TOP 40 D&I CHAMPIONS: S–Z
Chelsey Sprong
Inclusion partner—Beazley
Sprong is recognised among her colleagues for her efforts to further D&I aims, adding that she does this in “a very balanced, data-driven and fact-based way that leaves no room for disagreement, or emotional overreactions”. Her work to provide D&I facts has led directly to greater diversity by shining a light on where performance by certain teams could be improved.
With 10 years in recruitment and HR across financial and professional services in London, Sprong is responsible for embedding and driving forward the inclusion and diversity strategy across all international offices. She is enthusiastic about using her position to enable real, sustainable and measurable progress in the D&I space all underpinned by the relevant data. Her strength lies in collaborating with business leaders to create bespoke solutions to garner genuine commitment to change.
Monica Stancu
Diversity, inclusion and wellbeing manager—Lloyd’s
Colleagues at Lloyd’s described Stancu as having a deep emotional understanding of D&I and said that she has made a significant impact at Lloyd’s by shifting deeply ingrained attitudes across the industry.
Today she is the D&I manager at Lloyd’s. Previously, she has worked in D&I at the Royal Academy of Engineering, Sodexo and F. Hoffmann-La Roche. She has been selected as a Global Champion for Women’s Economic Empowerment by UN Women and has won a WeAreTheCity 2020 Rising Stars award. She is also a One Young World Ambassador and a mentor at Migrant Leaders.
Daniel Stander
Senior adviser—United Nations Development Programme
As an advocate for people who are marginalised, particularly women and girls in vulnerable communities, Stander uses his platform to raise awareness across the re/insurance industry. He is vocal about the importance of gender-responsive insurance solutions, especially in the most exposed communities. He has worked to highlight the distinct vulnerabilities of women and girls, which shape the way they experience disaster.
Stander pioneered the use of gender, age, and disability-responsive data to help the insurance industry better understand diversity and develop solutions that are inclusive.
His high visibility and work with the re/insurance industry helps to keep a continued focus on building disaster risk solutions that recognise and address the fact that disasters often put an undue burden on women and girls. This is because it is often women and girls in vulnerable communities who are responsible for unpaid work such as providing care, water, and food for households.
Patrick Tannock
Managing director—AXA XL Chair—ABIC
Regarded as a mentor and inspiration for many young black professionals in the industry. Tannock has worked to ensure diversity is at the top of the Association of Bermuda International Companies (ABIC) agenda. His belief is that diversity has the power to be transformational for a company and that inclusion enhances an organisation’s ability to achieve better results by engaging people from diverse backgrounds.
He says that a diverse workforce measurably improves an organisation’s decision-making, problem-solving, cultural awareness, creativity and innovation. It boosts its effectiveness and enhances its ability to adapt rapidly and successfully to change.
Teniola Tijani
Underwriter—IQUW
Tijani is the founder of Ladies That Lunch (LTL Collective), a group of black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) women in the insurance industry who come together to share ideas and raise each other up professionally. LTL has grown from six members in June 2019 to more than 80 members by early 2022. Tijani entered the industry as a graduate underwriter at Travelers, today she is an ambassador for London Insurance Life (LIL), which aims to make routes into entry level roles more accessible by connecting people with the London insurance market.
She has been outspoken about her encounters at work and speaks candidly about her experiences as a black woman within the insurance industry.
Marie Helene Tyack
Global inclusion, diversity & belonging business partner, and chair, Global Allianz Pride Board—AGCS
As chair of the D&I Council at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty, Tyack spearheads the D&I efforts across the business. She leads the apprenticeship and internship programme to make insurance a more attractive career path for people leaving school or university and provides opportunities to people that might not be aware of a career in insurance or have access to this knowledge.
She is a leader of the Allianz PRIDE council and a strong voice internally and externally on LGBTQ+ subjects.
Renate Wagner
Member of the board of management and chair, Global Inclusion Council—Allianz
Wagner works tirelessly to promote DEI while fostering a culture of respect. This work is based on the goal of making Allianz a truly inclusive workplace that consists of more than 150,000 people of more than 160 different nationalities, from five generations and balanced gender representation.
She is passionate about people and building the workplace of the future. Her vision is of a workplace where people can thrive regardless of their culture or background. It is a place that offers new opportunities for reconciling career and personal life and combines the best of digital working with human interaction, and is a workplace marked by a new generation of leaders. She has a mantra that promotes the benefits of this ideal: “Don’t underestimate the strength of diverse teams.”
Tammora Warren
D&I specialist—Verisk
Warren leads inclusive cultures at Verisk where all employees are supported to innovate and thrive. Described as a forward-thinking leader she is constantly focused on creating sustainable change through addressing systemic processes and policies within and outside organisations. She believes that diversity is about having a safe place to work and that greater inclusivity with an authentic workforce is the solution to help solve complex challenges that will help exceed customer expectations.
William Wharton
Head—Argo Insurance, Bermuda
Wharton is an expert on faith, ethnicity, race, and culture at Argo and he leads D&I initiatives in the industry. He has highlighted the issue of career barriers for young black men looking to join the re/insurance industry and has said the requirement of “completely unnecessary” qualifications or experience for entry level positions blocks them from entering insurance roles.
Wharton has shone a light on these barriers and revealed a significant unconscious bias in many hiring policies. He said that such policies set the bar unnecessarily high for potential candidates in requiring qualifications and experience that young black men are less likely to have.
Laure Zicry
Head of cyber Western Europe—Willis Towers Watson
Known for her dedication to D&I, Zicry heads up several initiatives to share ideas and best practice with colleagues and clients. In addition to her extensive experience in cyber risks management in Western Europe, she and her team are determined to see that Willis Towers Watson is among the best in the world when it comes to D&I. She coaches and mentors colleagues on a regular basis.
