Kathmandu. There are many turning points in a person’s life. At those turning points, they have to face many challenges. People who move forward by facing challenges in this way become successful. Even the stones on the riverbank hit the waves of the water many times. And those stones become good. Human life is also like that. The more suffering, the more hard work. And the more challenges, the more opportunities. The courage to move forward while accepting these aspects takes a person to the peak of success. Rita Pathak (Gajurel) is a woman who has achieved professional success through such immense hard work and dedication.
Rita is known as a courageous and successful woman in the life insurance sector. She is currently fulfilling her responsibilities as Assistant General Manager, Corporate Sales Head at Citizen Life Insurance. Even now, the presence of women at the highest levels of the insurance sector is low. However, Rita is sitting at the highest level and carrying out her responsibilities.
Rita’s department includes cooperatives, micro insurance, group insurance, foreign employment insurance, direct insurance, etc. Rita works hard to fulfill her responsibilities. She has reached far and wide from East Mechi to West Mahakali and provided insurance education to every cooperative organization and villager. Rather than meeting her target by selling insurance policies, Rita is always on the lookout for ways to expand insurance access by promoting programs such as insurance education, awareness, and awareness.
Currently residing in Imadol, Lalitpur, Rita’s birthplace is Ratnanagar Tandi, Chitwan. Rita’s childhood was spent in happiness and fun. Born into a wealthy family, Rita lacked nothing. ‘Because my father was a businessman, we got the opportunity to travel to different places. He would take us for tours. We had a fun family,’ says Rita, recalling her childhood. ‘When we were young, our parents did not allow us to have any desire for this or that. They would fulfill our every wish and desire. Our childhood was very happy.’
Rita completed her undergraduate studies from her birthplace. After marriage, she completed her master’s degree in business administration from Kathmandu. Despite growing up in a wealthy family, Rita had the feeling that she had to do something. She moved forward despite facing many struggles and challenges. Rita was interested in social work from a young age. Rita especially liked working for women’s rights. ‘I thought women should come out and work,’ she said, ‘I thought women should stand on their own two feet.’
Even though she grew up in a comfortable environment, Rita always liked to keep herself busy. She liked to work hard from a young age. Even now, Rita doesn’t like to keep her hands empty. Whether in the office or at home, she has to be busy with some work. ‘Even now, I am not forced to say ‘you have to work’ at home,’ she said, ‘My two sons are engineers in the US and my husband has retired from the senior engineering department of the Government of Nepal. However, my professional responsibilities, passion for work, and the urge to do more are keeping me stuck in the insurance sector.’
Before entering the insurance sector, Rita used to stay wherever her husband’s job was transferred. At that time, she was giving time to her children and family. When they shifted to Kathmandu, Rita, who liked to keep herself busy, thought that she should do something too. She gathered her family and scattered women and sisters and formed a women’s group and established and ran a cooperative. In which women took the initiative and walked around telling everyone to save even a little. ‘I would like to thank my aunt-in-law Sangeeta Gajurel, who always encouraged me to move forward,’ she said. ‘We ran the cooperative with the support and encouragement of my aunt-in-law, who always told me to move forward. We did a lot of work for women. We provided various skill-based training to women through the cooperative. I worked in the cooperative for a long time. I took various national and international training courses through the cooperative.’ 
This is how Rita got into insurance
Rita, who was providing various skill-based training and public awareness for women, was working as an associate of the cooperative. At that time, her friends and relatives were working at Met Life Insurance Company. Rita was also interested in moving away from the cooperative and doing something different and new. However, at that time, Rita’s children were young. Her relatives and friends also urged her to work at Met Life, but Rita said, ‘I will do it later, the children are young now.’ At that time, insurance companies were just about to be established in Nepal. Her relatives and friends said, ‘It would be good to work in the insurance sector. It would also be good for career. Rita, who always likes to keep herself busy, decided to work in insurance after some time after being urged by her friends to join insurance. Finally, Rita started working as an agent at Met Life Insurance in 2061 BS. She performed well at Met Life and moved forward. While in that company, Rita reached the manager level. She spent a long time at Met Life. She was established as a good employee in that company.
Rita, who had been working in the same company for a long time, was keen to move the company. At that time, i.e. in 2074 BS, many insurance companies opened in Nepal. Citizen Life also opened as a new company in the insurance market. She was attracted by the company’s policies, company team, employees, management, and everything else. ‘Working with a young team that came with a new company and new energy gave me the courage to move forward,’ she said. 
After that, Rita started working at Citizen Life from the manager level in 2074 BS. Rita spent her energetic present in the insurance sector for her bright future. ‘Even if you have experience working in the insurance sector for a long time, working in a new company is a challenge for everyone,’ said Rita. ‘There are many challenges in working in a new company. You had to expand the market. You had to convince people. It is difficult to introduce new policies to customers, but with hard work, nothing is impossible. I worked very hard in the beginning. I left my family and friends behind, and sometimes I would be out of the valley for 1 month or even 45 days due to company work. On top of that, I was a woman, so the challenge was a challenge.’
Rita used to go to every village and deliver insurance. ‘Again, that was the time of networking business. That also affected insurance,’ she added, ‘At that time, when networking business had a negative impact, we were able to bring insurance to its current state.’
‘Initially, there was a challenge of branding. I worked hard. Today, that hard work has also brought me success, but I have not stopped working just because I have reached this far. My hard work is the same today as I used to work yesterday,’ says Rita.
‘I am a good daughter to my parents, a good daughter-in-law to my in-laws, a good wife to my husband, and a good mother in the eyes of my son,’ says Rita, who has always been moving forward by doing good deeds. ‘Likewise, now I am also a good employee of the company. As much as the company has trusted me, I have also worked as if it were my company. I always walk as if it were my work. I have never walked as if it was the company’s work. Perhaps it is because I have moved forward thinking of my own work and my own company that I have achieved success today.’
Rita likes to work for women and always move forward to do something for women. Rita has always inspired women in the company to move forward. Rita has also expanded the women’s organization in the company. Rita says that she always advises women to follow the path of good deeds and encourages them to work.
When asked what kind of response she gets when she goes from village to village with an insurance awareness program, Rita answers, ‘There are both positive and negative responses. People who have already understood insurance say that insurance is good. They say that insurance has given us relief, that insurance has stood as a strong pillar for us. Some people do not try to get insurance. They say that insurance is only available after death. However, when we are providing insurance and conducting awareness programs, they say that it is good to understand insurance later.’ 
Recently, Rita has experienced that the Insurance Authority’s insurance awareness program has also had a positive impact on insurance awareness. ‘Every insurance company has also vigorously promoted the insurance campaign. This will bring good results in the future,’ she said.
While conducting awareness programs, Rita always says, ‘Get everyone insured. Insurance is indispensable. She teaches that insurance not only ensures today but also tomorrow’s future. She said that she focuses on insurance for the lower class with low income. ‘In a low-income household, if the income earner dies tomorrow, that household will face financial crisis,’ Rita adds, ‘That is why I remind them that if you save a cup of tea today and get insurance, insurance will do the work of a guardian tomorrow.’
Rita says that family plays a big role in reaching the top level of the insurance sector as an only daughter. ‘I have reached this place today because of the support of my husband and sons,’ she said, ‘My family encouraged me and brought me here. For this, I would like to thank my family members.’
Rita says that in addition to her family, the company has also supported her equally. ‘The company’s team has always encouraged me. For this, I will always be grateful to the company,’ she said.
Rita is happy that good and professional agents are entering the insurance market due to the recent online agent exam conducted by the authority. ‘This is a very good thing for the insurance market. The one agent, one insurance company campaign has also improved the insurance market,’ she says.
Rita says that she meets every target set by the company. Rita, who has made a name for herself as a prominent woman in the insurance sector, has been honored with various awards. She has even visited 11 countries.
Rita says that she has been able to reach this position today because of the good team at Citizen Life. ‘The company has always treated everyone equally. The company does not say this senior or that junior. Agents, employees, and top management all have the same treatment,’ she said, ‘Our company has moved forward by giving special priority to agents. Because agents are the backbone of the company. Without agents, the company’s business is impossible. That is why we have been increasing the market by providing capacity building training to agents. The company has always respected agents. Citizen Life has been providing excellent, advanced level training to employees and agents.’
Citizen Life has been emphasizing the digital concept of late. This concept has become convenient for customers and the company. Currently, 99 percent of agents in the company work online. In addition, the company has been emphasizing new campaigns, time, and customer-oriented policies. In the coming days, we are committed to establishing ourselves as a strong company in the insurance market by bringing convenient and simple plans to our customers.
