Creating a more diverse protection industry is about fixing the room not women with more allyship and support from men and leaders needed, according to Debbie Kennedy, chief executive at LifeSearch.
Kennedy noted that too often she had to change her behaviours to become noticed and deal with being out numbered or spoken over in conference panel sessions and debates, but ultimately said she wanted to be known for her business success in the industry.
In the final part of her extensive interview with Health & Protection, Kennedy, who has more than 30 years experience in the sector including as protection director of LV= and group head of protection proposition strategy at Royal London, revealed how she believes the insurance sector can create more Debbie Kennedys.
“For me, I don’t think it’s about fixing women,” Kennedy said.
“I’m not going to say what I think should happen is women should put themselves forward for this role. It’s not about fixing women.
“It’s about fixing our system. What happens is that, particularly in insurance, unfortunately it still isn’t diverse. It’s not just women. It’s ethinicity as well that comes through as well as gender.
“What we need to do is look for much more allyship from leaders and males – whoever they need to be around the industry – to be very active in making sure that they’re not inadvertently making it difficult for women to progress in careers.”
Kennedy added that firms need to change the culture at board level in order for a different style of thinking and decision making to truly thrive.
“I think women are wired in a completely different way and that in a business there is a space for that different style of thinking, different style of decision making, different emotional intelligence that needs to come through as well,” Kennedy continued.
“And that’s as valued as being perhaps a loud voice in the room or someone taking up a bit of space just because they’re physical as well.
“I’ve been at lots of companies and meetings where I am the only woman and I’m surrounded by quite large males as well and you have to try to almost make yourself heard, make yourself bigger than you are to get recognised and I think a lot of women that find hard to do.
“And it’s an effort. I’d say I’ve had to work at it as well and so when I’m asked by women how do you do it? I say you shouldn’t be fixing yourself. Fix the room so you don’t have to act in a different way and you can be yourself.
“We’ve got to look for that allyship from companies, from executives, from board level to make it really easy to be a woman. I like to say that the least interesting thing about me is that I’m a woman.
“I’d love to think that the interesting thing about why do you want more Debbie Kennedys is that I’ve helped grow protection businesses and that in some ways should matter. That’s what should matter at this time.”
Be known for something
As part of that onus on business outcomes, Kennedy emphasised women still need to perform at the highest level.
“I would say that if there are more Debbie Kennedys coming through, you’ve still got to deliver,” she added.
“You can’t just hope that because you’re a woman there’s going to be some positive discrimination. The biggest advice I always give is just do something well and build a track record and be known for something.
“That’s really what’s got to happen but hopefully you’d get the encouragement and the right environment to do that.”
Calling it out in public
And touching on problems connected to the conference circuit and in particular men talking over women during debates, Kennedy’s advice to other women is to call it out and make their voices heard.
“I’ve actually called people out for it because what I’ve found is as a woman I’ve said something and you then get a male who just repeats it. Sometimes I think you have to say, yes, I just said that.
“So you have to start calling it out because some male colleagues are horrified when they’ve done something like that but they are so used to trying to be the loudest and take up the room and they are absolutely horrified when they realise it.”
And this has prompted Kennedy to take deliberate action around conferences and speaking sessions.
“I won’t speak at any conferences where I’m the only woman on a male panel. You feel you’re making up the numbers. I just refuse to now go there,” she revealed.
“I do deliberately ask what will be the mix of this, who are you asking to turn up so it’s not deliberately dominated by one stereotype in the room and so there are different voices as well.
“I’ve been working for 40 years and it’s depressing in the way that we still have to have women-only events and women-only awards. I wish that wasn’t the case. I’d rather not have a platform that’s just that. I’d rather just be known for what I’ve done as well.
“We have to start being a bit loud about this now and rude about it probably as well.”
In the first part of her interview Kennedy spoke to Health & Protection about the state of the protection market amid the ongoing cost of living crisis, the lack of provider differentiation, the missed opportunity post-Covid, flexible products and the need for innovation.