A diverse and inclusive workforce is a key factor to business success explains, Ursula Murphy, Chief People & Organisation Officer, Allianz Ireland.

Ireland in 2017 is an increasingly diverse society. For the first time in almost 10 years immigration has outstripped emigration with the Central Statistics Office (CSO) reporting 79,300 people chose to come to Ireland in 2016 up 14% on 2015. Female participation, while not where it could be, is also improving. During the boom years it stood at 53.6% and has increased significantly to 68% in 2015. It is estimated that 10% of the population identifies as LGBT. This leaves us with a pretty clear picture of the Irish work place. It is a melting pot of ideas, thoughts and beliefs.

At a Global level, Allianz was recognised as one of the most diverse and inclusive companies in the world in 2016. Ranked as 18^th out of over 4,000 companies by the Thomson Reuters Diversity & Inclusion Index. This is a real source of pride for us and refocuses us to continue challenging our status quo. We are excited at the prospect of building on this success and look forward to continuing to improve and engage our people to discover new ways in which to serve our customers.

Here at Allianz Ireland, our customer base is as broad as the melting pot that is the Irish work force. So we feel our people should reflect this. What better way to connect with your customer? People and relationships are key to how we operate our business. We recognise that our people allow us to achieve our business goals. Nurturing their talent and aiding their development means we can continue striving to provide a range of insurance products of the highest quality and ensure our clients receive a fast and fair claims service.

In our Dublin and Belfast offices we employ people from right across Ireland, and across the globe with 15 different nationalities. We have also worked very hard on our gender balance. At senior management level we have a 60:40 Male:Female split and within our senior management succession planning we have a 40:60 Male:Female ratio. It’s important to note, this isn’t about numbers, this is about having the best and brightest people working for us.

We are however conscious we can do more. We understand a diverse work force is a more successful one. It fosters idea generation and allows teams and business units to perform at extremely high levels. This is why gender diversity and cultural diversity at Allianz Ireland is a real focus and is something we feel will have a direct impact on how our organisation performs.