BELLEVUE, Wash. & WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Symetra Life Insurance Company today announced a new initiative between its Retirement Division and the Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) that will focus on understanding and advancing allyship in the financial services industry. The research agreement was unveiled by Andrew Farrell, senior vice president, Retirement Sales and Distribution, Symetra, and Frank O’Connor, vice president, Research, IRI, at the Symetra Women’s Action Group annual meeting, held recently in Bellevue, Wash.

Organized in 2023, Symetra Women’s Action Group (SWAG) is a coalition that promotes collaboration and allyship among women leaders in financial services. More than 60 participants from distribution partner firms and industry organizations gathered for SWAG 2024, and a day-long program of speakers, panels and interactive breakout sessions focused on leadership and allyship in the financial industry.

“Fostering greater diversity and allyship across our workforce, distribution network and industry aligns with our Symetra Empowers vision, and we are so pleased to partner with IRI on this initiative to identify and catalog best practices that can be widely shared,” said Megan Meyers, vice president, Independent Broker-Dealer Channel. “We created SWAG as a platform to specifically empower women with the support, resources and allyship they need to be successful in what has traditionally been a male-dominated field, and an important aspiration of SWAG is the growth of allyship in men for the women we work with. We’re delighted that this research will help expand our industry allyship lens and scope even further.”

Led by O’Connor and Shani Armon, IRI Chief Membership & Marketing Officer, the association conducted a series of onsite interviews that will be used as an initial platform to develop insights into the best practices used by executives who aspire to be strong workplace allies. Results will be shared in early 2025 in an executive report and webinar.

“Collaborating with Symetra to shape the content of the SWAG annual meeting and create a framework for the research and resulting best practices guide represents a unique opportunity to foster growth in allyship across the industry,” O’Connor said. “The insights gained through interviews and panel discussions will prove invaluable to organizations seeking new approaches to building diverse talent and helping individuals grow to their fullest potential.”

“IRI’s DEI strategy encompasses a vibrant Women in Leadership program and partnerships with industry groups focused specifically on DEI,” Armon said. “Working with Symetra and their SWAG initiative is an ideal collaboration that will help transform opportunities for women in our industry.”

About Symetra

Symetra Life Insurance Company is a subsidiary of Symetra Financial Corporation, a diversified financial services company based in Bellevue, Washington. In business since 1957, Symetra provides employee benefits, annuities and life insurance through a national network of benefit consultants, financial institutions, and independent financial professionals and insurance producers. For more information, visit www.symetra.com.

About IRI

The Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) is the leading association for the entire supply chain of insured retirement strategies, including life insurers, asset managers, broker dealers, banks, marketing organizations, law firms, and solution providers. IRI members account for 90 percent of annuity assets in the U.S., include the foremost distributors of protected lifetime income solutions, and are represented by financial professionals serving millions of Americans. IRI champions retirement security for all through leadership in advocacy, awareness, research, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the advancement of digital solutions within a collaborative industry community.