Episode 1: Alistair McQueen of Aviva: Maintaining a Diverse and Rich Workforce and the Mid-Life Review

Alistair McQueen is Head of Savings & Retirement at Aviva UK plc, where he has spent over 23 years. He has been instrumental in raising awareness of the importance of older workers, and initiated the >45 mid-life review for Aviva’s staff and is an advocate for the importance of diversity within financial firms. Our conversation starts with Alistair's own journey into pensions, his long career at Aviva and how his interest in protecting the talent within Aviva particularly among older workers originated.  We describe in detail the elements of the mid-life review and its focus on Wealth, Work and Wellbeing and how well-received the initiative was.  It was impactful too - leading to more employee engagement, lower absenteeism and higher rates of retention of talent. The practice has actually been perceived as so effective that it is likely to now be rolled out on a national level. Age discrimination an area that currently sits in the shadows of some of the diversity debate, and this series is an effort to bring it out of there. Let’s ensure that all of us can look forward to a future of dignity, purpose and security. This podcast series was made possible by the kind support of Darwin Alternatives. Darwin Alternative Investment Management Limited offers innovative, alpha-driven investment solutions that are uncorrelated with traditional asset classes and feature business areas which have not previously been considered by investment funds. The firm aims to create new opportunities for investors to further diversify their portfolios and achieve stable absolute returns.