To make diversity and inclusion initiatives work, insurers must talk about what they’re doing—in the business, in the industry, and outside. There’s no room for looking only for competitive advantage if change is to happen.
There are many different ways to approach diversity but they mostly share one thing at their heart: communication.
Bill Wharton, head of Argo Insurance Bermuda, said: “One of the things we have found is that you can’t communicate enough.”
Wharton is a member of Argo’s diversity and inclusion (D&I) committee, made up of senior leaders from across the organisation, including HR as well as communications. To discuss his company’s approach and the wider issue, he was joined on an Intelligent Insurer panel bringing together a range of D&I experts in the re/insurance sector: Helen Cooke, who joined Aspen Insurance in May 2020 as its lead for culture change engagement and D&I; Chelsey Sprong, inclusion partner at Beazley; Barbara Schönhofer, founder and chair of ISC Group, a community interest company that provides personal, professional and business development for women in insurance; and Vic Mazonas, general manager of the Group for Autism, Insurance and Neurodiversity (Gain), launched in 2021 with founder members including Marsh McLennan, Swiss Re, and Zurich.
diversity, insurance, inclusion, communication, Sprong, Mazonas, reinsurance, Wharton, Schnhofer, Beazley, Aspen, Argo, Gain