EBA’s Top 20 Women in Advising: Emma Fox
CONGRATULATIONS TO EMMA FOX on being one of the Top 20 Women in Benefits Advising, as recognized by Employee Benefits Adviser (EBA).
Emma is the Chief Operating Officer of E Powered Benefits and founder of the mentoring organization, Empowered Leadership. But, that’s not enough for this fiery leader who launched a boutique consulting firm in June 2020 aptly named “Signal”.
We asked Emma to share a little about this new venture, and how it fits with her current roles and responsibilities:
Q: Tell us about Signal Consulting – What is it and how will it fit into your world alongside your role at E Powered Benefits?
A: Great question! You know, E Powered Benefits was built as a specialty agency. We pride ourselves not just on the very specific way we build, execute and manage health plans for our clients, but also on what we will not do any longer. Our CEO crafted EPB with a tremendous amount of heart and integrity and it is important to the entire team here that our firm remain committed to being the industry specialists in open-access health plans. However, we know that there are many employers out there that aren’t quite ready for the whole she-bang that we bring and turning those potential change-agents away just didn’t feel right to me. I believe that sustainable and positive change comes when we can take a hand and walk beside those that need a little direction or courage to get to their goal. Have you ever taken a train ride and sat up near the conductor? Trains (and all other transport) rely on a series of signals to get them from point A to Z, with a lot of turns and pauses along the way. For a lot of people healthcare and insurance is confusing and much of the current knowledge that employers have is rooted in a lot of traditional red tape. For those employers that want to get started a little more slowly, like bringing in an independent TPA and exposing themselves to self-funding or maybe testing out RBP in a dual plan option, well… now they can achieve that with me by coming into the Signal a-la-carte model. I hope I’ll be able to show them the way to keep steaming forward to that ultimate destination.
Q: Got it. So, is this a sister company to E Powered? Will there be any overlap?
A: Sister company, complimentary company, partner company – any of those work, yes. But there will not be any overlap in terms of clients or business. E Powered has a very specific and prominent business model that will remain completely in-tact. You could perhaps think of Signal as a stepping-stone for employers to eventually get themselves into what will look very similar to an E Powered model when they are ready and capable. Signal will also be collecting data so that we can start to really predict the readiness of clients as we encounter them and provide statistics that will help the employers that come after them and well into the future.
Q: You’ve got a lot going on! Is this how you become one of the Top Women in Benefits Advising; by staying super busy?
A: I don’t think being busy defines greatness, but I do like to stay occupied! It is my method of keeping my brain engaged and evolving. I am flattered to have been nominated and selected to be on a list alongside some seriously inspirational women in our industry. I would like to think that making it onto a list like that has a lot more to do with your impact that your productivity… Are you teaching? Are you learning? Are you contributing something meaningful to your field that will help others carry on the work that you’ll eventually have to stop doing? That’s what being a top advisor means to me and if you look at the list, you’ll see many examples of all those things in the other 19 women who were selected and lots more women who are creating incredible value in their roles every day. If you know anything about Empowered Leadership, you know I firmly believe that leadership is often happening quietly behind the scenes of someone with a bigger title. There are likely thousands of women who could be named on that list, but it’s limited to twenty and I’m thrilled and immensely grateful to have been included!
Q: Anyone you want to thank or acknowledge?
A: So many people! The Empowered Leadership Community is packed full of insurance nerds and change-agents like me who are wonderful examples of resilient leadership. My partner, David Contorno, of course! My stepmother, Katie Fox. My closest friends – the ones who text me just to talk or ask if I’m okay and are prepared to get the truth in response! Many, many people hold me and my space for me. I have been fortunate beyond words to be surrounded by mentors, coaches, friends, a soulmate, and the most beautiful children and stepchildren!
Connect with Emma on Linked In to stay updated on all of her work!