The Strengths of DE&I Initiatives with Lilian Vanvieldt-Gray of Alliant Insurance Services

Jun 18, 2024

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Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.

Justin Smulison interviews Lilian Vanvieldt-Gray of Alliant Insurance Services about her risk and insurance career journey, what DE&I initiatives mean in her growth, the sorts of programs she has launched, and how she proves their worth on social and financial levels. She tells how a professor tried to steer her to trade school so she wouldn't fail in the big university and how the lack of inclusion at her first job limited her career opportunities until a boss who saw her potential nudged her firmly ahead. She is passionate about the power of DE&I to do moral good and grow business profits.

Listen in to learn what diversity, equity, and inclusion can mean for your company.

Key Takeaways:

[:01] About RIMS and RIMScast.

[:15] About this episode of RIMScast, coming to you from RIMS Headquarters in New York. My guest is Lilian Vanvieldt-Gray. She is the Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer for Alliant Insurance Services! We will discuss what it takes to launch and measure the effectiveness of a DE&I Initiative.

[:47] Lillian will also be the honoree at this year's Spencer Educational Foundation Funding Their Future Gala on September 12th in New York City.

[:58] First, let's talk about RIMS Virtual Workshops. The full calendar of virtual workshops is at RIMS.org/VirtualWorkshops. On June 26th and 27th, our friend Elise Farnham leads the two-day course, Captives as an Alternate Risk Financing Technique. On July 9th and 10th, we have Managing Workers' Compensation.

[1:18] On July 23rd and 24th, we have Claims Management. Other dates for Fall and Winter are available on the Virtual Workshops full calendar at RIMS.org/VirtualWorkshops.

[1:31] Let's talk about prep courses for the RIMS-CRMP. The next session for risk managers based in the U.S. and Canada will be held on August 7th and 8th, followed by a two-day session on September 12th and 13th, and lastly, on December 17th and 18th.

[1:53] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Course will be held on December 3rd through 5th, 2024. Additional Prep Courses are offered through NSE Academy, India, Conrad Clark Nigeria, UCLA, and others. A link to these resources and more is also in this episode's show notes.

[2:14] Did you know that the RIMS Risk Management magazine Q2 2024 issue is available online? A link to the digital issue is in this episode's show notes. The new issue covers the impact of AI on insurance underwriting, geopolitical risks, ERM program tips, social media copyright claims, developments in parametric insurance, and more!

[2:44] You can also head over to RMmagazine.com.

[2:49] Lilian Vanvieldt-Gray is the Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer for Alliant Insurance Services. She is also this year's honoree for the Spencer Funding Their Future Gala, which will be held, on Thursday, September 12th, 2024 at The Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City.

[3:15] We are going to hear about her risk and insurance career journey, how DE&I initiatives have played a part in her growth, the sorts of programs she has launched, how she measures them, and how she's able to prove their worth on social and financial levels.

[3:36] Lilian Vanvieldt-Gray, welcome to RIMScast!

[4:02] Lilian says that being the 2024 Honoree for the Spencer Funding Their Future Gala feels amazing, phenomenal, and stupendous! She says she's at a time in her life when she's happy doing the things she wants to do and she's making a difference. This honor helped her get there.

[4:50] Lilian's risk and insurance career started in 1988. After she graduated from UCLA in 1987, she worked for a financial planner in Beverly Hills. In October of 1987, the stock market crashed. It was a disaster for the small firm where she worked and Lilian decided she wanted to have a different career.

[5:38] Lilian's girlfriend worked at an insurance company. She told Lilian they were hiring interns. It would be a boost from her current $18K a year to $28K a year. Insurance had her at "Hello."

[6:43] About 22 years ago, Alliant came to Lilian's attention in a bad renewal market when they "stole" one of her clients. Listen in for details. Then Alliant offered Lilian a job and she accepted.

[8:23] Lilian tells how she moved into the EVP and Chief DE&I Officer roles she holds with Alliant. After George Floyd, Alliant made a very impactful decision. They wanted to make a difference. Recognizing what was going on, they wanted to ensure all of their employees had a space and a sense of belonging. They created the DI department.

[9:05] The conversation Alliant initially had with Lilian was about leading the Alliant Charitable Foundation. The foundation's goal is to bring people in to expand the industry, make it more accessible to everyone, recognize the contributions of marginalized communities, and reward them for their contributions to the industry.

[9:32] Internally, the foundation wanted to recognize Alliant employees, to ensure they have a safe space to be their authentic selves, and have opportunities to advance within the organization. Lilian was asked to help the foundation raise money and get the message out.

[9:52] As that work progressed, Alliant asked Lilian to do more. So she moved some accounts around to be able to do more.

[10:41] Lilian says Alliant has always had a commitment to DE&I. They haven't wavered from it. That commitment to DE&I comes from the top leadership. With commitment from the top, everything falls into place. If Lilian gets pushback from a department, when she goes to leadership about it, they'll have a conversation with them about why DE&I is important.

[11:27] DE&I initiatives are morally right and also financially smart and good decisions for business. When done properly, from an authentic place, they can drive your bottom line.

[11:59] Lilian's challenge is measuring her initiatives. Alliant's 2024 push is to get everyone's self-identification to be able to track how doing X results in Y.

[13:35] Alliant has a six-pillar strategy to change the culture within the organization through a series of trainings, bringing in speakers on well-being and mental health, financial literacy, a 401(k), investing, and FICO. It's a culture where your employer supports your whole being, including professional development and mentoring for career advancement.

[14:53] Alliant is evaluating external mentoring and internal mentoring to find which is more effective, having the employees help them come to that conclusion. They also use peer coaching, giving people different entry points to grow professionally. They also work with training agencies and industry DE&I associations such as NAAIA.

[16:04] Lilian feels synergy with these associations. DE&I isn't just for marginalized people but also for their allies. Everyone grows when something is diverse. One learns when different ideas come to the table. You don't know what you don't know until you bring diverse people in, have those conversations, and get those perspectives.

[17:00] Being able to show the value of that to everyone is how you move the needle and it's also how you make a lot of money.

[17:09] It's RIMS plug time! Webinars! Our friends at TÜV SÜD GRC return on June 20th to present Sustainability Without the Sticker Shock: Save Green While Going Green, featuring insight from former RIMS President, Chris Mandel. Register at RIMS.org/Webinars. Webinars are complimentary for RIMS members!

[17:36] The RIMS ERM Conference 2024 will be held on November 18th and 19th in Boston, Massachusetts. The agenda will be announced soon, as will a call for submissions for the ERM Award of Distinction. I'll have that link up soon on an upcoming episode.

[17:55] Review your organization's ERM program, and if you feel it was successful and you have the numbers and the data to back it up, compile that information and get ready to submit your ERM program for the ERM Award of Distinction.

[18:10] The Spencer Educational Foundation's goal to help build a talent pipeline of risk management and insurance professionals is achieved, in part, through a collaboration with risk management and insurance educators across the United States and Canada. This also applies to not-for-profit entities.

[18:30] If this description applies to you, you should apply for a Spencer General Grant. The application deadline is July 30th, 2024. General Grant awardees are typically notified at the end of October.

[18:46] Another great Spencer program is the Risk Manager on Campus Program, which brings a practicing risk manager to a university to present and engage with students about the risk profession and the insurance industry for about one to three days. There is a grant program with an application deadline of June 30th. The link is in this episode's show notes.

[19:10] Check out the sample application at that link. Risk Manager on Campus Grant Awardees are typically notified by the end of September. Be sure to apply by June 30th, 2024. On September 12th, we look forward to seeing you at the Spencer Funding Their Future Gala at The Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City. Our guest today, Lilian Vanvieldt-Gray, is the honoree.

[19:38] Back to the interview with Lilian Vanvieldt-Gray!

[20:18] Lilian is one of six on her DI team. One has the charitable foundation as her sole responsibility, including the Fellows program, one of Alliant's hallmark programs from the foundation. There is an internal side of DI and several employee resource groups.

[21:18] Lilian calls the managers of these programs "best in class," which has led to Alliant receiving recognition for these programs.

[21:59] Lilian says women are all over the insurance industry, in roles without opportunities for advancement. For a woman to get into leadership, she has to have someone looking out for her, and sponsoring her.

[23:12] When Lilian went into the insurance industry, she went into training. At the end of the training program, they assigned people to departments. All women and people of color went into claims and all men went into leadership and sales. Lilian had a boss who believed in her. He created a position for her in account support.

[23:50] Lilian didn't take the job because she didn't believe she could do it. Someone else took the job. The boss asked her what was going on. He said he had created that job for her. He created another account support position for her.

[24:29] Had he not created that opportunity for her, Lilian believes she would still probably be a claims supervisor.

[25:49] Lilian says in DE&I, helping women and other marginalized employees up through the ranks is called allyship. There are programs to teach about the value and benefits of allyship. Allies can move the needle faster than anyone else can.

[26:11] If you are considering joining a group, you can join as an ally without being a part of that community. Being an ally means you're not part of that community. Join and bring your influence to help them do better in their career.

[27:54] A Fearless Fund case ruled that it is discriminatory to set aside funds for loans just to African-American women's businesses. That could affect many types of programs, like internships and fellowships. DE&I is working to change the mindset of a lot of people. DI has become a "bad word."

[29:48] Lilian stresses that DE&I helps a business financially. DE&I is right morally. Lilian wants to help people understand why being an ally is going to be an advantage to them.

[30:33] Some high-profile DE&I leadership positions have been eliminated recently. Lilian speaks to this for DE&I in the risk and insurance space. DE&I might be rebranded to Engagement or a People Office. DE&I is for all employees. If there are nine ERGs, everyone in the company will have been touched by or associated with someone from one of them.

[32:01] Lilian wants people to understand that DE&I impacts everyone and it's not anything they need to fear.

[32:44] Lilian's DI department has partnered with the Spencer Educational Foundation to help manage an Alliant Foundation insurance degree grant program for Southern University, an HBCU in Louisiana. Lilian tells how that came to be. It's been a great partnership.

[34:32] Lilian will accept a special honor at the Spencer Educational Foundation 2024 Funding Their Future Gala on Thursday, September 12th, 2024 at the Cipriani 42nd Street, in New York City. Lilian invites all podcast listeners in the New York area to attend.

[35:25] The proceeds go toward scholarships for students coming into the insurance industry and programs like the grant at Southern University, bringing the insurance industry to communities that are not familiar with it and normally are marginalized out of it.

[35:46] If you look at the videos of last year's scholarship two recipients, after you finish crying, you will want to send them a check.

[35:55] For sponsorship and tickets, you can contact FundingTheirFuture@SpencerEd.org. A link is in this episode's show notes to the email address, as well as to the Gala's page.

[36:43] Lilian's advice for young risk professionals: "When you think about insurance; when you got up, the bed you were lying in is insured, the street you drove to work on was insured; the trees that were being cut, and the person cutting the trees that you saw are insured. The car you were in is insured. The building you walked in… Insurance is everywhere."

[37:14] "It's in your home, your apartment. Insurance drives the world. You can come in and it's not just going from door to door selling. It can be analytics, marketing, or social media; it can be any number of things. Think about insurance and think about the future you can create for yourself. There's lots of money in this industry. Don't leave it on the table."

[37:52] "I do this because I had a professor one year tell me when I was graduating from high school, and I was an honor student, 'I think you should consider going to a trade school because I don't want you to fail and I think going to this big school you're going to struggle and fail. I'm doing what's best for you,' and he tried to talk me out of going to the UC system."

[38:38] He couldn't see the value of what she brought to the table. Lilian is now the broker for the community college system the professor wanted her to attend. You have to believe in yourself. Don't let anyone else define who you are. Define yourself in the brightest of lights because you can't achieve it if you can't see it or dream it. Define your dreams for yourself.

[39:14] Special thanks, again, to Lilian Vanvieldt-Gray. A link to the Spencer Educational Foundation's Funding Their Future Gala 2024 on September 12th is in this episode's show notes. Buy tickets; reserve a table. We want to see you there.

[39:30] Final reminder: June 30th is the deadline to apply for the Spencer Educational Foundation's Risk Manager on Campus Grant. A link is in this episode's show notes.

[39:47] It's Plug Time! The RIMS App is available to RIMS members exclusively. Go to the App Store and download the RIMS App with all sorts of RIMS resources and coverage. It's different from the RIMS Events App. Everyone loves the RIMS App!

[40:21] You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in our show notes. RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate! Contact pd@rims.org for more information.

[41:05] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information.

[41:23] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more.

[41:39] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org.

[42:01] Thank you for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe!

Mentioned in this Episode:

Spencer Educational Foundation — Funding Their Future Gala 2024

FundingTheirFuture@SpencerEd.org

RISKWORLD 2025 will be in Chicago! May 4‒7

RIMS DEI Council

Spencer Educational Foundation — Grants Page — Apply Through July 30.

Spencer Educational Foundation — Risk Manager on Campus Grant — Apply Through June 30

RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP)

RIMS-CRMP Virtual Workshops — Next Workshop with PARIMA July 18-19, 2024!

RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center

NEW FOR MEMBERS! RIMS Mobile App

RIMS Webinars: