Allianz Partners

Jeremy Bingham

Jeremy Bingham, Head of Global Talent Acquisition, Allianz Partners, excels as a seasoned professional in the HR industry through his strategic vision and profound commitment to diversity and inclusion. His ability to use technology innovatively and challenge the status quo enables HR teams to thrive and foster a culture where every member feels appreciated and empowered to maximise their capabilities, leading to more successful outcomes.

In an interview with Manage HR Europe, Bingham shares insights into strategic initiatives to enhance HR processes, optimise recruitment strategies and promote diversity and inclusion within the workplace.

Can you introduce yourself and provide an overview of your role at Allianz Partners?

I have been with the organisation for over seven years. Starting as a local recruitment manager in Australia, I transitioned to this global role, which has been based in Munich for the past three and a half years.

In my current position, I oversee recruitment processes, governance, structure, business offerings, employer branding and social media. My team has expanded across 28 locations worldwide.

What are the current challenges that clients face in team building, diversity and inclusion?

We strongly emphasise diversity and inclusion within our organisation. A key challenge we face is navigating local regulatory restrictions in certain countries, where we cannot inquire about gender or disability. This limitation hinders our ability to identify gaps and take targeted action.

We are a global team, but local restraints can prevent us from asking certain questions in interviews or applications out of fear of discrimination cases. Our goal is to establish a consistent global approach to understanding our candidate pool and areas requiring improvement, regardless of the local constraints. We are also focused on evaluating our maturity level in each country, identifying strengths and addressing limitations. Education plays a crucial role in this process, from training recruiters and managers on appropriate questioning to fostering transparency and creating career development pathways for employees.

How do you plan to address the challenges focused on the pressing concerns?

Our challenges include meeting legal requirements in some countries to hire a specific number of people with disabilities, which is our key focus. We understand that each country may define disability or inclusion differently, so we strive to use inclusive language.

"Our dedication to diversity, inclusion, and technological innovation ensures that every team feels valued and empowered to reach their full potential, driving our collective success forward."

We are targeting the right disability employment agencies or partnerships in these countries to facilitate this process and ensure inclusivity in our communication. We also prioritise providing reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, ensuring that managers are equipped to support candidates with disabilities or impairments effectively.

Can you provide an example of a successful initiative you've implemented as the head of global talent acquisition at Allianz Partners?

One of our initiatives was to identify a gap across the team or business and understand the potential apprehension regarding dealing with disabilities or impairments, which is mostly simple and quick. This effort aims to dispel misconceptions and provide training on effectively managing the recruitment and onboarding processes for candidates with disabilities.

Another initiative involves promoting our organisation's diversity through social media and branding campaigns. These efforts aim to highlight our diverse workforce, making connections with individuals from different demographic backgrounds or with disabilities. This helps create a safe and inclusive workplace where everyone can bring their authentic selves.

Our dedication to diversity, inclusion and technological innovation ensures that every team feels valued and empowered to reach their full potential, driving our collective success forward.

What technology in the HR sector do you think will revolutionise the industry in the near future?

We heavily utilise platforms like LinkedIn Learning or Degreed, which overlay our learning management system. Degreed is particularly beneficial as it allows us to integrate various content sources and create learning pathways for different individuals, roles, or talent segments.

With the integration of this tool, it enables users to access learning materials on their mobile phones. Another key focus for us at Allianz Partners is leveraging AI, including generative AI, to enhance our recruitment and HR processes. This involves reducing administrative tasks and focusing more on strategic and consultative approaches.

What advice would you offer to budding entrepreneurs in the HR sector?

Always seek opportunities to learn from those around you and the market. Utilise crowd-source for information and brainstorming ideas when faced with challenges. Collaborating with colleagues globally to gather diverse insights within your organisation and from the market drives innovation and progress in HR. Technology is a valuable tool that enables us to perform our work more efficiently and effectively.