2023 US Insurance Awards: Alliant, Diversity & Inclusion Initiative of the Year

The realization that it can be difficult for minority students to make inroads in the insurance industry led a team at Alliant Insurance Services Inc. to develop a summer internship program designed to open career possibilities. 

Launched last year, Alliant Fellows is tailored for college students who might be unfamiliar with the insurance industry as a viable career path.

The program, created by members of Alliant’s diversity, equity and inclusion department, helps the students with tasks such as skill building and relationship building. 

“The idea behind the fellows program is to open up the entire insurance industry to them, from working with marketing to accounting to mergers and acquisitions to speaking with producers in different fields, so they can get a true handle on what the industry’s all about,” said Lilian Vanvieldt, San Diego-based executive vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer at Alliant. 

The insurance industry tends to be white and male dominated, which isn’t “nefarious” but a reality in a legacy industry in which books of business are often passed down, she said. 

Participants in the paid internship program have three consecutive summers to learn the ins and outs of insurance. 

“We didn’t want the students to just decide what they wanted and then go into the industry; we wanted them to explore it,” said Aaisha Hamid, an Alliant assistant vice president and diversity, equity and inclusion manager. 

The goal is to give students a holistic experience when exploring the industry, Ms. Hamid said. 

“There’s not a lot of proactive outreach effort,” she said. “That’s something we’ve changed with the fellowship program.” 

As a millennial working in the insurance sector, Ms. Hamid said she connected with people who joined the industry by accident and realized that a proactive effort was needed for the sector to recruit new talent from a variety of backgrounds. 

Since Alliant has offices in most major U.S. cities, participants can choose where they want to attend the program, which provides a salary, housing and food stipend. 

“It’s not just a traditional internship where you get a salary and that’s it,” Ms. Vanvieldt said. “We actually help to move them to where they need to be.” 

FINALISTS

• Beazley PLC — The insurer’s claims team’s diversity strategy includes working with more law firms run by minority, female and LGBTQ+ owners, and ensuring that their legal services partners reflect the communities they serve..

• Marsh & McLennan Cos. Inc. — The company’s Racial Inclusion & Social Equity MBA/Master’s Fellowship provides Black MBA/Master’s candidates with a practical business curriculum and an exploration of solutions to racial and social justice issues. 

• USI Insurance Services Inc. — The broker’s diversity in hiring  initiative trains talent acquisition teams to locate more diverse, underrepresented candidates and helps managers recognize unconscious bias.

• Willis Towers Watson PLC — The broker developed a virtual development program designed to increase the number of women in senior leadership roles. The program combines group learning and discussion combined with one-on-one mentoring opportunities.