ACORD Furthers Commitment to Diversity With Support of Million Women Mentors

PEARL RIVER, NY--(Marketwired - October 24, 2017) - ACORD furthered its commitment to diversity today by announcing its support of Million Women Mentors, an initiative of STEMconnector^® that supports the engagement of two million women (and men) in STEM to serve as mentors by 2018. As the foremost association representing the global insurance industry, ACORD continues to elevate the awareness and importance of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) by encouraging insurance stakeholders globally to support the advancement of women.

The insurance industry has long understood the importance and impact of diversity as a critical enabler of success. ACORD has always championed women, particularly in leadership positions, and strives to serve as an example for how a diverse workforce drives positive results.

"Companies need to bring different perspectives to the table in order to succeed. Hiring a diversified team of professionals is not only critical to cultivating a better working environment and retaining a budding workforce, but to attracting new customers and clients," said Tanya Krochta, Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, ACORD. "Your current leadership must be open to ideas and creativity from your new hires, because their feedback will be beneficial to growing your client base through new technologies, ideas and community outreach."

ACORD is proud to employ a majority of women in STEM roles and understands the importance of the progress needed in this area. Women in the STEM field bring a unique and innovative perspective. In order for insurance stakeholders to continue to survive and thrive, diversity and inclusion need to be embraced.

"Our predecessors worked hard to get women a seat at the table. It is our duty to get the next generation of women a seat at the head of that table," said Carol Zacharias, Senior Vice President, Underwriting Counsel, QBE North America and member of the ACORD Board of Directors."

ACORD's executive team continually seeks to ensure the diversity of the organization, and appreciates that diversity needs to be a vital part of the organization's future strategy. ACORD has already proven the success of a diverse workforce and leadership, as a majority of ACORD's senior staff are women.

"ACORD champions the Million Women Mentors organization, and its commitment to advancing workplace diversity," said ACORD President and CEO Bill Pieroni. "The executive team at ACORD seeks to ensure the diversity of the company, as 50% of our senior staff are women. ACORD will continue to do its part to elevate the awareness and importance of STEM by encouraging insurance stakeholders globally to support the advancement of women."

About Million Women Mentors
Million Women Mentors, launched as an initiative of STEMconnector® on January 8, 2014, supports the engagement of one million women (and men) in STEM to serve as mentors by 2018. MWM is an engagement campaign and national call to action that mobilizes corporations, government entities, non-profit and higher education groups around the imperative of mentoring girls and young women in STEM fields. In its first month alone, over 45,000 pledges have been made to mentor girls and young women in STEM skills. For more information or to pledge, go to www.MillionWomenMentors.org.

About ACORD
ACORD (Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development) is a global, nonprofit organization serving the insurance and related industries. ACORD facilitates fast, accurate data exchange, and efficient workflows through the development of electronic standards, standardized forms, and tools to support their use. ACORD members worldwide include hundreds of insurance and reinsurance companies, agents and brokers, software providers, financial services organizations and industry associations. ACORD maintains offices in New York and London. Learn more at www.acord.org.

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