Simon Hearn reflects on his attendance at Inclusion at Lloyds Group, highlighting the ever growing need not just for diversity in the workplace but the awareness and acceptance of it!
“Well done Lloyd’s – this is a great start! Dominic Christian is just the right person to run this initiative and did a great job last night. I was there and pleasantly surprised. Everyone of the speakers (John Cridland CBI, Ashwin Mistry President CII, Alistair Hignell, ex England rugby player and broadcaster and a NED on Lloyd’s Franchise Board, Claire Ighodaro) produced impactful presentations and a great deal of food for thought. The content was excellent and undeniable – I think most were thinking the same – we all have to improve. For me, the surprise was the turnout.
A large number of CEOs were present not just their diversity reps; there were probably over 100 in the room. This was all about inclusion – not exclusion. I thought Claire had it right when she urged us all to be more imaginative and step out of our comfort zones; meet people who are different, and to be proactive in this space.
In the search business we feel a genuine responsibility to help our clients get this right. We have done two and soon to be three large “Female Talent” exercises where we have identified outstanding women for clients – many of whom were not immediately obvious. The Insurance sector and especially Lloyd’s has a great deal of work to do to make this happen. I suggested a quick look at the asset management sector in London as a good benchmark for insurance and broking companies. This sub-sector of Financial Services has had significant success in attracting and retaining senior women – with many in CEO roles. It is possible.
So it is a thumbs up to Dominic and the team – an excellent start. And now for the difficult bit!
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