QBE has received Gold Employer status for the second year in the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI), maintaining its position as the highest-ranked insurer on the LGBTQ inclusion benchmark.

Only 16 employers received Gold status.

Hollard Insurance was one of 18 Silver Employers, while Allianz and IAG were listed among 27 Bronze Employers.

This year, 170 organisations participated in the survey, published by Pride in Diversity annually, with 33,572 employees responding. Held virtually, the rankings were revealed at a preliminary awards event attended by more than 300 delegates.

This year’s main Australian LGBTQ Inclusion Awards luncheon was postponed in May and will be held on October 19 at Sydney’s Hyatt Regency.

QBE Pride is one of five finalists for Employee Network of the Year, and QBE’s Ben Brown is one of three finalists for Network Leader of the Year.

“Looking to 2020 and beyond, it’s a great opportunity to see what else we can do to drive inclusion, not only internally for our people, but also for our customers and partners,” QBE Chief Customer Officer Personal Lines  Frank Costigan said.