Father's death when she was 15 cemented her belief in insurance

Financial representative makes sure her family is provided for despite life's uncertainties

- Prisca Ang

Business Correspondent Financial representative Sherin Lew's strong belief in insurance has been shaped by difficult circumstances growing up.

Her father died when she was 15, and her younger brother was later diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Due to the family's financial struggles, her elder brother's plans to study law overseas were thwarted.

At 19, Ms Lew decided to forgo university to support her family.

She spent about a year working at Chan Brothers and the now-shuttered Tang Dynasty theme park in Jurong.

The first thing she did when she received her first pay cheque was to secure a life insurance policy with $50,000 in sum assured.

Ms Lew, 50 said: "It wasn't much, but it was everything I could afford to guarantee my mum and brother's well-being if something happened to me.

"This decision stemmed from a promise I made to my father on his deathbed. I vividly recall whispering, 'Daddy, go in peace. I will look after mum and my brother"." Ms Lew, who has a diploma in tourism management from Shatec, was a secretary for two to three years at a Buddhist society. Soon after, she and her husband started a company to promote Buddhist teachings. The centre is now run by her husband, 55, and son, 28. It organises events for Buddhists with the help of volunteers.

In 2010, a friend who was a Great Eastern representative told Ms Lew about a role at the insurer. She became a financial representative in June 2011 after three attempts to pass the qualification exams.

"This initial hurdle deepened my commitment to the field," said Ms Lew, now an associate director at Great Eastern Financial Advisers.

She had zoomed in on the vast China market as she saw an opportunity for insurance solutions to address risks such as over-expansion by business owners who had not segregated their personal and company assets.