A year-long series of events aimed at promoting the professional development of women in the insurance and reinsurance sectors will kick off later this month.

When he was appointed to his role as chief executive officer of the Bermuda Insurance Industry, Malcolm Butterfield promised to pursue the issue in order to try and find specific solutions to roadblocks preventing women from prospering in the re/insurance sector.

A BII team has been assembled to organise eight events over the next 12 months — ranging from single panel sessions to panel discussions — which will focus on women’s professional development.

Mr Butterfield said: “I made the pledge when I became the CEO of the BII because I feel that this issue needed to be looked at from a solution-based perspective.

“We cannot continue to have the same conversation year after year and offer no solutions. Much has been done in areas like compensation and leadership, but we need to do more, we must have some out-of-the-box thinking with some concrete takeaways.”

It is the third time the series has been held and Mr Butterfield added: “It will go ahead this year and next, but it must not be the same conversation. It should be looking at the progress that has been made and build on what has been achieved.”

The first event, at O’Hara House on Bermudiana Road on May 30, from 12pm to 1.30pm, will be a lunch-and-learn session featuring a conversation between Kathleen Faries, head of TMR Bermuda, and Fiona Luck, a long-time industry executive and member of the Lloyd’s Franchise Board. The topic will be, “What we wish we had known…”, sponsored by BF&M and Tokio Millennium Re.

Future events will include a workshop on the “Reality of work/life balance” and “Pathways to non-executive directorships”. It is hoped that feedback from participants in the early sessions will help shape further events, which will have a diverse range of speakers.

John Wight, CEO of BF&M, said: “BF&M is committed to fostering ongoing dialogue about gender equality in our industry, and about diversity in the workplace more generally.

“While progress has been made — as evidenced by the distinguished careers of our excellent first speakers, Kathleen Faries and Fiona Luck — much more needs to be done to create truly equal opportunities for women.”

Ms Faries said: “This series does focus on women’s professional development, but there cannot be tangible change without the conversation including our male counterparts and partners. We want this to be a discussion involving everyone from which we can formulate a new way forward that benefits us all.

“TMR is pleased to co-sponsor the kick-off of BII’s commitment to a 12-month series that will focus on deepening our discussion around diversity while at the same time supporting the development of professional women in Bermuda.”

For more information, contact the Bermuda Insurance Institute at 295-1596 or e-mail info@bii.bm, or visit the BII website at www.bii.bm