Allianz Australia has partnered with Settlement Services International (SSI) since 2016, supporting people with a refugee background as part of its broader commitments to a multicultural society. The partnership provides targeted support for both employment and education, acknowledging both are vital to provide a sense of stability, identity and the achievement of one’s potential. The partnership was recognised with the Australian Human Rights Business Award in 2017, awarded by the Australian Human Rights Commission.

Refugees who come to Australia face many challenges during settlement, such as financial hardship, dealing with experiences of torture and trauma, and family separation; yet Australia is a nation built on immigration. Australia has a long history of providing safe asylum to refugees, many of whom have gone on to make great civil, social and economic contributions to Australian society. The Allianz Sustainable Employment Program aims to continue that tradition – it was established to provide refugees with tailored development and career management plans, leading to permanent employment; and provide targeted scholarships to those who are the most in need and willing to overcome social and economic challenges.

The SSI Allianz scholarships directly support people from refugee backgrounds to achieve independence. Since 2016, the Allianz Sustainable Employment program and Allianz Ladder have provided employment opportunities to over 100 people, and the SSI Allianz education scholarship have provided over 130 grants.

Allianz also supports SSI as a Charity Partner. Allianz employees fundraise and volunteer to provide additional support to SSI programs.

For more information about SSI, visit their website.

LGBTI recognition

At Allianz, we believe that creating a safe and welcoming environment for people to feel that they belong is essential for our business.

In 2020, Allianz was awarded a Bronze Accreditation from Pride in Diversity as part of the Australian Workplace Equality Index. Our aim is to improve on this outcome in the years to come by focusing on the inclusion of our LGBTI-identifying colleagues at each point in the employee life cycle with Allianz.

Our Pride Employee Network Group provides support and awareness raising for our LGBTI-identifying employees and their allies.