AND-E Launches New Elevate Programme For Female Leaders

The latest news from AND-E for you;

AND-E (Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance Europe), has launched a major initiative to improve the opportunities for leadership roles amongst its female colleagues. With a single mission ‘to dismantle the barriers holding women back and propel them forward’, the ‘Elevate’ programme aims to empower emerging and established female leaders within the AND-E organisation.

14 colleagues are now on the 12-month programme, coming from all areas of the business, and will benefit from a range of mentoring and support activities.

“’Elevate’ is a structural initiative that goes to the heart of the issue the insurance industry faces as a whole – a lack of women in senior leadership roles,” explained Pamela Avornyo, Head of People Development, AND-E. “This isn’t mentorship over lunch. This is about rewiring leadership from the inside out.”

The programme was co-created by AND-E with Michelle Minnikin, an organisational psychologist and advocate for cultural change and author of Good Girl Deprogramming: Unleash The Rebel Within. Michelle said: “What makes Elevate different is that it’s not about teaching women how to lead like someone else. Built on the Rise Above methodology, it dismantles the deep-rooted conditioning, perfectionism, and people-pleasing that traditional leadership programmes ignore. That’s how you grow authentic, resilient, game-changing leaders.”

Through expert coaching, Strengthscope assessments, real-world application, and peer-led storytelling, ‘Elevate’ is offering more than professional development. Through the programme, the AND-E organisation is committed to removing the invisible obstacles that too often hold women back, including conducting a baseline assessment to create a realistic action plan, targeting the areas that need change.

At the same time, ‘Elevate’ supports the direction of travel set out by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), by contributing to a more structured and measurable approach to diversity and inclusion. It enhances female representation in leadership, demonstrates a commitment to cultural change, and reinforces AND-E’s role in helping shape a more inclusive financial services sector.

“’Elevate’ is not just another internal development scheme,” added Gemma Robinson, People and Culture Director, AND-E.

“It’s a response to the hard fact that gender parity is still 134 years away at the current pace — and to the sharper reality that women are still under-represented across the insurance sector at the top. By investing in women through programmes like ‘Elevate’, AND-E isn’t waiting for regulatory direction. We see this as a crucial move to ensure we remain an employer of choice for the wide diversity of talent.”

While many programmes focus solely on women, ‘Elevate’ incorporates 2 core elements to drive lasting change and ensure no colleague feels excluded. It is also only one component of a comprehensive strategy to focus on ED&I within the organisation.

1. Involving Men: Male leader sessions are an integral component of the programme schedule to explore gender dynamics and allyship and bring leaders together to collaborate on practices and policies that promote sustainable gender equality.
2. Adapting Existing Programmes: AND-E’s Evolve and Emerge programmes for career development incorporate cross-gender allyship and cultural humility workshops to bolster gender intelligence.

“’Elevate’ not only equips participants and our wider leadership team with the skills they need, it also fosters allyship, collaboration and mentorship, empowering everyone to uplift others,” said Warren Hetz, UK CEO, AND-E.  “We believe this will create a ripple effect, embedding inclusivity and collaboration into our organisational culture. And we hope it will inspire others to follow suit.”