The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF), a unique nonprofit organization dedicated to helping communities and enriching lives, today announced the release of a new white paper, “Women and Insurance: Where Innovation and Inclusion Meet,” published with MarshBerry. The report identifies key learnings distilled from discussions and presentations given by experts in diversity, inclusion and innovation and industry leaders at the IICF 2019 Women in Insurance Global Conference in New York. These learnings lay the foundation for how insurance professionals can build on progress in diversity and inclusion in the workforce to further innovation in the industry.
The white paper discusses three actionable insights identified by conference presenters:
- Leave the ladder down for career development.
- Create inclusive environments to recruit strong talent.
- Learn, unlearn and relearn to build the industry of the future.
The report showcases what industry professionals can do to work toward an environment where all individuals have a chance to succeed. Conference discussions highlighted include a presentation on empowering women in the workplace from Barbara Shönhofer, Founder of Shönhofer, Inc., as well as by Ravin Jesuthasan, Managing Director of Willis Tower Watson, focused on the importance of innovation and the need for industry leaders to reinvent themselves.
“Women in Insurance is where innovation and insurance meet. Our Women in Insurance Conference series, from its earliest launch in 2013, has been focused on diversity and inclusion, while providing a source of continuous learning on key industry issues, organizational excellence, advocacy and action with vision and purpose,” said Barbara Bufkin, Chair, IICF International Board of Governors and Executive Head of Business Development, Lending Solutions Assurant.
Other inspiring conference messages are highlighted in the report, including the following:
- Industry stakeholders must educate on the opportunities available in an insurance career for diverse talent, with a looming talent and experience gap anticipated due to retirement wave.
- Leaders should “leave the ladder down” and ensure that anyone has a chance at reaching the top of their profession.
- Recruiters should consider the needs and opinions of the next generation, members of which view diversity as a core value and bring diversity of thought.
- Industry management should embrace technological changes and other new developments to promote an environment of innovation and an inclusive workplace of the future.
For the full white paper, please click here or view the executive summary document.
Registration will open shortly for IICF’s 2020 Regional Forums in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and New York, where the discussion on innovation, inclusion and leadership in the insurance industry will continue. For more information regarding these events and registration please visit www.womensconference.iicf.org
About the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF)
The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) is a unique nonprofit that unites the collective strengths of the insurance industry to help communities and enrich lives through grants, volunteer service and leadership. Established in 1994, IICF has served as the philanthropic foundation of the insurance industry for more than twenty-five years, contributing $36 million in community grants along with 300,000 volunteer hours by more than 110,000 industry professionals. IICF reinvests locally where funds are raised, serving hundreds of charities and nonprofit organizations, for maximum community impact. IICF is a registered nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code. Learn more at www.iicf.org or follow us on Twitter @doubleicf.