’If we just got together and did a few things really well, then we’d be far more impactful,’ says director
A leading figure at the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) has called for the industry to unite if it is to attract more talent.
Gill White, the institute’s director of member engagement and learning, said that there were a lot of individual efforts being undertaken by those in the industry to attract talent.
However, White felt that a more joined up approach would be “far more impactful”.
“Within the insurance industry, lots of different organisations are doing lots of different [talent attraction] initiatives,” she explained on Sandra Lewin’s 100 Women in Insurance podcast.
“If we just got together and did a few things really well, then we’d be far more impactful.
“So, that would be the call out – it’s ok to collaborate. Because we all cater to different people, so there’s space for everyone. There’s enough of us.
“It’s a huge industry - 40,000 of us just in the city. If we bring the forces together, the change can be much greater. I’m a big advocate of collaborating and working together.”
Education and AI
She also stressed that education was key, with the next generation not having a full understanding of insurance.
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This includes not being clear on what the industry does and the role it plays in the global economy.
“It is all about education and one of the real issues we have is that insurance isn’t yet a degree that people can access,” White said.
“So, until it’s something that young people are exposed to on a much more regular basis, and not just the personal lines insurance that their parents will have, then we can’t expect them to understand it or know about it.”
She added: ”It is absolutely all about getting into schools, helping kids understand what insurance is for.”
White also explained that artificial intelligence (AI) will help change the industry for the better.
“What AI is going to be able to do for us is basically take away all of those [activities] that are mundane and take loads of time to do,” she said.
”AI will augment the human in that respect. So, what it will do is allow far more time to be in front of the clients or inside the organisation doing the things that humans do really well.”
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