SPECIAL REPORT
LEADING THE CHANGE MARC CUNNINGHAM Senior vice president, disability and absence management CRAWFORD & COMPANY Years in the industry: 19
The eldest child of immigrants, Marc Cunningham faced unique challenges and opportunities when choosing a career path, but he ultimately selected the insurance industry for its maturity and stability, as well as its attention to technology and innovation. Over the years, Cunningham says he’s witnessed apathy and indifference toward racial inequity within the industry. “There may be less of the malicious and overt bias tendencies that you find in many other professions, but the lack of recognition and thoughtful action has been just as harmful in many ways,” he says. “The prioritization of diversity and inclusion in recruiting, development and promotion proves that there are great intentions within the industry; however, to achieve the necessary results, we have to be honest about our current shortcomings and explicit in what we want to achieve.”
“There may be less of the malicious and overt bias tendencies [in insurance] that you find in many other professions, but the lack of recognition and thoughtful action has been just as harmful in many ways” Currently, Cunningham’s efforts are focused on RISE – Elevating Diversity, Crawford & Company’s employee resource group for people of color. The group’s purpose is to “activate, engage and connect a racially diverse and multi-ethnic workforce by driving initiatives that maximize the professional development and advancement of RISE.” Cunningham is also an ally within the company’s Women and Allies employee resource group. “It’s been critically important for me to ensure Crawford & Company is representative of the gender, racial, ethnic and cultural diversity that we aspire to find throughout the insurance industry at all professional levels,” he says. “To that end, I take great pride in knowing that our disability and absence division team of leaders and influencers is represented by 75% women and people of color.”
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SHA’RON JAMES Partner, government and regulatory team BERGER SINGERMAN Years in the industry: 12
Sha’Ron James got an up-close view of the insurance industry during her time as an insurance regulator, when she served as the courtappointed receiver and division director of the Florida Department of Financial Services’ Division of Rehabilitation and Liquidation. “As a regulator, I had the opportunity to see insurance companies formed, capitalized, and operating profitably and successfully in the marketplace,” she says. “During that time, I did not see a single person of color at the table. One of the barriers to growth/promotion is the ability to get your foot in the door. Because the industry is relationshipdriven on all levels, the idea that you have to know someone in order to get ahead is largely true. The challenge is figuring out how to break down the door.” To help break down doors, James serves as president of the Florida chapter of NAAIA and is a founder and member of the national HBCU I.M.P.A.C.T. program, which serves as a talent pipeline and encourages students at historically Black colleges and universities to consider careers in insurance. “The insurance industry and its leaders have to become intentional about inclusion and equity,” James says. “For some, diversity is the easiest box to check because it may simply be the result of hiring more people of color. The greater challenge is in [saying] that people of color should be represented at all levels and creating an environment that makes that possible. Companies must be committed to changing the face of the entire insurance ecosystem, which includes the makeup of its owners, investors, governing boards, C-suites, senior leadership teams, sales force, underwriting and claims professionals, and its outside consultants and contractors.”
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