D&I
Less talk, more walk: embracing D&I for real
In a world that is grappling with a war in Europe, the economic fallout of the pandemic and endless political upheaval it can seem like a struggle to keep the D&I agenda where most companies say it should be: front and centre.
In 2022 Intelligent Insurer touched on many aspects of diversity and inclusion (D&I) through a number of insightful and provoking panel discussions, interviews and forewords from industry associations in its 2022 Diversity and Inclusion Report.
We recognised the leadership, efforts and achievements made by some individuals in supporting and promoting D&I in their organisations and in the wider re/insurance market. Here, we highlight five D&I champions and five D&I initiatives that stood out to us in 2022.
D&I CHAMPIONS
1. Troy Dehmann, Chief operations officer, Beazley
With more than 20 years of experience in leading finance, operations and business transformation, Troy Dehmann has been described by his colleagues as “inspiring” when it comes to working on D&I initiatives.
Others describe him as pragmatic, with a goal-directed approach and committed to holding himself, his management team and wider department accountable when it comes to D&I.
He takes time to mentor and champion others and has been a vocal sponsor of the work that individuals across the company are doing, we are told.
2. Louisa Erwin, Group head of DEI, BMS
Louisa Erwin is described as a passionate, driven, and high-achieving individual who combines personal beliefs and knowledge to add value to business and the wider industry. Erwin has significant experience developing and leading diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and strategies across 24 countries.
She has been recognised several times including being highly commended as Head of Diversity of the Year at the European Diversity Awards and Winner of a Rising Star award in Diversity.
3. Junior Garba, Chief executive officer, ACINRecruit
Junior Garba is the co-founder of the African-Caribbean Insurance Network (ACIN) and the chief executive officer of ACINRecruit. ACIN was founded when two young underwriters, Garba and Godwin Sosi, found themselves increasingly frustrated with the D&I landscape within the insurance sector and the levels of under-representation of black professionals.
Determined to level the playing field, the pair launched ACIN in 2018 with the support of their two founding sponsors: Tokio Marine Kiln and Lloyd’s.
Garba is a member of Tokio Marine Kiln’s Ethnicity Network Group and regularly shares his views on racial inclusivity in insurance.
“The pair launched ACIN in 2018 with the support of their two founding sponsors.”
4. Tuga Alaskary, Technical specialist risk financing, UN Development Programme
Tuga Alaskary is a disaster risk financing specialist with more than a decade of experience in Africa and Asia.
She has been recognised for her leadership of the InsuResilience Global Partnership Declaration on Gender. This declaration includes a growing global network that aims to strengthen the financial resilience of poor and vulnerable communities against the impacts of climate and disaster risks to create gender-transformative action on the ground.
5. Kirat Nandra, Credit control manager, Chubb
Kirat Nandra has been championing D&I initiatives in the insurance industry for decades. She is deeply passionate about making the industry inclusive for all and was a pioneer of Chubb’s Insight Programme that gives young adults an entry point into the industry.
She works closely with SmartWorks to get people back into work after career breaks and she has been involved in the new 50 Over 50 initiative that highlights the importance of age diversity.
D&I INITIATIVES
The risk transfer industry has launched many D&I-related initiatives in recent years. Here we highlight five initiatives that stand out from the crowd. Have a look at the other 25 D&I initiatives on our list.
1. Chubb Start
Chubb Start is a series of accelerator programmes around the world that are designed for women at all stages of their career. The Chubb Start programme aims to make the organisation a more equitable workforce and to address historical challenges faced by women while creating new opportunities that will ensure women colleagues can perform to the best of their ability.
Chubb’s approach to culture is based on the understanding that when individuals feel a sense of belonging, they are free to perform at their best.
2. Ladies That Lunch: The LTL Collective
The LTL Collective was launched in June 2019 in recognition of the need for a safe space to unite and professionally develop women from under-represented ethnicities working in the insurance industry.
It is a network that supports women in overcoming the struggles that are part and parcel of under-representation by bringing them together at regular lunches in the City of London and other organised events.
Founded by Teniola Tijani and Shreeya Joshi, the initiative has organised events such as the three-day LTL Impact 3, which held discussions on “the cost of overextending, overstaying or overlooking yourself”, “find your tribe”—about cultivating a support system—and the importance of resilience.
The LTL group strives to support the next generation of women in insurance and can be found on LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.
“The LTL group strives to support the next generation of women in insurance.”
3. Global Equal Parental Leave: Beazley
At the start of 2022, Beazley changed its global benefits offering to give colleagues six months of paid parental leave regardless of their gender, and irrespective of how they came to parenthood. The move recognises the changing nature of families today and shows a broader commitment to closing the gender pay gap by ensuring that men and women are given equal opportunity to be the main providers for their children.
This approach may not be unique in the UK, but it is unusual around the globe and Beazley is “excited” to offer more flexibility to all of its employees.
It is part of the firm’s strategy around people and culture, which focuses on attracting and nurturing talented colleagues who champion diversity of thought. This is supported by providing a progressive and enhanced benefits package, of which the global equal parental leave is a key element
“Beazley is ‘excited’ to offer more flexibility to all of its employees.”
4. Domestic Abuse Support Programme: Crawford & Company
The claims management and outsourcing solutions provider launched its Domestic Abuse Support Programme (DASP) for employees in the UK in February 2022, and at the same time introduced a domestic abuse policy for the UK and Ireland.
There is growing evidence that the COVID-19 lockdowns led to an increase in domestic abuse. Crawford highlighted figures from the UK’s Office of National Statistics that showed that cases recorded as domestic-abuse-related crimes by the police had increased 6 percent year-on-year to the year ending March 2021.
The firm recognised that its employees will be among those affected by domestic abuse and said that its DASP and related policy is designed to offer support to those impacted with a range of services including counselling and financial help for legal support.
Under the programme, appointed colleagues at work will act as a confidential first point of contact. Access to counselling is then available through Crawford’s Employee Assistance Programme.
The firm is working to raise awareness of domestic abuse to break down the silence that surrounds the issue. It offers line managers training to improve how they handle sensitive issues and help their employees get support as quickly as possible.
“Access to counselling is then available through Crawford’s Employee Assistance Programme.”
5. RGA DEI Podcast: Reinsurance Group of America
Reinsurance Group of America (RGA) launched its DEI podcast in 2021 to highlight important DEI issues, showcase the work RGA is doing, and to help build a culture of inclusion at the company.
The monthly podcast focuses on sharing the many diverse voices of RGA employees, as well as periodic external guests speaking in partnership or on a special topic.
Discussions have covered improving connections with the disability community, celebrating Hispanic-American heritage, ways of partnering to reach the indigenous community, overcoming diversity barriers, which was held on Nelson Mandela Day (July 18), and supporting RGA’s LGBTQ+ community through employee resource groups.
Images: Shutterstock.com / Gorodenkoff
