The Pensions Management Institute (PMI) is pleased to announce that it has appointed Aviva as its Diversity & Inclusion Partner to raise awareness around the importance of these issues in workplaces across the industry.

The PMI will work alongside Aviva to deliver webinars, interviews, panel discussions, research and case studies designed to drive change in the sector and encourage better practices within pensions firms.

The partnership is also expected to further the PMI’s ambitions to bring more diversity to trustee boards in order to enable better decision-making across the industry. By encouraging people from outside typical demographics to get involved with pension fund trusteeship, PMI and Aviva aim to address the problem from its grassroots.  

Aviva is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive organisation that runs through its people, customers, clients, and supply chain.

Gareth Tancred, CEO of the Pensions Management Institute, commented:

“It is now more important than ever that the pensions sector steps up to the plate to improve its diversity and Aviva is an example of a firm that is doing exactly that. As we strive to create fairer and more equal communities industry-wide we are delighted to welcome them onboard as our Diversity & Inclusion Partner.

“At the PMI, we know that greater diversity within trustee boards or workforces will inevitably lead to better decisions and our vision to create a more inclusive organisation aligns closely with Aviva’s own goals. We look forward to working together to improve our own diversity and inclusion measures, which is fundamental to the PMI’s core values, and driving change across the sector.”

Laura Stewart-Smith, Workplace Savings Manager at Aviva, commented:

“We are delighted to work with the Pensions Management Institute to progress the discussion of Diversity and Inclusion in the pensions industry.

 “At Aviva we believe that Diversity and Inclusion is fundamental to everything that we do.

“From a pensions perspective we know that greater diversity within workforces and trustee boards will provide a better understanding of our customers and their needs, leading to better retirement outcomes.”

Sabina Khanom, Head of Inclusion at Aviva, commented:

“At Aviva, we’re determined to build a more inclusive workplace and society that works for all. We have a huge opportunity to drive positive change through our partnership with the Pensions Management Institute.

 “We support the PMI’s ambition to bring more diversity to pension trustee boards. We are signatories of the Women in Finance and CBI Race Ratio charters, and we have a bespoke ethnic minority leadership programme and Global Inclusion Council, chaired by our Group CEO.

 “The partnership builds on the work we’ve done to support employees at all levels from all backgrounds. We’re determined that both our business and our sector reflect the customers and communities we serve.”