This webinar looks at the many types of biases, both conscious and unconscious and the impacts they can have in the workplace. Raising our own awareness and understanding of the issues can help us avoid the pitfalls of unconscious bias in particular. We’ve all heard the phrase ‘office banter’ but are we sure that’s how those on the receiving end perceive it and is it ok to go along with it?
The session will incorporate a video extract from the first launch of Professional Skills videos developed as part of the IFoA’s 2021/2022 professionalism resources.
This is your opportunity to ask questions of our panel of experts and to learn about activities in this area across the profession including information about resources to enhance your knowledge of this topic and how you can make a positive difference in making the workplace a welcoming safe environment for all.
Event organiser
Contact Events Team for more information.
eventmanagement@actuaries.org.uk
0207 632 1498
Chair:
Malcolm Slee, Chair of IFoA’s Professional Skills Sub-committee
After over 40 years working in the Life Assurance industry, first for Guardian Assurance and then Aviva, Malcolm retired in 2017 but he remains an active volunteer for the IFOA. He is chair of the PSSC, was a member of council 2014-2020 and was re-elected in 2021, a member of the Health and Care Board 2015-2020 and secretary of Yorkshire Actuarial Society for many years. For a complete change he is now also a volunteer at his local RSPB centre at Lytham St Annes.
Panel:
Jasmine Gartner, Jasmine Gartner Consulting
Jasmine has lived in London since 2008, and has worked extensively all around the UK, speaking about and developing, designing and delivering training on employee engagement, information & consultation, cross cultural awareness, unconscious bias and diversity and inclusion. She is the author of Employee Engagement: a little book of Big Ideas.
Stephen Mann, IFoA CEO
Stephen joined the IFoA as CEO in January 2020. Since then he has worked with the IFoA’s governing bodies to define an ambitious new 2020-24 strategy to champion the benefits of a globally diverse and inclusive profession Stephen is also a member of the City of London Socio-Economic Diversity Taskforce for professional and financial services. Previously Stephen was Group CEO at the Police Mutual Group, serving nearly 500,000 people in the police and military families, many of whom would not otherwise have access to mainstream financial services and a Board Director for the Aviva UK businesses with responsibility for strategy and business services. Stephen has also been Chair of Aviva’s With Profits Committee and UK retail investment business, a non-executive director at ALICO UK and the independent member of the Audit and Risk Committee at The College of Policing. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors and The Pensions Management Institute, a trustee of The Police Arboretum Memorial Trust and started his career as a solicitor in private practice in the City.
Sonal Shah, IFoA Education Actuary
Sonal Shah is an Education Actuary at the IFoA, responsible for the general insurance practice area. She is a member of the Professional Skills Sub-committee, contributing case studies and facilitating training courses. She also sits on the GI Board and some of its sub-committees including the GI Lifelong Learning committee. She is the co-chair of the IFoA employee-led Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) group.
Sonal volunteers for The Actuary magazine and is a member of the Editorial Advisory Panel. She is a Board member of the charity Actuaries du Monde (Actuaries of the World) and was a Board member of the charity Actuaries Without Borders.
Zoe Burdo, Senior Consultant, LCP
Zoe is a qualified actuary with experience working on a range of corporate and trustee clients, both large and small, providing actuarial advice on all aspects of their pension arrangements.
As the Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Coordinator for LCP, Zoe has a leading role driving forward LCP’s internal D&I strategy and four employee led D&I Networks, as well as developing relationships with industry and external groups. Zoe is also involved in promoting diversity and inclusion across the wider financial services industry. She is a member of the IFoA’s Diversity Action Group and sits on a number of focus groups and organising boards across the industry. Zoe is also a founding member and sits on the steering committee of O:Pen, the pensions wide LGBT+ network.
Zoe specialises in groupthink and behavioural risks in the context of pensions decision making and has worked with a wide variety of groups including trustee and corporate boards, pensions managers and trustee secretaries and groups of independent trustees. As a recognised specialist in the field, Zoe has also spoken on the topic at internal and external events and conferences.
Outside of pensions work, Zoe is an active volunteer, LGBT+ advocate and role model. Currently, she is Trustee of the Pink Singers, Europe’s longest-running LGBT+ choir and registered charity. She is also a senior mentor for Just Like Us, a charity working to improve the lives of LGBT+ young people, and a role model for LGBT Great.