- VOiCE will use inclusio’s world leading technology to establish unprecedented benchmarks for Culture, Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) in Ireland
- Founding insurance industry partners include FBD Insurance, IPB Insurance, Irish Life, New Ireland Assurance, and RSA Insurance Ireland, 123.ie, and Intact Insurance have come together to deploy inclusio’s platform which combines technology, psychology and AI to measure, track and action D&I
- The initiative has been coordinated through a strategic partnership involving the Faculty of Lifelong Learning at South East Technological University (SETU) Carlow, inclusio, the Centre for Insurance Risk Data Analytics (CIRDAS)*, and ISEFSC**. The new framework will raise the overall performance of Culture, D&I strategy across financial services and insurance sector.
Issued Wednesday, 3 October, 2022. VOiCE (Valuing Openness, inclusive Culture & Equity) was launched today by Sean Fleming, Minister of State Department of Finance with responsibility for Financial Services, Credit Unions and Insurance, at SETU Carlow. VOiCE is the first of its kind sector led benchmark, starting with the insurance sector in Ireland, and will be foundational in being replicated globally in other sectors.
VOiCE is an industry-led collaboration to create sectoral D&I benchmarking. The technology partner is inclusio, a Dublin City University spin-out built by D&I experts. The globally leading platform combines technology, psychology and artificial intelligence to measure, track and action D&I. The platform engages employees confidentially, delivering personalised D&I Nudge learning and scientific data insights linked to business KPIs, enabling measurable culture change across the organisation.
VOiCE for Insurance is led by CIRDAS, Inclusio and the Ireland South East Financial Services Cluster (ISEFSC)**. The Centre for Insurance Risk Data Analytics Studies (CIRDAS) is an SEETU and Higher Education Authority (HEA) funded initiative to upskill and reskill those currently working in or wishing to work in insurance and financial services with heavily subsidised, accredited education solutions.
The partners have collaborated to develop a completely new framework and certification process for D&I for the insurance sectors and financial services which is based on the real experience of individual employees, researched in a completely confidential manner. The goal is to provide a blueprint for understanding culture, D&I in the workplace to provide the foundation for developing inclusive cultures. Currently, six Founding Partners have joined the initiative- RSA Insurance Ireland, 123.ie and Intact Insurance; FBD Insurance; New Ireland Assurance; IPB Insurance; and Irish Life. Following today’s launch event, the project aims to include 10 founding partners, and more participating institutions.
“The inclusion of the CIRDAS and inclusio delivered EDI masterclasses in the publication of ‘Ireland for Finance Action Plan’ in January 2022 underlined our commitment and drive for action in this sector at a Governmental level. The collaboration of the HEA funded CIRDAS, South East Financial Services Cluster (SEFSC) and startup inclusio along with strong founding partners in RSA Insurance Ireland, 123.ie and Intact Insurance, FBD insurance, New Ireland Assurance, Bank of Ireland Insurance Services and Irish Life brings the best of academia and industry together in a pioneering initiative.” commented, Minister of State, Sean Fleming.
President of SETU, Prof. Veronica Campbell commented, “SETU through the Faculty of Lifelong Learning, CIRDAS and partner INCLUSIO have provided a pathway for the insurance sector on their EDI journey. SETU is delighted to be at the forefront of such an innovative and pioneering venture and we are delighted to utilise our academic expertise to engage in such partnerships with industry for the development of solutions by industry and for industry”.
Sandra Healy is CEO and founder of inclusio, a science-based Diversity and Inclusion Platform, said: “Although many organisations have made great strides in becoming more diverse and building inclusion, some companies are leading the way by making D&I a business priority. Diversity is not just a matter of regulatory compliance for insurance companies, it’s a clear and present opportunity for positive cultural change.”
VOiCE is a first of its kind which takes a scientific approach to developing Culture, D&I sector benchmarks by gathering information and insights from employees in a totally confidential manner. We are delighted to partner with insurance industry leaders and work together to deliver scientific Culture, D&I benchmarks for the sector here in Ireland and across the globe”.
Anthony Kelly, Head of Communications, Culture and, Capability, RSA Insurance Ireland, 123.ie and Intact Insurance and VOiCE Advisory Board Member, said “RSA Insurance Ireland and 123.ie are delighted to be a founder member and signatory of this initiative. We are deeply passionate about continuing to strengthen DEI in our own business, and across the wider insurance industry. VOiCE will deliver incredible insights into the lived experience of our employees entirely confidentially. From this, we will be able to begin the benchmarking process which will be essential to improving our DEI strategies and introducing positive cultural change. We hope many more companies from the insurance and financial sectors will join this exciting programme and become pioneers of DEI understanding and effectiveness globally.”
CIRDAS is the Centre for Insurance, Risk and Data Analytics Studies created by SETU Carlow’s Facility of Lifelong Learning, Insurtech Network Centre (INC), and our Higher education institute (HEI) partner in Atlantic Technological University (ATU) Letterkenny.
Funded by the HEA and created under the Human Capital Initiative (HCI) Pillar 3 innovation & agility are highlighted in the Future Jobs Ireland (2019) report. The project aims to provide accredited education solutions required to upskill and reskill for those currently working in or wishing to work in insurance & financial services industry employees.
For more information, visit www.insurancesetucarlow.ie/cirdas/ or email [email protected]
About inclusio:
Four years in R&D at Dublin City University and backed by Enterprise Ireland, inclusio is a science-based, data-led Diversity and Inclusion platform that combines technology, psychology, and Artificial Intelligence to measure, track, and action D&I across the organisation. Our mission is to Make Difference Count and set new industry benchmarks. We do this by achieving measurable results while empowering and educating organisations on the value of diversity and inclusive cultures.
Visit inclusio.io for more information.
About ISEFSC
Ireland South East Financial Services Cluster is an enterprise-led cluster initiative funded by five local authorities in the region: Carlow, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Waterford, and Wexford. Ignited in 2020 by six industry firms the cluster community has now grown to seventy, building a close partnership between the rich ecosystem of Business, Government & Public Agencies, and Academia. The firms are of all sizes in international financial services from start-ups to multinationals involved in banking, insurance, fund administration, investment and asset management, corporate treasury, securitisation, cybersecurity, fintech, paytech, and regtech. To join the community visit irelandsoutheastfscluster.com
VOiCE Advisory Board Members
Sandra Healy, CEO, inclusio and Advisory Board Chair
Anthony Kelly, Head of Communications, Culture and, Capability, RSA Insurance Ireland, 123.ie and Intact Insurance
Carolyn O'Hara, Chief Human Resources Officer, FBD Insurance
Conor Mahon, Director of Operations, IPB Insurance
Margaret Gribben, Head of DEI, Irish Life
Oonagh Kelly, Head of HR, New Ireland Assurance
Áine Coady, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Lead, CIRDAS
Damian Rossiter, Programme and Development Manager, CIRDAS