About
Zurich Insurance, founded in 1872, is a primary insurance company located in Switzerland. Zurich Insurance is one of the largest insurers in Switzerland.
The need for bringing Inclusive culture at work
While working at Zurich Group, Kara Wenger realized the under-representation of millennials and Generation Z colleagues in key decision-making forums across the business.
To address the issue, Kara founded NEXT, a grassroots effort to bring inclusive culture to work and improve generational inclusion within Zurich Insurance.
The goals of NEXT include encouraging intergenerational dialogue, especially advocating for newer generations to have a seat at the table where key business decisions are made; driving connection internally and externally to share best practices and scale the movement; and investing in the next generation of socially responsible leaders in partnership with the Zurich Foundation.
“But for me, what stood out the most was the impact being an intrapreneur had on the founding team. Without fail, team members shared with me that being a part of the NEXT leadership team was one of the best career experiences they’d had to date. They got to push themselves and develop entrepreneurial skills such as pitching ideas, developing strategies, problem-solving, and taking action in new ways. In addition, this experience hugely accelerated their leadership development and their confidence to speak up and share their views, often with very senior stakeholders. I find it so personally rewarding that I was able to create that space for others to grow in that way, and I undoubtedly had significant professional growth myself as well.”
– Kara Wenger, Head of Work Sustainability at Zurich Insurance.
Results
NEXT resulted in increased generational inclusiveness. The firm had provided scholarships and support to multiple cohorts of social entrepreneurs outside of the Zurich Insurance Group.
Kara Wenger set an amazing example and a precedent for other intrapreneurs. In our view, she shares the spotlight with all the other intrapreneurs who have done amazing work, be it Nitin Prajanpe at HUL, Mr. Sivakumar at ITC, or George Swenson at 3M. These are just a few and there are countless others whose efforts changed the fortunes of their organization. Want to know the reason behind their success?
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