Ashley Fong, our Director of Technical Operations and all-around automation Jedi, has never shied away from a challenge during her tenure with Carpe Data. Even before it was called Carpe Data, Ashley was applying her wealth of talents to all corners of the company; from user experience to data security, web design and development to API wizardry, you can bet at some point or another she’s done it. It’s for these (and many other) reasons that Ashley has been awarded one of the coveted spots in this year’s Business Insurance Break Out Awards. Winners are selected for their outstanding work in commercial insurance or related sectors and cannot have worked in the field for more than 15 years.
You can check out Ashley’s written profile with Business Insurance below, as well as register to attend the live (virtual) awards ceremony on June 24th.
Ashley Fong was one of the first employees of Carpe Data when she joined the data provider as a quality assurance engineer in 2016. She brought with her a degree in studio arts but had also studied computer coding while at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In her current role she works with insurance industry clients on their data needs.
What’s your top tip for working remotely?
Make sure you actually step away from your home office or workstation. It’s easy to roll out of bed and get to working and then continue working through the night, but I’ve found it’s really critical for me to actually go for a walk or step outside, even if it’s just out your front door, just to distance yourself from your workspace.
What’s your advice on navigating the current insurance market?
Don’t be afraid to try new things. It might take awhile to implement new technology, and you might not know that it could lead to improvements until you go through with it. There’s a lot of new technology that we might be afraid to use because the insurance industry is built on a lot of history but there are things that could help that you might not see unless you take that leap.
What’s one habit or hobby you adopted during the pandemic?
I got really into the stock market. Like a lot of people, I started trying to understand stocks more and used the time to get more involved. I have made some profit, but I am not counting all of it yet; we’ll see how the long holds go.
All-time favorite movie?
“My Neighbor Totoro” — I have a lot of good childhood memories watching that, and I love the story and the message.
What is your favorite meal?
A classic breakfast platter with bacon, eggs, toast, hash browns.
When she’s not building the future of data for insurance, you can find her planning her next adventure to a remote jungle or seaside scuba retreat. And while COVID may have put a damper on Ashley’s travel plans, nothing— and we mean nothing— stands between her and her goals. Congratulations, Ashley!