualty Claims Analyst
“I’ve never worked for a company that values having employees
give back to their peers as much.”
The ERG is one of five that help
build community and support
career development through
giving, as well as educational and
resource events.
“We’ve got a really strong
community that brings together a
wide range of perspectives,” says
president and CEO Pete Walker.
With 60-per-cent engagement,
An employee at AIG Insurance Company of Canada volunteers with Habitat for Humanity.
the Canada office has the highest
ERG participation of all AIG
branches, which span 25,000
employees in 190 countries and
jurisdictions.
Walker is the executive sponsor
of the working families group,
an initiative he says is close to
his heart. “My wife and I both
work, and I think it’s important to
recognize that balance.”
The group provides programming to manage work-life balance
and has championed family-oriented events, with one moment
standing out to Walker to this day.
It was Bring Your Family to
Work day, and where most employees bring their children, one
staff member brought her parents.
“She felt so proud about
working at AIG — she wanted to
show her parents,” he recalls. “It
was so heartwarming.”
Walker aims to strike a balance
between AIG feeling like an
extension of one’s family while
ensuring people disconnect when
they’re at home.
That kind of employee satisfaction is achieved through policies
including flexible work, 26 days
off inclusive of personal and sick
days, and an additional day off at
every federal holiday, baking fourday weekends into the company
culture.
“That work-life balance is really
important to me,” says Arnold,
who calls herself part of the
sandwich generation, helping care
for 80-year-old parents as well as
her three-and-a-half-year-old.
Juggling responsibilities makes
a flexible schedule invaluable
for Arnold, letting her start work
early to pick up her daughter or
get on a call with her parents’
doctor.
And when it comes to AIG’s
Wellness and Mental Health Day
— a day off for everyone in the
middle of the year — that’s time
for self-care.
“I commit to using that day for
myself,” says Arnold. “I go to the
spa, hike, paint, draw. I need that
to recharge.”
Workplace flexibility hasn’t
stopped Arnold from growing her
career, however. When she joined
AIG in 2023, she was hoping to
expand into new markets and
