Dive In wants you

Dive In wants you

Lloyd’s annual diversity and inclusion festival summons those who work in insurance to be allies for change

By Miranda Maxwell

The US Army’s “I want you” recruiting poster, with its image of Uncle Sam sternly pointing, is an unforgettable call to action. In the same spirit, the organisers of the 2021 Dive In festival are summoning those who work in insurance to “be an ally for change”.

That’s the theme for this year’s festival promoting diversity and inclusion in the insurance industry. Dive In will be held on September 21-23 in a hybrid virtual/physical events format.

Last year it attracted a record 30,000plus attendees from 35 countries – almost three times that of previous years.

“We still have so many more people within the industry, and beyond, that we need to reach,” Dive In Steering Committee member and Head of Inclusion & Diversity at Willis Towers Watson (WTW) Jen Denby says.

This will be the Lloyd’s-backed Dive In Festival’s seventh consecutive year, and organisers say it is time for attendees to consciously help others be successful under the “active allyship” theme.

Global Festival Director and Head of Culture at Lloyd’s, Pauline Miller, says this year’s events will focus squarely on “making real change” and “turning good intentions into equitable outcomes”.

The theme has been welcomed by a range of companies in the local insurance industry. Willis Towers Watson (WTW), for example, is responding with a festival session on “helping to create a positive impact for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples”.

It is partnering with the From the Heart campaign, which seeks a First Nations voice to Parliament to be enshrined in the Constitution, as outlined in the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

That one-page, unfussy statement’s agenda culminates in a call for “makarrata” – a word from the language of the Yolngu people in Arnhem Land meaning “coming together after a struggle”.

The WTW Dive In session will be presented by WTW’s Western Australia General Manager Corporate Risk & Broking Adam Rhodes, who recently stewarded the global broker’s commitment to its first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), a framework which more than 1100 organisations have now committed to.

Mr Rhodes describes himself on LinkedIn as “passionate about diversity and inclusion, especially with our First Nations peoples” – a passion inspired by a chance meeting with former rugby league footballer David Liddiard at an industry event.

Mr Liddiard champions a “be what you see” philosophy, Mr Rhodes tells Insurance News.

“He had this expression, ‘blackfellas in suits’. He thought that was the answer — young Aboriginals can see their relatives leading these successful corporate lives we all take for granted.”

Mr Rhodes is also an independent member of the Arnhem Land-based Ganybu Aboriginal Housing Corporation, and the Yinhawangka Decision Making Committee which represents the native title claimants of around 1 million hectares in the Pilbara region that include Rio Tinto mines and the mining town of Paraburdoo.

Of WTW’s 577 staff, only two identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people, and the company’s action plan is intended to “increase that number significantly”.

It identifies 15 practical actions to drive relationships, respect, opportunities and governance. WTW has also committed to a review of its human resources procedures to identify existing anti-discrimination provisions and future needs.

WTW Head of Australasia Simon Weaver says highlighting career pathways, breaking down stereotypes and working hand in hand with Indigenous businesses to provide procurement initiatives and become allies are on the agenda.

He stresses the importance of an authentic commitment and providing meaningful employment and enterprise opportunities to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The statistics around diversity remain problematic. While finance and insurance has seen one of the biggest improvements in its gender pay gap over time, decreasing by almost 10 percentage points between 2014 and 2020, it still tops other sectors with a 27.5% divide.

In the UK, a study last year found 32% female representation in senior management in finance – barely changed from 2017 – while the situation for ethnic minorities showed signs of going into reverse.

Fewer than one in 10 UK management roles in financial services are held by black, Asian or other minority ethnic people.

There is also limited progress with social mobility, with a study of eight British financial firms finding 89% of senior roles were held by people from higher socio-economic backgrounds.

Mr Rhodes says he wants corporate Australia to understand Aboriginal beliefs around community and reciprocity and an attitude of “not just thinking about yourself”.

Insurers are in a unique position of influence, he says, as their wide customer base affords a spread of contact.

He is frustrated legislative progress appears to have stalled after Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s national apology in 2008, and says Dive In’s “ally for change” push can help drive the main point that the Uluru Statement from the Heart is actually a pressing issue.

“They just want to have a voice in laws and policies that directly impact them,” he says. “They want their voice enshrined in the Constitution so it can’t be taken away. It is a very complex area because it requires white Australians to get some self-awareness.

“That’s not a criticism. It’s just that we all come into cities and into our offices and we don’t have a lot of exposure to Aboriginal people, which leads to stereotypical thinking. That is really holding us back.”

Mr Rhodes says most Australians have little real appreciation of the aftermath of

Passionate about diversity: Adam Rhodes

European settlement, from dispossession to loss of language, to being forced to assimilate, the stolen generations and exclusion from the Constitution.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are six times more likely to die from suicide than non-Indigenous children. To reach parity with non-Indigenous Australians, the rate would need to be halved by 2031.

“The idea that kids as young as 10 can’t see a future for themselves is just horrible,” Mr Rhodes says. “There is still an awful lot of work to do”.

Insurers have embraced a wide range of collaborative initiatives in support of First Nation Australians. Some examples:

IAG was among the first companies in Australia to sign up for reconciliation action plans, and is also a champion of the referendum plan.

MetLife has signed up for Aboriginal cultural training by First Nations staff; Honan has partnered with Indigenous-led charity Children’s Ground; Zurich Australia unveiled its inaugural reconciliation plan last year and Suncorp its second; CGU’s Kayku Kumpa Awards celebrate First Nation small business owners; QBE has partnered with Stars Foundation mentoring Indigenous schoolgirls; and NRMA Insurance created artwork with Aboriginal land councils for NSW billboards.

Mr Rhodes says people underestimate the positive impact acknowledgment of country, now frequently observed at insurance events, has on Aboriginal people.

He says this seemingly minor step can spark people’s interest and build momentum, taking Australia closer to the New Zealand model of celebration and pride in Māori culture. It relays to Aboriginal people that non-aboriginals are listening, he says, “that we get it, that we simply just acknowledge that they were here first”.

“It is such a simple act that we can all do. It is a positive step forward in reconciliation.” 0

Here are the latest available details for this year’s local Dive In events (all times AEST unless otherwise specified):

September 21

• AIG NZ, Marsh NZ and Wotton & Kearney: How remote/hybrid working can help and/or harm organisational D&I, 8am (10am NZST) (Virtual)

• QBE: How cultural background impacts on LGBTIQ and people’s experience of work, 10am (Virtual)

• NIBA and Gilchrist Connell: Nurturing diverse talent and ending discrimination, 11am (9am AWST) (Virtual)

• Steadfast: Using allyship to create change with JJ Ferrari, 12pm (Virtual) • Lloyd’s and McInnes Wilson Lawyers: Harnessing inclusion: the next step, 4pm (Virtual)

September 22

• Aon: How does active allyship contribute to an inclusive workplace? 10am (Virtual)

• Liberty Specialty Markets and Wotton + Kearney: D&I – intention to action! An interview with business leaders on how they changed their culture, 11am (Virtual)

• Axa XL, Gallagher and Clyde & Co: Mental health in a post-pandemic world, 12pm (Sydney)

• Dual, Kennedy’s: The labels that divide us, 3pm (Virtual) • Zurich, Sparke Helmore: Showcasing allyship from unlikely places, 4pm (Virtual and in person)

• DLA Piper: Socio-Economic Diversity: How active allyship can help eliminate invisible barriers to career progression, 5.30pm (Invitation Only, Sydney)

September 23

• Chubb: Psychological safety journey (New Zealand), 6.30am (8.30am NZST) (Hybrid/ Auckland)

• AILA breakfast seminar: From #metoo to #wetoo in the law, 8am (ACST) (Virtual)

• AIG, Marsh, DXC: The AI influence: How will technology shape the future ally? 10.30am (Virtual)

• WTW and From the Heart: Be an ally for change: How you can help to create a positive impact for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, 12pm (Virtual)

• Chubb: Psychological safety journey, 1pm, (Sydney) • DLA Piper NZ, Dual: How active allyship can overcome inclusion barriers, 2pm (4pm NZST) (Auckland)

• Gallagher, Sparke Helmore, NIBA: Active allies: Turning intention into action and hearing from leaders, 4pm (Brisbane)

Go to https://diveinfestival.com/2021events/ for the latest information.

Determined to make a difference

Award-winning broker Beau Munn is passionate about his Indigenous family heritage and determined to make a difference within corporate Australia, with an aim to be a mentor to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

A descendant of the Dagoman and Gurindji people and recipient of the Valerie Baker Memorial Award, Mr Munn was formerly a mining account executive at Willis Towers Watson in Perth and director at Origin in Melbourne.

Today, he is a director at Mattiske & Henderson Insurance Services in the Victorian rural centre of Hamilton.

It’s a long way from his childhood in the Katherine and Wave Hill regions in the Northern Territory, where his mother, brother and sister still live.

Excited by change: Beau Munn

Steadfast Executive General Manager Compliance and Customer Experience Sheila Baker – who sold Gold Seal to the giant broker group last October – says Mr Munn “thoroughly impressed the awards judges with his eloquence and passion to add value to his community”.

While he’s driven by the diversity and inclusion drive, Mr Munn says insurers and other corporates run the gamut of quality in meeting the festival’s theme. They range from some companies leading the way to others who are well-intentioned but struggle to really make any impact. And some firms “are just there to tick a box”.

Scolding and media shaming only produces half-hearted and meaningless reconciliation efforts, he says.

Taking advantage of Indigenous expertise in traditional risk mitigation, especially with burn-offs to reduce the risk of large bushfires, is an example of a way insurers might make a difference.

Mr Munn also recommends more product innovation assisting Aboriginal medical centres and land councils, and more support for Aboriginal businesses.

“We are starting to put emphasis on procuring and training younger talent and more women, the focus on other cultures within the industry,” he says. “It’s an exciting time.

“There is so much voice for change now. Once it starts moving it is hard to stop.”