Video transcript: Representation Matters: Conversations about diversity and inclusion

Daudley Fanfan: When you have representation, diverse representation, whether it be gender diversity, whether it be cultural ethnic diversity, any type of diversity, once you have diverse minds in one room, especially the rooms where decisions are being made, I think it allows us to deepen our relationships with our consumers. We expect our consumers to be diverse. We have to be well represented in the rooms that are making decisions. And that's hugely important. When we're able to deepen the relationships with our prospective consumers, I think it really puts us in a really good position to provide products and services that truly meet the needs of our consumers.

And that's when you're really connecting with revenue and creating a profit center and really monetizing this whole idea of diversity. It's important, yes, it is important because it's the right thing to do. But at the end of the day, we definitely want a deeper relationship with our consumers so that we're really creating a more direct line of OK, we know exactly what our consumer needs because we are well represented when decisions are being made.

Van Ewing: When I quickly got into this side of the industry, financial services, which I began my career in New York Life, I was asked to come into management and was fortunate enough that I did a quick move into managing partner. And when I got there, not that I was surprised, but at the time I was the only managing partner until the time I think the last year that I had left New York Life-- 2014-2015-- there had been another managing partner that came in.

But I quickly realized that while I really didn't come into this to be in management, came into this career, that representation does matter. Because just being a managing partner, running that, and really seeing the lack of diversity at that leadership role, part of what I wanted is, like look, I was fortunate enough to come into this career to have some really, really quick success.

And I wanted to see other people come into this career to have success. So I knew that representation in the management would be the quickest way to be able to do that and being able to get to top of management because I can actually influence people being hired, whether it was people of color, women, people from very diverse backgrounds. So that was first and foremost.

Daudley Fanfan: The I can't find diverse talent, that needle in the haystack scenario, it's no longer acceptable, right? You can find it as long as you're purposeful and you're intentional and deliberate about knowing the why you need diversity in your organization and how, right? How are you going to go out there and get it? And creating those access points because it's not going to just come knocking at your door, although sometimes often it's right under your nose.

There's so many different access points to great diverse talent. All you need to do is just get connected and start asking questions. Talk about what it is that you do and what it is that you're trying to create at your organization. What is the culture you're trying to create and how you're looking to better serve your consumers.