#EachforEqual Every step counts!

It has been a year since the launch of #ReWRITE, our global and industry-wide initiative focused on Women, Risk, Insurance, Technology and Empowerment, in partnership with global non-profits, universities, businesses and communities around the world. As we celebrate International Women’s Day, I wanted to reflect on the past twelve months and share my thoughts and learnings.

If there's one thing I’m more certain about, it is that while there has been positive and meaningful change in walking-the-talk to address gender inequality, we still have a lot of work cut out for us.

From my own journey and the experiences of many other leaders and advocates, both women and men, taking the first step is important, but even more important is persistence to keep going and conviction in every step to make a real difference.

One of my most inspiring moments happened during the inaugural launch of #ReWRITE all-women hackathon in the US. I was sitting in the hackathon reception hall in our NYC office, as Veronica Olivares, an Art and Spanish schoolteacher, walked in to register her two daughters - one a sophomore in Princeton and the other a high schooler. I was amazed to hear she came all the way from Princeton to midtown NYC early on a Saturday morning, and she explained with great pride her daughters’ interest in STEM. Valeria and Kyara are not only passionate about STEM, but are actively helping other girls learn and grow. They took their first step by starting coding classes in the local Princeton Public Library, for self-identifying girls and underrepresented minorities. They enthusiastically explained their journey and how they have been persistent in their efforts. Three years later their efforts grew into a non-profit Code Equal helping over 450 students, and I am confident they will continue to make a huge impact. Every step counts.

It was the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall last year, and I had the unique opportunity to award the winners of #ReWRITE Europe hackathon in the heart of Berlin. From the uncertainty in the early days of the #ReWRITE US launch when we were questioning how many women hackers would actually show up, here I was standing proudly with our organizing team as we announced the finalists from seven countries across Europe and awarded the winning team from Sweden. The energy and passion of our #ReWRITE Europe Volunteers, and the STEM stories from the winners Viola, Linnea and Julia, made it all real! It showed me how small steps can lead to a big movement. I am increasingly optimistic with the next generation, and energized by their purpose-driven and action-now mindset, which will tremendously help in driving change. Every step counts.

Women are playing such a pivotal role in forcing the dialogue and turning the world into action mode on a wide range of social issues and emerging risks. In the past twelve months, I’ve seen many examples of women in my team taking an active part in driving the impact through actions big and small. Be it Hack for Humanity in partnership with the Arizona Sustainability Alliance, or #GreenOffice challenge across our global campuses, or supporting their children in developing innovative EcoApps to help communities go green. Women in STEM will play an increasingly important role as we tackle these tough challenges. Ask Cory for instance who is super passionate about leveraging blockchain technology to drive ethical products and conflict free minerals. Or connect with Asha, who is incubating emerging risk products powered by AI and IoT in our Marsh Digital Labs. Or check in with Hasmik, who recently joined our Data Science team focusing on actuarial models in the renewable energy space. Every step counts.

What if you are the only female voice in a male dominated company, facing the stark realities of gender discrimination. That's where Adriana Gascoigne was in 2007, and it was from here that she took her first step to drive change! That first step grew into a global non-profit movement Girls in Tech – now more than 62,000 members strong, across 47 chapters, in 33 countries and six continents – making great impact in empowering women and addressing gender inequality issues head on. 

It was during the NYC Girls in Tech chapter event last year, I had a chance to catch up with Adriana and discuss the challenges and opportunities in advancing gender equality in tech, and the growing need for awareness and action not only in tech but across all industries. And with technology becoming integral to the transformation and disruption across the risk and insurance industry, both in the incumbents and the fast-growing #InsurTech space, the diversity challenge is compounded. This requires a whole new level of thinking and solutioning! I am fortunate to be part of the Girls in Tech board and have the opportunity to see first-hand so many members and volunteers around the world embracing the cause and playing their part. Every step counts.

Success in ending gender inequality is a joint responsibility of both women and men. And I think men must put conscious effort into transforming from active supporters to active leaders, and continue with conviction.

My sincere thanks to all the amazing women across the globe that I have the privilege to work with and learn from - every single day. My mom and my wife continue to be my sources of inspiration and balance, and always remind me I still have a lot to learn ;-)

#IWD2020 #EachforEqual #MarshDigital #GirlsinTech #diversity #inclusion