Two executives based in Bermuda, and a third with an island connection, have been selected among the top 25 diversity and inclusion champions by Intelligent Insurer magazine.

The UK-based industry publication said the 25 honourees were “chosen for their leadership, achievements and efforts in supporting and promoting D&I in their organisations and in the wider re/insurance market”.

Representing Bermuda are Natasha Scotland Courcy, SVP, general counsel, co-chief operating officer, and chief compliance officer, Athene Life Re, and William Wharton, head of Argo Insurance Bermuda, Argo Group.

Ivy Kusinga, chief culture and talent officer, Chubb, is also named among the honourees. She is based in Philadelphia, but served as director of learning and development at the Ace Group, the forerunner of Chubb, in Bermuda from 2002 until 2006.

Intelligent Insurer said Ms Scotland Courcy “is a strong advocate of D&I as a business necessity. At Athene Life Re, she leads the company’s Bermuda office and Bermuda operations and she is on the board of Biltir, the re/insurance industry trade group, as well as chairing its legal and regulatory committee.

“Ms Scotland Courcy supports D&I education initiatives, and says that having a culture where employees feel included is critical to a company’s bottom line as well as its reputation in the market and in terms of attracting future talent. She says that more people, and younger people particularly, want to work for an inclusive and diverse organisation.”

The magazine said Mr Wharton “has highlighted the issue of the career barriers for young black men looking to join the re/insurance industry. He said the requirement of ‘completely unnecessary’ qualifications or experience for entry level positions blocks them from entering insurance roles and reveals significant unconscious bias in many hiring policies. Such policies set the bar unnecessarily high for potential candidates in requiring qualifications and experience that young black men are less likely to have”.

Intelligent Insurer said Ms Kusinga is “described by her peers as an ‘agent of change’”, and “is known for her support of female leadership. She has ensured Chubb has retained a strategic and sustained focus on D&I and says it is integral to the company’s culture because Chubb recognises the value of diverse talent and how it can make the insurer competitive and more innovative in the future”.