Europ Assistance

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Europ Assistance, for more than 60 years, our group’s mission has been to provide relief to people in stressful and difficult situations. Care has always been at the heart of who we are and what we do. “You live, we care” is more than a brand promise: we want to create an environment where our diverse community feels safe, supported, and included. Consistently, our Group’s approach to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) is based on the idea that we can make a difference at work and in our daily life.

Our commitment

Our commitment is to promote a respectful, and safe environment, where people feel free to express their best selves and unleash their potential. A more diverse, equitable and inclusive culture allows us to create long-term value for our employees, customers, and clients as well as the communities we live in, bringing our CARE promise to life.

We strive to promote a culture where Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are embedded in how we work and do business every day. We believe inclusion is everybody’s interest. Together with our employees, we strive to create an inclusive, bias-free and safe workplace, where everyone is provided with equal opportunities and  feels empowered.

We have defined a clear DEI strategy and we are taking concrete measurable actions to achieve our ambitions.

Diversity

Diversity means recognizing and embracing our differences. There are many facets in this which encompass our preferences, ethnicity, background, appearances, upbringings, beliefs, sex, gender, and age.

In terms of our commitment to fostering an increasingly diverse work environment, we are focusing on two main areas: gender and generational diversity.

With regards to gender, we promote inclusion and equality to maintain a balanced distribution within the Group. We have a clear ambition to increase the presence of women in strategic position and to secure the presence of women in managerial roles. To achieve these goals, several proactive actions have been put in place, including awareness and education, a new acceleration and empowerment program, “We Empower”, targeting women managers to foster their development and career progression through three key elements: sponsorship, executive training and networking.
In addition, we want to ensure the balance between different generations by promoting the exchange of competences at all levels.

Equity

Equity means distributing resources and opportunities according to individuals’ unique circumstances throughout their professional lives, endeavouring to remove all barriers, and addressing discrimination or intolerance.

We are committed to equity to achieve impactful results by promoting fair treatment and equal access to opportunities, while working to eliminate the institutional and unconscious barriers that prevent everyone from unleashing their full potential. We focus on a data-driven approach to make decisions and we are working to enhance equity in our policies and processes, by sharing our group’s DEI Guidelines throughout our company.

We are also committed towards zero equal pay gap (below 1%). Among our medium and large countries, the global target has been reached, with no countries above 2% and 7 countries below the +/-1% margin

Inclusion

Inclusion means respecting others, making them feel welcome, appreciated, and safe, and creating a sense of belonging. An inclusive environment supports and embraces all differences and respects everyone through words and actions. Moreover, it empowers everyone to unleash their full potential.

We promote good behaviors and best practices to fully embrace all the different identities we have across our organization and create an environment where everyone is part of the company’s success. We fight any form of discrimination to ensure real inclusion of all individuals.

Europ Assistance is committed to recognizing and addressing the specific needs of our people diagnosed with cancer, ensuring their inclusion and support tailored to their personal situation, including their relationship to work during treatment. Our Group Executive Committee has endorsed various initiatives outlined in our Group Cancer Charter to uphold this commitment.

To ensure sustainability of our business, attracting talent with key skills as well as reskilling and upskilling our people is fundamental. We want to attract and retain professionals with different backgrounds, and we strive to keep up the engagement of all our people by providing the right opportunities and developing skills. To support this goal, ”WeLearn”, our internal global learning platform, features +200 upskilling and reskilling programs. 

Inclusion

At Europ Assistance, we encourage inclusion through group activities such as organizing awareness campaigns on DEI topics for all employees, designing trainings that encourage inclusive managerial practices, implementing DEI guidelines to promote inclusion, promoting new ways of working and supporting a flexible working environment. 

Empowerment

We promote gender inclusion and equality through proactive actions and initiatives such as educating our employees on the importance of gender equality, deploying “We Empower”, our women acceleration and empowerment program, sustaining women in STEM and entrepreneurship, reaffirming our ambition towards equal pay through equitable & data-driven processes, and promoting fair treatment and access to opportunities. 

International Women’s Day 2024

For the 2024 International Women’s Day campaign (#Be Bold for Inclusion), we reinstate our commitment to gender inclusion, female leadership and women empowerment and invited our leaders and colleagues to share with us their perspectives on inclusion and inclusive leadership practices.

Antoine Parisi

CEO Europ Assistance Group

“Do I feel I belong here ?” If someone regularly asks oneself the question and if the answer is positive, then she / he can say that they are included, have a seat at the table, that their contribution matters and is valued, that their opinions are regularly sought for and considered.

As leaders, we can maintain strong convictions and still cultivate inclusivity. As a CEO, I see it as my duty to make decisions, yet I actively seek others’ insights to enrich my thinking and secure my judgement. In our recent strategic review, I fostered inclusion by inviting the management team to shape the vision for our group. Each team member was asked to articulate their vision of our priorities for 2030, share thoughts on our company’s evolution, and submit a perspective paper. We then dedicated several meetings all together to reviewing and discussing each individual viewpoint. To ensure everyone’s voice was heard, each member presented their vision for five minutes, followed by questions and reactions from others. Establishing a process that ensures equal participation and “share of voice” fosters an inclusive work environment. Some individuals may be more vocal or dominant, inadvertently overshadowing others who are more introverted or less self-assured. It’s our responsibility as leaders to be mindful of these dynamics. Being an inclusive leader demands constant awareness and deliberate efforts to create inclusive processes.

As a CEO, I also make it a point to engage with a variety of people within my organization, embracing diversity in thought and experience. I steer away from abstract discussions, preferring to delve into the practical realities of their daily lives. Inclusion thrives when we connect with individuals on a personal level, striving to understand their perspectives. It requires us to shift from a self-centered outlook and step out of our comfort zones. Undoubtedly, diversity and inclusion broaden our horizons.

Véronique Destruel

Group Chief HR Officer – Europ Assistance Group

“Inclusivity implies to promote a welcoming, respectful and safe environment, where people feel free to express their best selves and unleash their potential. Inclusive leadership means leading with an awareness of implicit bias and an openness to diverse perspectives and making everyone feel welcome, safe and valued. I firmly believe that a more diverse, equitable and inclusive culture allows us to create long-term value for our employees, our customers and our business.
As an inclusive leader, my role is to lead by example every day and to ensure the promises behind our Care values are respected and embodied. I am not afraid to show me as I am and I encourage others to do alike, opening up opportunities for fruitful collaboration and innovation, ensuring everyone’s voice is heard without judgement. I push myself to build up a team with very strong and diverse personalities, to be able to leverage on different perspectives and insights to reach out to our ambitions. Moreover, I try to take decisions being fully aware of potential personal and cultural biases.
The journey towards inclusion is not always an easy one, it requires day-to-day effort and discipline, but it is worth to try! ”

Cécile Kossoff

Group Chief Brand, Marketing, Communication and Sustainability Officer – Europ Assistance Group

“Diversity and inclusion are two concepts which complement each other. Diversity management is critical to ensure we have fair and equal representation of different groups at the table. However, diversity is not necessary inclusion yet. Having equal representation of women at the table is one thing, ensuring that their input is equally valued and that they are empowered to lead and contribute is another. While diversity is about numbers, inclusion is about mindsets.

To foster inclusion, the top management must lead by example: clearly state that discrimination is not acceptable and leave no room for ambiguity. It’s also our responsibility to identify common biases affecting judgement on people’s performance, to question our own judgement and stand up when we witness inappropriate behaviours. We have a duty to practice conscious and permanent awareness.

However, biases are “by design” unconscious. Being aware is not enough. It’s essential to put in place a few processes to guarantee fairness and a diversity of perspectives in recruiting, appraisal and promotions. For example having systematically diverse committees to discuss performance reviews, and healthy calibration debates where people can challenge the decisions.

In short, building inclusion requires work, time, and personal commitment from leaders. It’s a full-time responsibility.”

Virginie Babinet

CEO Travel Insurance and Assistance & Group Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Sponsor - Europ Assistance Group

“Inclusive leadership is about including and respecting everybody regardless of their backgrounds, origins and personal characteristics. It embodies a way of thinking. Inclusive leaders make sure everyone feels safe and empowered to share their perspectives. As a leader, I value and celebrate differences, they are what makes us stronger. It’s true in sports, it’s true in business, and in all aspects of life. I try to lead by example by promoting diversity among my peers, by listening to different opinions, and by fighting for fairness when I see biased opinions. It is important to stand up and fight for what we believe is right. We don’t always win, but it helps raise awareness, and sometimes to correct the behaviour for greater inclusion. Together, by doing these day-to-day efforts, we can have more positive impact and contribute to a more inclusive community.”

Hassen Bennour

CEO - Europ Assistance Asia, Pacific and Middle East

“Inclusive Leadership is rooted in EA’s mission and drives the way we do business as CARE commands valuing every individual. It represents a strategic imperative for APACME, as integration and cultural cohesion are critical in our diverse, fast growing and acquisitions dynamic.
As a leader, I prioritize being available, visible, and approachable, actively engaging with teams across the organization to foster a sense of belonging. I advocate transparent communication and feedback mechanisms, encouraging open dialogues and the sharing of diverse perspectives and opinions. I promote and participate in the various initiatives (e.g. I am a sponsor in the We Empower Program) contributing to the roll-out of DEI values in our organization.”