Willis Bermuda and its parent company Wills Towers Watson, recognise that being sensitive to diverse cultural barriers while celebrating differences is an important part of the workplace environment.

Paul Scope, chairman of Willis Bermuda, said: “As a leader in the insurance industry for over 40 years, I have witnessed that our greatest ideas, growth and innovations have come from a diverse mix of minds, backgrounds and experiences.

“Being sensitive to diverse and cultural barriers, while celebrating our differences, is an important contribution that our Willis Bermuda office exemplifies and I am proud that we, Willis Towers Watson now globally embrace this philosophy.”

Willis Towers Watson was a gold sponsor for last month’s Dive In Festival for Inclusion and Diversity in insurance.

The global festival had events in 31 countries, including Bermuda. The local festival was also sponsored by Abir, Aon, Argus, Chubb, Hamilton Re, Markel, and XL Catlin.

One of the Bermuda sessions was a world café-style event hosted by Willis Bermuda, which considered the topic “Lip Service: A frank discussion about race in the workplace.”

A panel of senior leaders from the sector was asked questions on race issues in the workplace. The audience then broke out into small groups to discuss their personal experiences and insights.

Wendy Percy, leader of the Willis Bermuda committee that hosted the session, expressed the committee’s hope that collaborative dialogue continues and participants use the event as a blueprint guide for future conversations throughout their office, the industry as well as the Island community.

Anyone interested in getting involved in the conversation to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces should e-mail wendy.percy@willistowerswatson.com.