EDITOR’S LETTER
Front and centre for re/insurers
“There is a lot going on industry-wide to make the most of the opportunities brought by more diverse talent.”
Diversity and inclusion (D&I), or more accurately the lack of it in wider society and at work, almost rivalled the pandemic for attention-grabbing headlines in 2020. From the Black Lives Matter protests that began in the US, to concerns that the pandemic is turning back the clock on gender equality as more people work from home, the issue is front and centre for re/insurers.
It shouldn’t need to be said, again, but the business case for taking D&I seriously at work is well established. And as one of our interviewees says, you can expect to see an ever-increasing number of research reports documenting the business benefits as time goes on.
That’s not to say that the re/insurance industry hasn’t been proactive in this area. As our industry body forewords make clear, there is a lot going on industry-wide to make the most of the opportunities brought by more diverse talent, as well as a wealth of strategies and initiatives from individual firms.
But there is still more that can be done, as our contributors also make plain, with specific challenges for the re/insurance industry.
With these tasks in mind, we hosted a panel discussion on Intelligent Insurer’s Reinsurance Lounge to get under the skin of D&I. You can read more on this in two special features that focus on the debate.
This special supplement features in-depth interviews with industry leaders sharing their first-hand experiences, the direction they think D&I is heading in and what this means for the industry.
If you need more inspiration, check out our carefully compiled list of the top 25 D&I champions from across the industry. Some names you will know, others will be a revelation.
2021 could be the year we see the dramatic acceleration of progress in D&I as more people acknowledge, and act on, the competitive edge it brings. The companies that do act, as one industry leader puts it, are likely to win in the race to succeed as those that dismiss the opportunity fall behind.
Claire Churchard is deputy editor of the Newton Media Insurance Group
Image: shutterstock.com / Mai.K
