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Dear Members,
Well, it’s been back to business with a bang for Link. After so long being locked in our houses, and meeting en masse not possible, we had a fantastic time hosting our Pride Party at the Ned Hotel last month. This was followed by our belated Summer Party, hosted and supported by Kennedys. We have reinstated our First Tuesday Drinks and have some great in person and virtual events in the pipeline. |
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September also saw another successful Dive In, with Link supporting three UK based LGBTQ+ events. Do log back into the Dive In platform where you can see recordings of some of these, and many other events.
Link also received a highly commended recognition at the Insurance Insider Awards. Whist we did not win the award for Diversity and Inclusion, we would like to congratulate our fellow Partner Network iCAN for a well-deserved win, given the fantastic work they do.
The start of October sees the start of Black History Month, which gives us the opportunity to discuss and remember the stories of those less well-known individuals. It’s also important we focus on the progress to be made, especially following the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, following George Floyd’s murder and the conviction of the police officer Derek Chauvin which offered a powerful reminder of an ongoing universal human rights campaign.
I’m always conscious that Link would not be where it is today, without the support of individuals who do so much for diversity and inclusion. One of these individuals, Michaela Gibson for me, epitomises someone who has devoted so much time, effort and passion to turning the dial and making the insurance industry a more inclusive place for all. Michaela is a finalist at the Women in Insurance Awards, and has been nominated for the Unsung Hero Award, an award very much befitting her. All of us at Link wish you the best of luck!
Maurice Rose
LINK Chair |
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Huge thanks to everyone who came to belatedly celebrate pride with Link in September. It was a fantastic evening, and great to see so many people in person. The party was the culmination of a fantastic pride t-shirt campaign which saw Link raise £20,000 for the Albert Kennedy Trust.
The T-shirt competition was a fantastic opportunity for the Insurance Market to come together and do something creative and collaborate. Well done to Chubb for their winning entry!
We also want to thank The Ned for hosting such a great event - we hope to repeat it in future years.
The Ned is also home to Ned’s Club, a members club to meet, work and have fun in the heart of the City. They have recently introduced a new membership, Ned Friends. Friends get access to members-only spaces, events and benefits at their restaurants and bedrooms. More information can be found here.
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| Link would like to thank the Risky Mix, a fantastic Podcast about diversity and inclusion in financial services. The Risky Mix featured Link, and Maurice Rose, Senior Manager in PwC's insurance regulatory practice and chair of Link – the LGBTQ+ insurance network. Maurice recently made Intelligent Insurer’s top 25 D&I champions in the insurance sector and spoke about Link’s mission, the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in the industry and where companies can better support their communities. |
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Link is keen to understand the lived experience of LGBTQ+ individuals and allies in the Insurance Industry.
Please help us do so by completing our survey.
This survey is for those who work in and are part of the insurance ecosystem, including insuretech, professional services firms and suppliers.
Your answers will help us further our work to make the Insurance Industry the employer of choice for the LGBTQ+ community. The results will help to shape where we focus our energy and to identify any current and emerging issues, helping Link and the wider Insurance Industry to understand where we can have the biggest impact in the years ahead.
Your answers will be completely anonymous and incredibly helpful. |
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 | Link is excited to be reinstating our regular first Tuesday Networking Drinks. Post pandemic, we have decided to move venue to The Otherist where we have reserved a small area for Link Members. We have drinks scheduled tomorrow, October 5 th and November 2 nd at 17:30. Keep a look out for committee members who will be wearing a Link Badge. We hope to see as many of you there as possible. Do come along to meet friends old and new! There is no need to register, feel free to just turn up, but more information is outlined in the link below. Please click here for more details. |
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 | Join Maurice Rose and Ben Johnson for a webinar hosted by the Insurance Institute of London on Wednesday 13th October to discuss how to be an LGBTQ+ inclusive employer of choice, where you’ll discover: - Why being an LGBTQ+ inclusive employer is important
- What the regulators are saying in relation to D&I
- How you can make your recruitment processes more LGBTQ+ inclusive
- How you can use the new LINK inclusion framework to make your organisation an employer of choice for the LGBTQ+ community
- What the regulators are saying in relation to D&I
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Kenny Carmichael from CFC Underwriting finished his 1 Man, 23 Day, 400 Mile challenge to walk from Southend to Land’s End. Here Kenny details his monumental journey.
I walked a total of 437.4 Miles and raised, to date, £28,857 + £4,831.50 in Gift Aid.
The walk was an experience that I will always remember. I have been blown away by the interest in the story and the generosity shown by so many people. The aim of the walk was to raise funds for St. Vincent’s Centre, Southend who serve the homeless and vulnerable members of my hometown.
I also aimed to raise awareness about mental health and challenge stigmas associated with homelessness. I was moved by the courage and honesty of those people who walked with me and shared their experiences of poor mental health and grateful for all of the support shown by friends, colleagues, family and strangers.
Personally, I think this experience has helped me to refocus on what is important in life and I do believe that this will bring some lasting positive change in respect of my own wellbeing.
If you are interested in reading about the challenge you can see the story on the St. Vincent’s Centre, Southend facebook page or view my 400 mile highlights on Insta @kcarm87. Donations can be made at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/st-vincent-s-centre-southend |
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It’s been a really busy month for the Allianz and LV= Pride networks with some key updates:
New - Transitioning at Work Policy
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| As part of our ongoing commitment to equality of opportunity for all our people, we’re proud to introduce our new Transitioning at Work Policy which will be implemented across Allianz, LV=, Petplan and Home & Legacy. Amongst other topics, the policy covers: |
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- name changes and official records
- time off for transitioning to attend appointments, treatment and surgery
- dress codes
- pronoun guidance
- recruitment procedures
Scarlet-Marie Morgan, co-lead of the Allianz Pride UK network said she was incredibly proud to see the introduction of the new policy and cited the support she’s received during her transition journey.
Stephanie Smith, Allianz Holdings chief operating officer and sponsor of the Allianz Global Pride Network, commented:
“We’ve always done our best to foster an environment and create a workplace where everyone can thrive but we felt it was important to bring in this new policy to explicitly demonstrate our support for our trans colleagues. It provides clarity for everyone, not only on practical HR matters but also how we can all help to create a safe and inclusive environment.”
Bi-Visibility Webinar and discussion |
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| To mark Bi-Visibility Day on 23 September, in partnership with the London Bisexual Network, the Allianz and LV= Pride Networks co-hosted a virtual event titled ‘Bisexuali-tea – A fireside chat about the ‘B’ in ‘LGBTQ+. |
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During this event which was open to all, a number of Allianz and LV= colleagues discussed what bisexuality means to them and were candid about their own journey and experiences.
Employees also shared blogs which were published on the Allianz Pride Network members page.
We look forward to sharing our updates next month! |
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