DIVA spoke to the the Chair of the Allianz Global Pride Board about her work in diversity and inclusion
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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion have always been at the heart of Marie-Helene’s career.
As an out, queer woman vulnerability, visibility and acceptance are her constant drivers. Drawing on her own lived experience she passionately champions belonging while ensuring an environment of psychological safety to encourage others to be authentically themselves.
She leads Inclusion, Diversity and Belonging for Allianz Commercial globally and she is also the Chair of the Allianz Global Pride Board. She is also a member of the Board of LINK (LGBTQ+ Insurance Network) and the Board of We Create Space.
Her engagement in DEI in her work and beyond has been recognized in her being listed in the Pride Power List 2023 and the Global Diversity List 2023 – and she was named Inspirational Role Model at the Rainbow Honours 2023.
OUTSpoken Speakers Network was launched on 28 September, providing a new platform to amplify, connect, and support LGBTQIA women and non-binary people. Co-founded by Polly Shuteand Raga D’silva, the Network aims to provide a best-in-class speaker agency, expertly designed workshops and training, curated, bespoke panel sessions, networking events and online toolkits and digital content.
What drew you to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as a career?
Without knowing it I guess I was always interested in DEI. I was brought up in a multinational household, lived in different countries, speak different languages and that’s even before I realised I was queer!
Now with age and wisdom, I can say that I have found my calling. Working in DEI is about improving the lives of people in organisations. It’s about giving voices to those who can’t speak for fear of discrimination in a professional setting, it’s about having difficult conversations with senior leaders to make them see things differently and sometimes it’s about disrupting the status quo.
Why is LGBTQIA representation and visibility so important in workplaces?
This is absolutely crucial. We should feel able to share every part of our personality while at work if we want to – even things that aren’t immediately obvious. That could be how we interact in a team, how we learn but also more personal things like our sexual orientation. We can only do this if we cultivate a culture where people feel safe to do so. People will feel safe if they see others who are like them be successful and be open about who they are.
Personally, I never had role models growing up ( thank you Section 28) and this also carried on when I started my professional journey. Today in the insurance industry there are still very few out, queer women – and if I can be the role model that I lacked for someone else, then I feel that I would be doing a good job.
What have been some of the proudest moments during your career?
A couple of things spring to mind. The first would be putting in place what I have called i-Champions in my workplace – these are a group of volunteers there to provide safe spaces to our colleagues who want to speak to someone who might have the same lived experience as them about any discrimination that might have faced or any behaviour that is not inclusive. I have fought very hard to get this off the ground and it finally did at the beginning of the year!
Another personal moment of pride for me was last month with OutSpoken Speakers we hosted a session on Domestic Abuse in the LGBTQ+ Community and I told my story. I had never spoken about it on such a big platform (in front of complete strangers) but as a result, I was able to push a stand-alone domestic abuse policy within my organisation.
I was also super proud when I won Inspirational Role Model at last year’s Rainbow Honours – it was totally unexpected and a moment of great joy that I shared with my friends and colleagues who were there with me!
How can employers help to support and amplify the voices of their LGBTQIA employees?
Encourage allyship – and not just performative allyship but action that is meaningful and intentional. It is tiring for LGBTQ+ colleagues to educate everyone so encourage allies to educate themselves and create partnerships with organisations such as OutSpoken Speakers who will create events to make people think. Create an environment where people feel safe calling out and calling in homophobic behaviour. Ensure that all your policies are as inclusive as possible. Make sure that any action that you take as an organisation to support LGBTQ+ employees does not stop once Pride month is over – LGBTQ+ colleagues will still be gay in July! Celebrate openness, and role model employees (but at the same time do not pressure anyone to out themselves). Lastly, create a community – don’t underestimate the power of Employee Resource Groups – invest in them as for many people they will have a very important role to play.
What advice would you give to other queer people wanting to get into DEI?
Do it! People who work in this space do so because it is a passion, so follow your passion. There are still too few queer women in this space, so get involved, add your voice to the table!
Find out more about OUTSpoken speakers here: www.outspokenspeakers.com
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