Why Inclusion Matters: Advancing How We Serve Our Clients

“Having broad representation in our workforce enhances company performance,” CPG CEO and President Mary Kate Wold says, “because hearing a variety of points of view deepens our understanding of our varied client base and leads to robust decision-making.”

CPG’s current employees span four generations, with 58% being women, 42% men, 53% Caucasian, 17% People of African Descent, 15% Asian, 13% Latino, and 2% other People of Color. Our areas of expertise run the gamut from healthcare plans and pension benefits to property and casualty insurance and publishing.

Drawing on perspectives from people from different generations, races, ethnic groups, countries of origin, and genders, with varied sexual orientations, physical abilities, neurodiverse identities, and learning styles, not only strengthens CPG as an organization. It also enables us to provide better products, programs, and services to the clergy and lay employees of The Episcopal Church.

Responding to an Evolving Church

Attracting talent from a wide range of backgrounds makes us nimbler and more responsive to the evolving needs of our clients. Continual exposure to different worldviews builds empathy and innovation. And cross-cultural teams lead to fewer gaps in awareness.

We have employees who are fluent in many languages, from Spanish and French to Mandarin and Tagalog. They have enabled us to better explain CPG resources to our clients around the world and more fully understand their issues. For example, “Samuel Borbon, a Benefits Relationship Manager and native Spanish-speaker who grew up near the southwestern US border, helps enhance the education we provide to Spanish-speaking clients about our products and services,” Zach Peterson, our Director of International and Voluntary Relationship Management, says.

Patrick Cheng, Senior Vice President, Business Compliance, and author of Rainbow Theology: Bridging Race, Sexuality, and Spirit, among other Church Publishing books, notes that having LGBTQ+ voices at the table led to the introduction of employee benefit provisions during his tenure that addressed the needs of same-sex couples. Most recently, CPG has expanded the ways in which our clients can designate their gender identities in our systems.

Generational Dynamics

A broad mix of generations at CPG allows us to combine people’s insights from many years of experience with fresh perspectives on new technology, leading to more innovative solutions.

For instance, Denny Ferriera, Director, Client Outreach, and one of our Millennial colleagues, is co-leading CPG’s exploration of Generative Artificial Intelligence. You may have enjoyed our foray into GenAI at our booth during the 81st General Convention (“Picture Yourself in Retirement”), and we continue to look for new ways to increase client participation with and understanding of our benefits and resources.

The Bottom Line

Being intentional about inclusivity also fortifies our bottom line. “Having investment managers of varying backgrounds enhances the overall diversification of our investment portfolio,” Chief Investment Officer Michael Hood explains. “We recently invested in a fund of funds called Cambridge Velocity that looks for emerging venture capital managers. Because they have different backgrounds and networks, these managers are likely to bring companies to our portfolio that we wouldn’t otherwise gain exposure to. That increases our chance of long-term success for our beneficiaries.”