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Ep. 77: Strength in Diversity

Shownotes

Deidre Wright is Director of Engagement & Marketing of the Diversity & Inclusion Institute for Business Insurance.  She holds a Bachelors degree in Sociology and Anthropology from Spelman College, Has served on the RIMS Advisory Board – Rising Risk Professionals, and has served as Vice Chair of the Emerging Leaders Council of the National African American Insurance Association.  She also held the position of Global Risk Management Insurance Specialist – Casualty Advisor for Marsh.

This episode is brought to you by:

Insurance Licensing Services of America (ILSA), America’s premier regulatory compliance experts. To learn more visit ILSAinc.com.

Deidre joins us on the podcast to discuss multicultural diversity in the United States and the important role that Diversity and Inclusion play in the future of the insurance industry.

“You can’t do the same o’ same o’, If you do that you are not going to sustain market share and you are not gonna grow … you have to be diverse in order to drive innovation get more ideas as well as think about the future and what your company wants to stand for.” 

Deidre Wright

What you’ll learn:

  • How her study of Anthropology, sociology and analysis training has helped in her insurance career
  • Her transition from public health to marketing to insurance
  • She discusses the Business Insurance August 2018, published survey on Diversity and Inclusion
  • The CEO’s Role: 52% of respondents believe CEOs are responsible for D&I success 
  • Top three challenges to D&I:  Finding Diverse talents with skill set, more consistent and visible leadership on the issue, and lack of understanding of the business case for D&I.
  • Where to get diversity training.  Deidre shares a list of groups that are available to help companies move forward with Diversity and Inclusion.
  • What are the significant benefits to having a diverse culture
  • How diversity can help you with problem solving
  • Unconscious bias and understanding the role each individual plays
  • The importance of mentoring others, and not just those that look like you or are the same gender. 
  • The importance of finding an individual or group of mentors
  • Discussion of Business Insurance launching a podcast this year highlighting Diversity and Inclusion

Key Takeaways:

  • One of the keys to successful Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace is that CEOs need to make D&I part of the compensation and performance evaluation
  • Be authentic about yourself and lead with who you are. 
  • Learn your personal brand and amplify it.
  • Joining diverse organizations like NAAIA will give you more opportunities that people aren’t aware of.

Connect with our Deidre: