The Power of Representation and Allyship

 I have worked in Financial Services for nearly 30 years, most of that within Retail Banks and more recently (the last 5 years) in the insurance sector, mostly commercial lines. I care deeply about this industry on so many levels, we have the ability to solve for many of the challenges we face globally e.g. climate, cyber threat, driving economic growth; it’s certainly the reason why I joined – that strength of purpose across the insurance industry. I have been very privileged to lead and be part of some incredible change across Financial Services i.e. leading the first steps to online and digital banking, the launch of the first mobile banking application, the first paperless mortgage, the first self-serve investment platform….so I have been lucky to be part of some amazing teams to do a number of firsts….driven by a passion to do better for customers and our people.  Making Financial Services more accessible, fairer, and more inclusive has been an area I have focused on. This has also led me to some incredible roles including the first Chief Digital Officer for Lloyd’s of London.  

 That leads me to today, which is another incredibly privileged role to lead the digital trading approach for Commercial lines at WTW. The proposition is called Neuron, connecting any broker, any insurer, anywhere.  Connecting capital and risk seamlessly. I can’t tell you how much I love this role, working with a talented group of individuals within WTW and have no doubt we will be a leading player within this field. We are starting with relentless focus on bringing Neuron to the UK and US markets this year, beyond that…we could do anything. We have a huge opportunity with the team, the support and sponsorship across the organisation. 

Passion for Innovation and Disruption

 Outside of WTW I am passionate about the challengers, disrupters, and start-ups. During the financial crisis I worked with the early banking disrupters we know and love to drive greater competition in the industry.  Which meant I had the opportunity to speak to the government, regulators and policy makers to drive change, particularly given there are still too many individuals, segments and communities who cannot access the services they need. This then led me to be Chair of the Board for Innovate Finance which is the voice of the FinTech community and Chair of the board for Stripe UK, an incredible story and now processing 1 trillion payments.  

 I was recently asked whether I have been able to see myself represented in other senior staff. This is so important, representation is so important.  I think we have made some progress across the sector as a whole but I think we all agree there is much more to be done if we are to attract and retain the very best talent.  At the end of the day people connect to people, and there are so many dimensions to that – talent within leadership of course i.e. what am I learning, but also what do I believe, are the spaces I operate in supportive and can I challenge.  We need to create fearless spaces, I fundamentally believe when people are fearless they can do anything. We want to see people and connect to people that represent ‘us’ in some way shape or form – from Boards all the way through the organisation.  

 Allyship is so critical, we need allies that do not walk past – whatever we walk past is actually the tolerance benchmark we set and this becomes who we are whether we want it to or not.  I think allies have a huge role to play whether someone is ‘in the room’ or not, to call it out.  We need to walk together 365 days a year not just at specific events or specific times of the year but it should be part of who we are and what we do.  Not just for the LGBTQ+ community but diversity in its deepest and broadest sense.  Walk with each other and have conversations.  It’s ok to say I don’t understand but I want to.  I do worry and maybe I am wrong, we also need to ensure we don’t pit against each other, our community is so broad and so deep, we need to ensure we fully embrace all aspects, not one side pitting against the other, it’s hard enough without that. 

 And this is why inclusion and diversity is so important to me. It means everyone in the room, we must have everyone in the room and with a voice.   We have some gnarly issues to navigate at an organisation level, sector level and industry level e.g. DEI is more than criteria and stats, how we face the challenges across technology with areas like AI and what does that mean as we adopt the opportunities, how we solve for digital identity and increase  greater digital and data connectivity etc.  So if you don’t represent the full spectrum of customers you serve, then someone is left out of the room.  There are plenty of examples where we have seen this happen across Financial Services and also across the technology sector, worryingly the diverse communities, vulnerable communities are also the most impacted.   

 The only way we will deliver the best outcomes for customers, our people and organisations is if we have everyone in the room, and everyone feels they have a voice.  This is way beyond stats and criteria but a fundamental shift in how we view inclusion and our ability to listen, change, learn and move quickly.....I’m hoping we are in a much better place in the next 12 months.  In truth, I feel we are noticeably slipping backwards at an industry level.   

Advice for Young LGBT+ Professionals  

You as you is ok, you’re enough.  I spent too long pretending to be something I wasn’t including my pretend boyfriend called ‘Dave’, who was actually a 6ft 2in South African called Jenny.  Oddly you’re just hurting yourself, I realised the acceptance needed to come from myself and no one believed Dave existed anyway.  On top of that, it is exhausting being two people plus people then doubt you as you’re trying to be something you’re not and they don’t always know why you are not being you.  So it ends up being this spiral of stuff and no one wins….and as I have said people connect to people at the end of the day and I’ve realised good or bad, whether they agree with your opinion or not, they want to connect with who you are.   And  if someone does have an issue with who you love and if the culture or behaviour of others doesn’t let you feel comfortable to be you, then it’s probably not the right place for you to give your talent.  You are worth more than that, and it took me a while to accept myself.  This also comes back to representation, we are in danger of creating stereotypes of CEOs, Chairs, COOs, CFOs etc.  We have an incredible industry and we need to attract the very best talent to keep moving forward.   I have been incredibly lucky to work with some amazing people and leaders, our industry is full of fantastic people who just want to keep pushing forward.  They exist in every organisation, find them and work with them.   

 This is an area I worry about a lot and I have spent a lot of time trying to understand is it better today for kids and young adults.  And unfortunately I don’t think it is.  Whilst there is probably greater visibility and representation in the media, culture, environment there is also fear.  As a result we are seeing young adults within the LGBTQ+ at higher risk of suicide.  I think understanding is so key and removing stigmas and myths.    This is an area I want to understand and support more.   

 I was so surprised to be honest as, firstly I felt like ‘oh a lifetime award, is that me done, I don’t want to be done!’  Seriously I was very humbled to think I may have had an impact on a small corner.  That’s all we want isn’t it, to make a positive impact in some way and hopefully make it just a little bit better.  But I am not done, not yet….there is so much more and I hope I can continue to be a part of that change.  

Challenges Faced Behind the Scenes

 This is a tricky one for me and one I’ve not shared until very recently, which I actually did on a podcast.  Teenage years are pretty tricky anyway, unfortunately, I lost my niece to a drunk driver at a very young age, which meant a lot changed very quickly for my brother and my family. It’s a total privilege to be the parent in my family, I get to look after them and I’m very grateful I can do that.  Through that time I was also battling with my own sexuality, probably why I invented Dave…there is also a photo out there of me in a Laura Ashley dress, a perm and court shoes (I honestly can’t begin to explain what I was thinking, particularly as I like to think I’m fashion forward 😂😂).  That led me to living two very different lives - one at work and one outside of work. Whilst it also meant I was probably closed as a leader in some areas of my life, probably unexplainable red flags to the teams I worked with. Outside that also led me to some quite difficult relationships and unfortunately one that was fairly abusive that resulted in a broken leg, a lot of that stemming from that person having sheer hatred for this community (it's a long story). I’m lucky I had some incredible friends who supported me and got me out of that. But all I heard was, women don’t do that so I didn’t share what had happened for over 10 years - no one believed my snowboarding back flip story. Well it does happen and women do do that but there is a tonne of support out there and it’s important to get help.  

 This all probably leads me to why I do what I do. I am working class, part of the 93% club. A proud member of the LGBTQ+ community that has kept me sane through life's rollercoaster. Passionate about an industry that can build and change lives, help buy dream homes, support businesses to grow and scale, connect people, create financial security for the most vulnerable and so much more. It isn’t and shouldn’t be reserved for the few but accessible to the many. Insurance is critical to all aspects of that.  We all know stories of people who for whatever reason have blips and challenges through life and then can’t get access to safe lending or access to basic banking or are not able finance and insure their next big idea but whilst we now have the data we are still falling short. The innovators are continuously looking to drive change, they are like a tsunami of ants, the dreamers and doers…constantly nibbling in and breaking through. It is critical that big organisations look to adapt within that as we have so much to offer.